French Document

rower 4 life

hi just looking for advice on what to use as a french document?? esp from anyone who did it last year. vocab isnt a issue i just am too shattered to cum up with ideas....sucks:(
thanks for your posts!!:rolleyes:

The Walsho

If vocab isn't a problem for you, you could just not bring in a document?

bUILDERtHEbOB

Just bring in a picture of friends or family?

KnifeWRENCH

The Walsho wrote:

If vocab isn't a problem for you, you could just not bring in a document?

Bad idea! No matter how good you are at French, there's still a possibility your examiner could ask something very obscure that you'll get stuck on. In my opinion, you have to either be really cocky or really stupid (or both) NOT to take a document. It's something you can work on yourself, you can pretty much anticipate every question you'll be asked and, most importantly, it will all be on your terms. The document really gives you a chance to show how much advance preparation you've done. Do it well and the examiner will appreciate how hard you've worked at it and give you good marks. I would have been petrified in there without my document. And I was pretty good at French!!!

bUILDERtHEboB wrote:

Just bring in a picture of friends or family?

Another bad idea, to be honest. This might work at Ordinary Level, but this is way too simplistic for Higher Level. Chances are the whole friends/family thing will have been covered before the question of the document even comes up. The examiner might ask you one question, and then could go on to a difficult topic, leaving you cut adrift.

Best thing to do I would say is to bring in an image or a newspaper article (in French! duh!) relating to current events. For my Oral last year, I brought in images of Saddam Hussein's execution. I had vocab prepared about the War in Iraq and the arguments for/against the death penalty. I was able to talk about an abstaract topic while knowing exactly what the questions would be. This is something you can't do without a document.

Alternatively, if by any chance OP you're interested in art, you could bring a famous painting. If you're into photography, bring some photos that you took yourself (scenery, landscapes, etc.) That way, the examiner gets to know more about you better and that could score you some extra marks.

That's my advice anywya. Hopefully you were able to extract something helpful from that waffle!!! :D

bUILDERtHEbOB

square_igloo wrote: »

This might work at Ordinary Level, but this is way too simplistic for Higher Level.

I'm doing ordinary level.;):D

Ri na hEireann

Your best bet is to cover some aspect of French culture....It's easy because you can preplan how you will answer the abstract questions that may result. It really is the only part of the oral where you can guarantee full fluency and where you can learn off passages if you put any preparation into it...

KeyLimePie

Bring in the ugliest picture of amy winehouse you can find =]

it's wat i'm doing and then all you have to know is drugs this drugs that

Fibonacci23

oh god. :eek: I'm bringing a picture of me at a dressage competition?!!!





Not exactly current affairs.....




(I've got the olympics, le dopage, and hunting prepared as kind of "topics")



Plus alot of stuff about how it originated in France??



AH! should i change it?!

Ck1989

I'm bringing in a photo of an anorexic model -can talk about (my supposed love of) fashion, the bad influence of this image on young girls, the peer pressure on teens to have the latest fashions etc etc. i know a lot of people say to do a document on drugs but the questions on drugs without a document are pretty straightforward anyway. do something a bit more obscure and prepare it well!

KnifeWRENCH

Fibonacci23 wrote: »

oh god. :eek: I'm bringing a picture of me at a dressage competition?!!!

Not exactly current affairs.....

(I've got the olympics, le dopage, and hunting prepared as kind of "topics")

Plus alot of stuff about how it originated in France??

AH! should i change it?!

No, that sounds ok!! If dressage is something you're passionate about you should be able to talk quite a bit about it.
You could try slip in a reference to the Olympics and then steer the conversation towards "le dopage". I doubt you'll be asked on hunting though! You have to figure out a way to subtley (can't spell that word!) introduce it.
If dressage originated in France, That's perfect! All the examiners really wanna hear is how great French is and how much you love France!!
If you get really really stuck, any question can be answered with:

"Oui. Mais je prefere le francais!!!" :D:D

KnifeWRENCH

KeyLimePie wrote: »

Bring in the ugliest picture of amy winehouse you can find =]

it's wat i'm doing and then all you have to know is drugs this drugs that

Typical you!!! :rolleyes: Good luck with it though!!

