Writing in French: Structure, Accuracy and Range
What you must be able to do
Writing tasks range from a short message or postcard (about 50 words) to a longer email or description (about 100-150 words). You must fulfil the task: cover every bullet point, use the correct text type and register, and organise ideas with connectives (d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin, cependant, par contre). Accuracy counts: verb endings, gender and number agreement, accents (é versus e changes meaning: année versus annee is simply wrong), and correct word order. Range counts too: vary sentence openings and use more than one tense where the task allows, such as the passé composé for a past event.
Traps to watch
- Missing a bullet point: each required element earns marks; number them in your plan.
- Wrong text type: a formal email needs Madame, Monsieur and Cordialement; a friend gets Salut and À bientôt.
- Passé composé agreement: elle est allée, ils sont partis - agreement with être verbs.
- Accents and spelling: où versus ou, a versus à, sa versus ça.
- English word order: French adjectives and object pronouns differ (je le vois, not je vois le).
Worked example
Task: write an email to a French friend inviting them to your birthday. Plan: greeting, invitation with date, activity, food, closing. Draft: Salut Marie, ça va? Mon anniversaire est le samedi 12 mai et je fais une fête chez moi à partir de dix-huit heures. On va manger une pizza et il y aura un gâteau au chocolat. Tu peux venir? Réponds-moi vite. À bientôt, Alex.
Rule of thumb: spend two minutes planning, write, then reserve three minutes to check verbs, agreements and accents. Aim for short, correct sentences rather than long, risky ones.