Writing in French: Text Production for Audience, Purpose and Context
Core concepts
You must produce several text types: une lettre formelle, un courriel, un article, un blog, un journal intime, un discours and une critique. Each has conventions. A formal letter needs Madame, Monsieur, a clear opening (Je vous écris pour...), a developed body and a closing (Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées). An article needs a headline, an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion. A diary entry uses the first person and the passé composé with emotions.
Register and cohesion
Match tutoiement or vouvoiement to the relationship and purpose. Use connectors to link ideas: tout d'abord, ensuite, de plus, en outre, cependant, enfin, en conclusion. Vary sentence structure with subordinate clauses (parce que, bien que, afin que, alors que) and avoid repeating the same subject.
Traps
Ignoring the task instructions loses marks: if asked for three reasons, give three. Do not write a formal letter in a familiar register, or forget the formulaic opening and closing. Watch agreement, accents and verb endings, which carry weight in the language criterion. Keep to the required word count; both under- and over-length can be penalised.
Rule of thumb
Spend three minutes planning: audience, purpose, three main ideas, and the correct opening and closing formulas. Then write, then reserve three minutes to check verbs, agreements, accents and word count.