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French Oral Questions:

  • 27-03-2010 7:50pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 453 ✭✭


    Anyone able to write down a list of questions we probably will be asked?


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 319 ✭✭gemxpink


    Oh I was just about to ask a question about French Orals so I'll post it here instead. I'm not exactly sure of what happens when you go in, they do the whole exam number formal jazz and ask if you have a document. If you have a document, when do they bring it up? And are you expected to talk about it solely for a minute or two or do they ask questions? Thanks :)

    As for topics, the economic crisis is one my french teacher is saying is most likely going to come up (she's examining the orals too ;)), possibly the whole Burqa situation in France too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭eoins23456


    http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=443 sample convo is done there with some common questions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 302 ✭✭Rich1691


    gemxpink wrote: »
    Oh I was just about to ask a question about French Orals so I'll post it here instead. I'm not exactly sure of what happens when you go in, they do the whole exam number formal jazz and ask if you have a document. If you have a document, when do they bring it up? And are you expected to talk about it solely for a minute or two or do they ask questions? Thanks :)

    As for topics, the economic crisis is one my french teacher is saying is most likely going to come up (she's examining the orals too ;)), possibly the whole Burqa situation in France too.

    I don't think they introduce the document straight away, if it was about your past time for example and they got on to the topic of Les Loisirs you could mention that your document was about that topic and they may decide to introduce it then or else they would wait till the second half of the oral to talk about it.
    I think they do ask you a few questions about it so I wouldn't be brining in a very broad topic for your Document. You are given some time to talk openly about it so you would want at least 1-2 minutes prepared.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12 Shona R


    hey :D..my french teacher is banking on the recession comin up this year so im learnin just a few points and a solution to it just to get me through..also im thinkin myself that the scandal with the church and priests just might come up...wer preparing it in irish lyk...so maybe it will be the same for french...

    Just remember that if you speak as much as you can on your hobbies (possibly 3) then they wont have time to move on to current affairs...

    I was going bringing in a photo of my car and then speak on that...decided against it their is way too much to learn!!

    Good luck every1..:)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 453 ✭✭gonnaplayrugby


    theres no reason for the reccession to come up. it will come up if you bring the convo in that direction and can be answered simply by saying 'je ne sais pas tellement mais je sais c'est un grand problem pour tout la monde.
    (might be errors there but u get the point)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭eoins23456


    the recession can easily come up like.they asked me about my part time job and pocket money and this led to the economic recesson and pay going down n stuff


  • Registered Users Posts: 12 Shona R


    eoins23456 wrote: »
    the recession can easily come up like.they asked me about my part time job and pocket money and this led to the economic recesson and pay going down n stuff


    oh really?? oh god what else did they ask presuming you have done your oral already:)


  • Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭eoins23456


    myself my personality my family what my sister were doing passtimes books movies sports was a big one.recession obama and my document.not in that order cos she asked me about my document like aminute into it.
    its not really to do with what your asked though.You can lead the conversation wherever you want


  • Registered Users Posts: 211 ✭✭Stryderman


    I just remembered there that I read somewhere on this that the examiners wont ask you about the recession unless you bring it up?? Is this complete Bull****?


  • Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭eoins23456


    depends on the examiner like.some let you talk and talk about what you want and some throw random questions at you the trick is to lead the conversation where you want it to go.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 229 ✭✭felic


    Theres no set list of topics the examiner will have to test you.
    The oral exam is like a chat so to speak. And you the student have a big say in where the conversation goes. The key is practice and being familiar on how to do that.

    Say for example you go in and sit down.. what do you think or expect a stranger would ask you if they met you randomly?
    Comment t'appelle tu? Tu habite ou? Qu'es ce que tu fais comme loisiers? qu'es ce que tu fais pendant du temps libre? etc

    Its wide open and you can talk about whatever you want. Stick to topics you know a lot about. Like theres no point in going in and saying you love soccer if you have no idea of a single players name or what team he plays for. You'll hit a brick wall and the examiner will think its a vocab problem when thats not the case.

    Relax, enjoy it, dont see it as a test, just a chat.


