Advice on french document

ryanch09

Hey all just starting to prepare my french document for the oral and I need your opinion on what I should use, preferably a photo.

To make it as unique and personal as I could I might choose a photo I took while staying in a small town in Germany. Is this a good idea? Or should I try something else? I took many photos of this place so I do have some variety on what I could use. I'll upload a few photos for you all to see and give your opinion

Thank you!

dcam

Yes I think it's a good idea as it would be interesting but be prepared that you will have a lot of work cut out for you as there really are an awful lot of questions you could be asked if you choose this for your document such as cultural differences etc. However I think if you used a photo with yourself in it it would be better as it makes the document more personal and that's a good thing:)

amymak

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend using a photo of a family holiday. I'd say one in every three people will be doing the same thing. (Depending on the teacher you have.) Especially if you're doing higher level, I'd recommend doing something more abstract that they won't have heard a hundred times that week alone and that allows you to show off vocabulary. It's the perfect time to throw in some difficult stuff, as it's guaranteed to come up so it's well worth your time. Personally I did "La Malbouffe".

jwof2006

I didn't do one, if you are any good at the oral it is a unnecessary waste of time where you could be showing off how good you are.;)

dmca93

I wouldn't do a family holiday. Apart from a lot of other people doing that for their document you are almost guaranteed to be asked about your holidays anyway. You should do something a bit different and interesting that you can learn off impressive and difficult vocabulary for which you otherwise wouldn't have. I did "Le Tiers-Monde". I got an A1 in French and I'd like to think that my document really strengthened my score in the oral.

amymak

jwof2006 wrote: »

I didn't do one, if you are any good at the oral it is a unnecessary waste of time where you could be showing off how good you are.;)

Ah, but if the document is well prepared, and on an interesting and abstract topic, it's the ideal time to show off how good you are. It's a set of vocabulary you're guaranteed to use and you can use it to throw in a lot of lovely phrases that would normally be too time-consuming and impractical to learn off because of the huge number of topics that won't come up. If you prepare it well, you will impress the examiner. As it is, people try to guide the oral to suit themselves and you won't get a better opportunity than this.
It has been shown that if a student presents a document, they are more likely to do better than their non-document holder rivals.
I suppose that if you are excellent, you don't need it. However, it's a real boon to weaker students and it can help settle the student's nerves if they feel that they have at least two minutes for which they are prepared.

jwof2006

I agree that it helps the weaker students, but the reality is that the examiners clearly know that you have just learned it all off and are more likely to give a B than an A. You want to stand out.

dcam

jwof2006 wrote: »

I agree that it helps the weaker students, but the reality is that the examiners clearly know that you have just learned it all off and are more likely to give a B than an A. You want to stand out.

I don't think you're more likely to got a B than an A if you do a document. I did a document when I did my Leaving for the first time and when I repeated and I got an A2 the first time and an A1 the second time. The oral examiners are usually delighted when someone has a document as it makes the oral a bit different rather than listening to the same thing about family, school, hobbies etc. from everyone. It also means they have to come up with less questions to ask. These two things can only put them in a good mood. Also they know you have the answers for most of the questions they ask you learned off so it doesn't really matter that they know you have learned off the document. The important thing really is to make it SOUND as if it isn't learned off.