Writing: Guided and Free Production
What the section tests
Writing tasks range from guided production (completing a message, transforming sentences, writing from prompts) to free production (a short letter, email, article, or opinion text). Assessors reward task achievement, coherence, range of vocabulary and structures, and accuracy.
Concepts to master
Plan before writing: identify the audience, purpose, and required content points. Use a clear structure with an opening, developed body, and closing. Deploy a repertoire of connectors (tout d'abord, en outre, cependant, en conclusion) and varied sentence structures, including relative clauses and subordinate clauses. For formal writing, master conventions: Madame, Monsieur, opening formulas, and closing formulas such as Je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations distinguées.
Traps to watch
Omitting a required content point costs marks, so tick off each instruction. Avoid copying the prompt verbatim. Do not overuse simple sentences; examiners look for complexity. Watch register: informal tu and contractions belong in personal messages, not formal letters. Leave time to check agreements, accents, and verb endings.
Rule of thumb
Spend a few minutes outlining content points, write with deliberate connectors, then reserve time to proofread for agreement, tense consistency, and spelling.
Worked example: For a task asking you to invite a friend and suggest two activities, a strong opening is Salut Marie, ça va ? Je t'écris pour t'inviter à passer le week-end chez moi. Then develop each activity in its own sentence, and close with a friendly formula.