JSK 252

Something to do with Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni would be topical? Bring in the contraversial Carla Bruni photo .

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/2008/03/26/carla-bruni-sarkozy-angry-over-naked-picture-publication-89520-20363095/

Xhristy

This post has been deleted.

x_Ashy_x

im bringin in a pic of me n my friends in space camp in alabama with a famous scientist dude...loads t talk about...but im screwed cuz im too lazy t go learn it lol

oleary91

Im taking in a pic of Cascada..Was at the concert last summer

Peleus

rower 4 life wrote: »

hi just looking for advice on what to use as a french document?? esp from anyone who did it last year. vocab isnt a issue i just am too shattered to cum up with ideas....sucks:(
thanks for your posts!!:rolleyes:

judging by your name, you're a rower. do your document on rowing [or l'aviron]. Im doing my document on rowing. all you have to do is get a picture of yourself in a boat and talk about it. how long you've been doing it, why you started, whats good about it, is it hard, what are training sessions like etc...

you are a rower aren't you?

Ino112

I'm not bringing in a document.

I've talked to my friends and family about it. Apperantly, it's not a guranteed sinch, as all recommended not bringing one in.

I'm not prepared (lazy as it may seem) to concentrate on studying for an image, only for the examiner to ask me something obscure and intricate; and therefore put my time studying that said topic to waste. I've too much going on for that to be honest.

Also, the person who said it shows that you took time to prepare your document is talking out of their arse to be honest :P Many go in seeing it as a great time waster. Examiners weren't born yesterday The easiest things in ANY exam, are the ones marked the hardest! Taking in an obsure document will prove better, but, harder to prepare for.

Meh, just giving my €1 here >_0 You don't 'have' to bring one in. It's an option for a reason, i.e. you can get just as good marks without it, as with.

I also have prepared drugs, alcohol, pressure of fashion etc. which I've implemented into my conversation. I don't want to burn up my resources in the first 3 mins. now do I? :P

KnifeWRENCH

Ino112 wrote: »

I'm not prepared (lazy as it may seem) to concentrate on studying for an image, only for the examiner to ask me something obscure and intricate; and therefore put my time studying that said topic to waste. I've too much going on for that to be honest.

Chances are something obscure and intricate is gonna come up anyway, if you're a good student. If it's without a document, they could literally ask you about anything!

Ino112 wrote:

Also, the person who said it shows that you took time to prepare your document is talking out of their arse to be honest :P

I got an A2 in HL (and would have got an A1 if I'd done a better written paper). When you get you're A1 then you can tell me I'm talking out of my arse.

Ino112 wrote:

Many go in seeing it as a great time waster.
Examiners weren't born yesterday

And those people fall flat on their arse. Obviously a document is only good if it's prepared: if you're too lazy to prepare one then it's better to go in without it and take your chances. I would just assume any serious student would take the time to prepare one.
You're right - examiners weren't born yesterday. Therefore don't you think they'll be able to tell the difference between a student who brings in a poorly prepared document that they can't answer anything on, and a student with a well prepared document that they can answer questions on.

Ino112 wrote:

The easiest things in ANY exam, are the ones marked the hardest! Taking in an obsure document will prove better, but, harder to prepare for.

The document is NOT the easiest thing in the oral. Family / School / Pasttimes etc. are all much simpler.And while it is tough to prepare a good document on an obscure topic. But I feel it's worth it for the extra security you'll have.

Ino112 wrote:

Meh, just giving my €1 here >_0 You don't 'have' to bring one in. It's an option for a reason, i.e. you can get just as good marks without it, as with.

Obviously you don't have to, but unless you're fluent at French, I don't understand why you wouldn't. I'm just giving my opinion as well. If you feel comfortable without one, then good luck to you!

Ino112 wrote:

I also have prepared drugs, alcohol, pressure of fashion etc. which I've implemented into my conversation. I don't want to burn up my resources in the first 3 mins. now do I? :P

Well that all sounds great. Good luck with it. I just hope you actually do get asked on those things, because there's a lot of other stuff an examiner can ask you. And you can only say "Ce ne m'interesse pas" once!!

The Walsho

square_igloo wrote: »

And you can only say "Ce ne m'interesse pas" once!!

Really? Surely if you said that twice and answered on all other topics perfectly it wouldn't matter?

