VCE French flashcards
VCE French · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Prescribed themes
- The three organising themes for Units 1 to 4: the individual, the French-speaking communities, and the world around us. Each theme contains prescribed topics and subtopics.
- Language modes
- The four modes assessed in French: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Viewing is assessed within reading and listening tasks.
- Unit 1 Outcome 1
- An assessment of listening and speaking. Students show comprehension of spoken French and exchange information and ideas orally on familiar topics.
- Unit 1 Outcome 2
- An assessment of reading and writing. Students read and respond to written French texts and produce written texts for specified audiences and purposes.
- Unit 2 Outcome 1
- An assessment of listening, reading and viewing. Students extract and compare information from spoken and written French texts on familiar topics.
- Unit 2 Outcome 2
- An assessment of writing in French. Students adapt register and text type to purpose, audience and context.
- School-based assessment
- Assessment in Units 1 and 2 is designed and marked by the school against the outcomes. Each unit is recorded as Satisfactory or Not Satisfactory.
- Key knowledge
- The facts, vocabulary, grammar and text conventions students must learn in each area of study. It underpins the key skills assessed in each outcome.
- Key skills
- The applied abilities assessed in each outcome: comprehending spoken and written French, producing texts, and interacting orally in French.
- Text types Units 1 and 2
- Prescribed forms include personal letters, emails, diary entries, notices, advertisements, short articles, conversations and interviews. Students produce and respond to these.
- Register
- The level of formality in French, ranging from informal tu forms to formal vous forms. Register must suit the audience, purpose and text type.
- Detailed study
- A research task in Units 3 and 4 in which students investigate a topic linked to a prescribed theme using at least one French-language source.
- Unit 3 Outcome 1
- A conversation in French on a topic drawn from the prescribed themes. Students demonstrate comprehension and fluency in spoken interaction.
- Unit 3 Outcome 2
- An assessment of listening and writing. Students analyse and respond in writing to spoken and written French texts, including a written response to a text.
- Unit 4 Outcome 1
- An assessment of writing and comprehension. Students produce a detailed written response to a studied text and complete listening and reading tasks.
- Unit 4 Outcome 2
- An oral assessment in French. Students present a detailed oral response and discuss a topic or text studied during the year.
- Study score weighting
- School-assessed coursework in Units 3 and 4 contributes 50 per cent of the final study score. The two end-of-year examinations contribute the other 50 per cent.
- Written examination
- The end-of-year written exam assesses listening, reading and writing. It includes a section on the prescribed themes and a text-response section.
- Oral examination
- The end-of-year oral exam has two parts: a conversation in French on the prescribed themes and a discussion based on the student's detailed study.
- Listening comprehension
- A task in which students hear spoken French and answer questions in English or French, showing understanding of main ideas and supporting detail.
- Reading comprehension
- A task in which students read French texts and answer questions, identifying main ideas, specific detail, tone and implied meaning.
- Text response
- A written answer in French to a studied text or source, showing understanding of content, ideas and the writer's purpose.
- Marking criteria
- The descriptors used to grade responses: relevance, depth of content, accuracy of grammar and vocabulary, range of language, and appropriateness of register and text type.
- Passé composé
- A compound past tense formed with avoir or être plus a past participle. It expresses completed actions and is common in recounts and diary entries.
- Imparfait
- An imperfect past tense describing ongoing, habitual or background actions. It contrasts with the passé composé in narrative texts.
- Futur simple
- A future tense formed by adding endings to the infinitive, with irregular stems for many verbs. Used for plans, predictions and formal writing.
- Subjonctif présent
- A mood expressing doubt, necessity, wish or emotion, usually after que. It follows expressions such as il faut que and bien que.
- Conditionnel présent
- A tense expressing hypothetical situations, polite requests and reported future. Formed from the future stem plus imperfect endings.
- Pronominal verbs
- Verbs accompanied by a reflexive pronoun, such as se lever or s'habiller. Most take être in the passé composé with agreement of the participle.
- Agreement of adjectives
- Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Most add -e for feminine and -s for plural, with irregular forms.
- Negation structures
- French negation surrounds the verb: ne ... pas, ne ... jamais, ne ... rien, ne ... personne. In the passé composé, ne precedes the auxiliary.
- Connectors
- Words linking ideas in French texts: d'abord, ensuite, cependant, donc, enfin. They structure arguments and improve coherence in written responses.
- Formal letter conventions
- A French formal letter opens with Monsieur/Madame, uses vous forms, closes with a formula such as Cordialement or Je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations distinguées.