  • Registered Users Posts: 786 ✭✭✭ps3man


    picture of me and bill clinton as my document.. see how that goes down


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 365 ✭✭dee o gee


    Can anyone recommend a good book to help with the french oral? We've been given loads of notes but I find it hard to read the writing on them and there a bit all over the place as regards topics, one minute its talking about family the next paragraph it'l be talking about recession, so id be all day trying to find what im looking for! Something similar to 'an dtuigeann tu' for irish would be a huge help.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5 JESCANDYMAN


    i got asked bout da part time job n recession to


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 961 ✭✭✭TEMPLAR KNIGHT


    i did my leaving in 2009 and in the fench oral i didnt get asked anything about the recession or current events or anything very difficult like that and neither did anybody in my whole school.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭DancingQueen:)


    I think I said this before but I was asked about my future, who I was going to marry, what type of person they would be, what type of person I would be and why? I didn't get asked about the recession but that doesn't mean it can't come up, it depends on the way the conversation goes on the day. Book wise, I think Bien Dit is great and really helpful.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,088 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    The more difficult topics they ask you, the better you are doing. They will only ask you topics they think you will manage, so if you get asked a question on a difficult topic, things are going well. It's the same in the Irish oral.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 961 ✭✭✭TEMPLAR KNIGHT


    just to add to what i said above if you keep talking youll be grand but if the examiner runs out of things to ask because you keep answering yes/no then youll get asked something your not expecting (this is what i was told by a few teachers i just kept talking about relevent stuff to the questons i was asked so it didnt go onto this, but then again anything can come up!) best of luck everyone!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12 Nemo123


    Of course you'll get asked about your family ... What are your hobbies etc all about you my examiner asked me whats one difference between France and Ireland because we were asked to bring in a picture to show the examiner and talk about who is in the picture and where etc I was in France in the picture I went complelety blank when she asked me haha


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 118 ✭✭irish-anabel


    do they always ask to tell them about yourself at the start? thats how we always practice it for irish and french, il probably go in and rhyme that paragraph off before she even talks! but do they ever start off with something different??


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭DancingQueen:)


    do they always ask to tell them about yourself at the start? thats how we always practice it for irish and french, il probably go in and rhyme that paragraph off before she even talks! but do they ever start off with something different??

    I don't think there's any rule about starting with certain things first but my teacher said they talk about the usual family/hobbies/area type things first to get you comfortable with the conversation.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12 Nemo123


    They usually ask your name age where you live if you any any brothers or sisters their ages their names


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20 slownightsolong


    Is it better to launch in?
    Like when you are asked "comment vou appellez vous?" should you go on and say your name, age and where you live?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12 Nemo123


    Well I wouldn't no cause they didnt ask that yet but they prob will after they could ask you if you've any brothers or sisters after and you'd be like i live in where-ever you live and the examiner would be like i didnt ask you that take it slow if you go to fast you will definatley mix up like


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 34 Reckle


    i did my french oral on friday
    and i do HL french but wasnt asked anything on the recession/drugs/alcohol/smoking sort of thing
    does that mean she thought i was doin OL? or that the conversation wasnt of a HL standard? a mon avis i dont think it went that badly lol


  • Registered Users Posts: 302 ✭✭Rich1691


    Reckle wrote: »
    i did my french oral on friday
    and i do HL french but wasnt asked anything on the recession/drugs/alcohol/smoking sort of thing
    does that mean she thought i was doin OL? or that the conversation wasnt of a HL standard? a mon avis i dont think it went that badly lol

    I wouldn't be too worried about it, those are just topicals and maybe she just asked you on something else instead!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 34 Reckle


    towards the end of the oral she asked about future career and stuff and then asked me about my document and that was it
    my mate did his and he was asked bout drugs hes also HL
    and i was kind of expecting to be asked the same and then i wasnt so it worried me alot :S


  • Registered Users Posts: 302 ✭✭Rich1691


    Reckle wrote: »
    towards the end of the oral she asked about future career and stuff and then asked me about my document and that was it
    my mate did his and he was asked bout drugs hes also HL
    and i was kind of expecting to be asked the same and then i wasnt so it worried me alot :S

    Did she ask you anything on church scandals/ current affairs or anything like that? They usually don't ask the same topics for everyone, e.g In my Irish oral last week about 50% got asked about the scandals in the church and the others didn't. One guy even got asked about the f**king ash cloud because he mentioned he lived near the airport!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 34 Reckle


    in relation to the document i brought in a joy division cd cover
    and she asked me about the band and then i mentioned the singer
    and she asked me bout him and said he was dead
    she then asked me how did he die?!?!?! haha im left like :O
    but the document was the last thing she asked me about
    and then it was over really? maybe she ran out of time?
    asked about the volcanic ash??! thats just a pure evil examiner :O :eek:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 302 ✭✭Rich1691


    Reckle wrote: »
    in relation to the document i brought in a joy division cd cover
    and she asked me about the band and then i mentioned the singer
    and she asked me bout him and said he was dead
    she then asked me how did he die?!?!?! haha im left like :O
    but the document was the last thing she asked me about
    and then it was over really? maybe she ran out of time?
    asked about the volcanic ash??! thats just a pure evil examiner :O :eek:

    Well, they usually leave the document to the second half/ the end of the exam so that sounds about right, you have to really know your stuff for the document i suppose (Hence the reason i'm not doing one).
    The ash cloud question was harsh enough, ironically she was a really nice examiner and he did mention the airport ....


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