My french teacher said (would just like to reiterate that it was my teacher who said this, before all of you with your documents prepared come jumping down my throat) that from her experience of doing the orals, the document was a tool used by weaker students to try bring up marks.

Well done on the A2 though square_igloo, fancy telling us how you managed it?

KnifeWRENCH

The Walsho wrote: »

Really? Surely if you said that twice and answered on all other topics perfectly it wouldn't matter?

Well really it's a get out of jail card!!:)
You say : "Ce ne m'interesse pas"
Examiner thinks: "He/she doesn't have a f**king clue what I'm on about!:D"

The Walsho wrote:

My french teacher said (would just like to reiterate that it was my teacher who said this, before all of you with your documents prepared come jumping down my throat) that from her experience of doing the orals, the document was a tool used by weaker students to try bring up marks.

Maybe so...but if it does bring up their marks, then surely it's a good idea?
You won't get less marks for using a document...otherwise no-one would pick one.

The Walsho wrote:

Well done on the A2 though square_igloo, fancy telling us how you managed it?

Luck!!!:D:D:D I was expecting a low B / high C tbh.
I did a good oral and a good listening...but I thought my written paper was rubbish. Must have been better than I thought!!

The Walsho

square_igloo wrote: »

Maybe so...but if it does bring up their marks, then surely it's a good idea?
You won't get less marks for using a document...otherwise no-one would pick one.

Well I think it was meant to imply that while being useful, using a document can give a poor impression. Essentially the oral exam isn't supposed to be about how well you can learn material, it's supposed to be about how good your grasp of the language is. So I think she meant that if you're strong enough to hold a conversation in French, that'd be rewarded better than an obviously prepared piece would be.
Again, not my words!

Ino112

square_igloo, I'm sorry but that's complete rubbish.

At one point, you are saying that it's a test of your grasp at the language, yet on the other, you are saying you can only say 'I don't know/I'm not inerested' once? That's sort of a contradiction and in no way true. What if you are asked something en francais that you couldn't even answer in english?

I'm not saying you are allowed to over-use the line, of course not. But I think it is wiser to tell people to admit to the examiner if they don't understand, still NOT losing any marks, and saving the examiner time and bother instead of hearing an answer for a min. which doesn't even relate to the question at all.

Well, you say you got an A2. Well done, but if you think that makes your answers better than mine (which is why I think you stated it in such a manner) you are wrong :P..

RE: The Walsho, yup, that's what I meant. You sound a little like Alan Carr there.."Not my words!.."

KnifeWRENCH

Ino112 wrote: »

square_igloo, I'm sorry but that's complete rubbish.

At one point, you are saying that it's a test of your grasp at the language,

Please quote me where I actually said that. That's true to a certain extent, but it's also partly just beating the system. I wasn't terrific at spoken French, and I probably couldn't have a normal conversation in everyday life. But by knowing the Oral format you can get through it comfortably without being a brilliant speaker. That's true in every exam, really!

Ino112 wrote:

yet on the other, you are saying you can only say 'I don't know/I'm not inerested' once? That's sort of a contradiction and in no way true. What if you are asked something en francais that you couldn't even answer in english?

I'm not saying you are allowed to over-use the line, of course not. But I think it is wiser to tell people to admit to the examiner if they don't understand, still NOT losing any marks, and saving the examiner time and bother instead of hearing an answer for a min. which doesn't even relate to the question at all.

Like I said before, that line is typically used as a get out of jail card. I think using it twice or more would be pushing it.I completely agree with you that it's better to say that than to bluff your way through, but reallistically you can't expect terrific marks if you over-use it. The examiner won't be impressed if you respond with "Ce ne m'interesse pas" 3 times!!

Ino112 wrote:

Well, you say you got an A2. Well done, but if you think that makes your answers better than mine (which is why I think you stated it in such a manner) you are wrong :P..

I said it in such a manner because you said I was "talking out of my arse". That's not disagreeing with me, that's telling me that I'm wrong. There's a big difference.
I have no problem with you disagreeing with me, but having a different opinion does not make you right and me wrong.
Oh and I've been through the Oral, so while I don't think my answers are better than yours, I certainly think I have more experience to base my answers on.

