NB Francophone G4 Writing common mistakes
NB Francophone G4 Writing · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
The response answers the prompt in one or two general sentences and then stops, so the main idea is never developed with reasons, examples, or details.
Candidates treat the planning time as optional and write the first idea that comes to mind, confusing 'having an idea' with 'developing an idea'. Under time pressure they equate length with content and stop as soon as a sentence feels complete.
What to do instead
Before writing, spend two minutes filling a three-column plan: idée principale, deux raisons, un exemple concret par raison. In the draft, force each reason into its own paragraph and add one personal or observed example per reason. Check at the end that every reason has at least one supporting detail.
The text contains several unrelated ideas that are listed side by side without any link showing which one matters most or how they connect to the topic.
Brainstorming produces a pile of associations and the candidate transcribes them in the order they appeared rather than selecting and ranking them. Weak control of the topic's boundaries makes every thought seem relevant.
What to do instead
After brainstorming, cross out any idea that does not directly answer the prompt's key verb (décris, explique, convaincs). Rank the survivors and keep only the two or three strongest. Write a one-sentence thesis before drafting, then test each paragraph against it: if the paragraph does not support the thesis, cut it or merge it.
The piece has no clear opening or closing: it begins mid-thought and ends abruptly after the last detail, with no introduction of the subject and no wrap-up.
Candidates draft only the body because that is where the 'content' seems to live, and they run out of time before adding framing. They may also not know what a French introduction and conclusion are expected to contain at this level.
What to do instead
Reserve the first and last five minutes of the writing period for framing. Draft a two-sentence opening that names the subject and announces the plan, and a two-sentence closing that restates the main point and offers a final thought or question. Practise this frame on three past prompts until it becomes automatic.
Paragraphs are missing or arbitrary: the whole text is one block, or new paragraphs start wherever a line looks long rather than where the topic shifts.
The candidate has never internalised the one-idea-per-paragraph rule and treats paragraphing as a visual or spacing issue rather than a meaning issue. Handwriting anxiety also pushes them to avoid indentation.
What to do instead
Adopt the rule 'un paragraphe = une idée'. Before writing, assign each planned idea to a paragraph and write the plan as a list of paragraph topics. Indent clearly at each shift and reread to confirm that each paragraph opens with a sentence announcing its idea.
Connectors are absent or repetitive: sentences are strung together with 'et' and 'après', or the same connector ('donc', 'aussi') appears in nearly every sentence.
The candidate's active connector repertoire is small, so under pressure the few known words repeat. They also confuse grammatical linking with logical linking and insert connectors without checking the relationship they signal.
What to do instead
Build a personal connector bank sorted by function (addition, cause, consequence, opposition, example, conclusion) and memorise two per function. During revision, count the connectors and replace any that repeat within two sentences. Verify each connector's logic by asking what relationship the two clauses actually have.
The register is flat and impersonal: the text reads like a neutral report, with no stance, feeling, or awareness of who will read it.
Candidates believe school writing must be impersonal and erase their own perspective to sound 'correct'. They also rarely picture an actual reader, so audience awareness never enters the drafting decisions.
What to do instead
Before drafting, write one line naming the intended reader and the effect wanted (to convince, to amuse, to move). Include at least one sentence expressing a reaction or judgement in first person, and one sentence addressed to the reader (a rhetorical question or direct appeal). Reread asking whether the reader could tell what the writer thinks and feels.
The text uses the wrong level of language for the task, mixing slang or spoken shortcuts with formal written French, or addressing the reader with the wrong pronoun and verb forms.
Candidates reproduce the spoken register they use with friends because it feels fluent, and they have not practised switching registers deliberately. Control of tu/vous and the corresponding verb endings is still shaky.
What to do instead
Decide the register at the planning stage and note it at the top of the page. Keep a short list of spoken forms with their written equivalents (ouais → oui, y a → il y a, on va faire → nous allons faire) and check the draft against it. Verify every second-person form: pronoun, verb ending, and possessive must agree.
Word choice is vague and overused: everything is 'bien', 'chose', 'faire', 'très', or 'beaucoup', so the text could describe almost anything.
These are the highest-frequency words in the candidate's input, so retrieval under time pressure defaults to them. The candidate also lacks precise alternatives for the specific topic and does not notice repetition while drafting.
What to do instead
Keep a topic-specific vocabulary page for each theme practised (school, family, environment, technology) with five precise nouns and five precise verbs. During revision, circle every 'chose', 'faire', 'bien', 'très' and replace at least half with a precise word. Read the text aloud to catch repeated words.
Sentences are all the same short pattern, or run-ons are joined by commas with no variation in length or structure.
The candidate writes clause by clause as thoughts arrive and never rereads for rhythm. Lack of confidence with complex structures (relative clauses, subordinate clauses) pushes them toward safe but monotonous forms.
What to do instead
Practise three moves: combine two short sentences with a relative pronoun (qui, que, où), open one sentence with a circumstantial phrase, and include one deliberately short sentence for emphasis. After drafting, label each sentence's length and rewrite so that at least three different lengths appear.
Agreement and tense errors cluster in the same places: past participles without agreement, adjectives not matching nouns, and verbs slipping between passé composé and imparfait within one narrative.
The candidate applies agreement rules only to the words immediately visible and does not track the noun or auxiliary across the sentence. Imparfait and passé composé are also used interchangeably as 'past' rather than for background versus event.
What to do instead
Do a dedicated final pass for agreement only: for every past participle, find its auxiliary and subject; for every adjective, find its noun. For tense, mark background description in imparfait and single completed events in passé composé before writing the narrative, then check each verb against that plan.