JCE French 32 common mistakes
JCE French 32 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing the required composition at 110–130 words but drifting into a personal essay with no clear structure, so the argument or narrative has no visible beginning, development, and conclusion.
Candidates draft in one continuous stream under time pressure and never sketch an outline, so ideas arrive in the order they occur rather than in a planned order, and the word limit is reached before the conclusion is written.
What to do instead
Spend three minutes before writing to jot a five-line plan (situation, first idea, second idea, example, closing line), then write one paragraph per plan line. Check after drafting that the last paragraph answers the question posed in the prompt.
Confusing register: using spoken forms such as 'on' for 'nous', dropped 'ne' in negation, or 'y a' for 'il y a' inside a formal letter or an argumentative text.
Candidates learn informal spoken French from films, songs, and conversation practice and transfer it unconsciously to written tasks where the prompt specifies a formal addressee or a structured essay.
What to do instead
Before writing, identify the register from the prompt (formal letter, article, informal message) and keep a short checklist taped to the desk: full negation, 'nous' as subject, no abbreviations, no slang. Do one dedicated pass at the end reading only for register markers.
Misreading the task instruction and answering a different question, for example writing a description when the prompt asks for an opinion supported by examples, or omitting one of two required elements.
Candidates skim the prompt and start from the topic word they recognise, ignoring verbs like 'comparez', 'expliquez pourquoi', or 'donnez votre avis en justifiant'.
What to do instead
Underline every instruction verb and every required element in the prompt before planning, and number them. After writing, tick each numbered requirement against the text to confirm every one has been addressed explicitly.
Leaving grammatical gender and agreement errors in determiners, adjectives, and past participles, especially with 'être' verbs and reflexive constructions.
Agreement requires tracking a noun's gender and number across the sentence, which is effortful under exam pressure, and English has no equivalent system so the habit is not automatic.
What to do instead
Do a final proofreading pass that targets only agreement: circle each noun, check its determiner and adjectives, then check every past participle for its auxiliary rule. Practise with short dictated sentences until the check becomes routine.
Choosing the wrong tense or mood in complex sentences: imperfect where the passé composé is needed, present after 'si' in a hypothetical, or indicative where the subjunctive is required after expressions of doubt or necessity.
Candidates translate the tense from their first language rather than applying French sequencing rules, and they have memorised subjunctive forms without the trigger list.
What to do instead
Build a one-page reference of the triggers that demand the subjunctive and the 'si' clause patterns, and rehearse ten sentences for each. In the exam, identify the trigger word first, then choose the mood, rather than choosing by feel.
Producing literal word-for-word translations of first-language idioms and collocations, resulting in sentences that are grammatically correct but unidiomatic or incomprehensible.
Candidates compose in their first language and translate clause by clause, and they lack stored French collocations for common ideas such as 'make a decision' or 'take part'.
What to do instead
Learn verbs with their prepositions and nouns with their usual verb partners as fixed chunks, and keep a personal list of false friends and untranslatable idioms. When unsure of a phrase, rewrite the idea with simpler vocabulary rather than translating it.
Failing to link sentences and paragraphs, producing a list of short independent statements with no connectors or pronouns referring back.
Candidates focus on avoiding errors and write short sentences for safety, which removes the opportunity for subordination and cohesive devices.
What to do instead
Deliberately include a set number of linking devices per paragraph (cause, consequence, contrast, addition) and use relative pronouns and demonstrative pronouns to refer back. Practise joining pairs of short sentences into one complex sentence.
Misunderstanding the audio or written source in the comprehension section and answering from general knowledge or from one recognised word rather than from the whole message.
Candidates hear or read a familiar word and predict the rest of the message, and they try to understand every word instead of the overall meaning and the specific information requested.
What to do instead
Read the questions before listening or reading, predict the type of answer required, and note only the key words during the first listening. Answer strictly from what was said, and use the second listening to confirm or correct rather than to start fresh.
Running out of time because the composition is written first and at length, leaving no minutes for proofreading or for the shorter comprehension items.
Candidates allocate time by interest rather than by mark weighting, and they underestimate how long handwriting a full composition takes.
What to do instead
Set a fixed time budget before starting (for example, planning, drafting, and proofreading minutes for the writing task, with the remainder for comprehension), and practise full papers with a timer so the budget becomes habitual.
Spelling and accent errors in common verb forms and homophones ('a/à', 'ou/où', 'ce/se', 'é/er' at the end of verbs), which change meaning or mark the script down.
Accents are not salient to learners whose first language lacks them, and homophones sound identical, so the error is invisible during drafting.
What to do instead
Keep a short list of high-frequency homophone pairs and the substitution test for each ('avait' for 'a', 'ou bien' for 'ou'), and reserve a proofreading pass that reads only for accents and endings. Write the list out from memory weekly until it is automatic.