Look, I'm only trying to give helpful advice. If you don't want to take it, don't. Whatever way you do your Oral, I hope you get on well I would just appreciate you not denouncing my replies as "complete rubbish".

KnifeWRENCH

The Walsho wrote: »

Well I think it was meant to imply that while being useful, using a document can give a poor impression. Essentially the oral exam isn't supposed to be about how well you can learn material, it's supposed to be about how good your grasp of the language is. So I think she meant that if you're strong enough to hold a conversation in French, that'd be rewarded better than an obviously prepared piece would be.
Again, not my words!

I can see where she's coming from, and she obviously knows more about French than I do, but I don't think using a document gives a poor impression. If it did, no-one would use it.
Is your French teacher good, by the way? Ours was rubbish!:(

Madou

if you're bringing in a document, the logical thing to do is bring a cutting from a french publication, whether it's with sport with 'l'equipe', current affairs use 'le point' or nouvel obs, or for something more frivilous, french cosmo or something.

DO NOT talk about Sarkozy/Bruni! Your examiner will be a native french speaker and this issue is cutting to the bone in France right now. Speak about that and you risk getting into a discussion about how Sarko is trying to change the french preidential role, his american-friendly conduct, his globaliosation-centric politics, is Bruni the new Jackie O, etc, etc.

For get out of jail cards, 'ca m'interesse pas' is weak, hints ignorrance and is a sure way of curving the flow to the conversation you may have been having. Given certain situations, use alternative ways of changing the path of the conversation i.e. 'c vrai, et je suis d'accord, mais je crois........' or 'je suis pas un expert, mais a mon avis...........' And if you don't have a clue of whats going on just shout accross the desk ' n'importe quoi, vas te faire foutre!' and walk out. It's how any french person would handle the situation;)

JSK 252

Madou wrote: »

i

DO NOT talk about Sarkozy/Bruni! Your examiner will be a native french speaker and this issue is cutting to the bone in France right now. Speak about that and you risk getting into a discussion about how Sarko is trying to change the french preidential role, his american-friendly conduct, his globaliosation-centric politics, is Bruni the new Jackie O, etc, etc.

My teacher is Irish and is an oral examiner for french. Whats wrong with doing Sarkozy/ Bruni? My teacher said that when she went up to the oral marking conference, the examiners love something that is original and topical. They are sick of the same documents most people bring in year in year out. I dont see much difficulty in preparing a document on Sarkozy/ Bruni. You have teachers for a reason. To help you.

Madou

JSK 252 wrote: »

My teacher is Irish and is an oral examiner for french. Whats wrong with doing Sarkozy/ Bruni? My teacher said that when she went up to the oral marking conference, the examiners love something that is original and topical. They are sick of the same documents most people bring in year in year out. I dont see much difficulty in preparing a document on Sarkozy/ Bruni. You have teachers for a reason. To help you.

My only point is that if you choose to pick such a topic, there is an infinte amount of potential questions that you may be asked. And as a run-off topic, you run the risk of talking about Sarkozy's politics. Now, I don't know how comfortable you are at discussing aspects of politics in your non-native tongue, but for most it's a linguistic quagmire!! Anyhow, it's not so much preparing a document on this subject, but preparing a dossier.

ZorbaTehZ

Last year's chief examiner in french said in an Irish Times article that the highest scoring students in french are always those that bring in a document. Quite frankly I don't know why you'd even think twice about whether or not to bring one in. (I did, and I got an A2 in honours)

JSK 252

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

Last year's chief examiner in french said in an Irish Times article that the highest scoring students in french are always those that bring in a document. Quite frankly I don't know why you'd even think twice about whether or not to bring one in. (I did, and I got an A2 in honours)

I would have thought so aswell because if you research yuor document really well, the examiner is going to commend you for it. Just remember guys that the oral examiner is going to be doing all of your year that does french and is going to get bored. An interesting document will impress the examiner.

KnifeWRENCH

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

Last year's chief examiner in french said in an Irish Times article that the highest scoring students in french are always those that bring in a document. Quite frankly I don't know why you'd even think twice about whether or not to bring one in. (I did, and I got an A2 in honours)

100% agree!:)

Diarmsquid

Can you bring a document into the Irish Oral or is it just French?