PAU French II (Castilla-La Mancha) common mistakes
PAU French II (Castilla-La Mancha) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In reading tasks, the candidate answers by matching identical words from the question to the text instead of locating the sentence that actually answers the question, and marks a distractor as correct.
The exam text deliberately rephrases ideas with synonyms and pronouns, and candidates under time pressure scan for surface words rather than meaning, so a word match feels like proof.
What to do instead
For each question, underline the key idea, then find the paragraph where that idea is expressed in different words; circle the pronoun or synonym chain linking it to the answer, and check whether the matched word sits in a sentence that negates or qualifies it.
The candidate treats a partially true statement as true in true/false or multiple-choice items, ignoring a limiting word such as 'souvent', 'ne...que', 'sauf' or 'la plupart'.
Candidates read for the general gist and skip quantifiers and negation, which in French are often split (ne...pas/que/jamais) and easy to miss at speed.
What to do instead
Before deciding, reread the option and the source sentence hunting for quantifiers, negation and comparatives; write a one-word gloss for each (e.g. 'toujours' = always) and reject any option whose scope is stronger than the text supports.
The candidate substitutes an English or invented near-cognate for the correct French word in synonym/antonym and word-formation items (e.g. choosing 'actuel' for 'current' in a context meaning 'réel', or forming 'dévelopement' with one p).
French and English share many look-alikes with different meanings (faux amis), and candidates trust intuition instead of checking the word's register and meaning in context.
What to do instead
Keep a personal faux-amis list (actuel/réel, éventuel/possible, attendre/attendre à, librairie/library) and for each item test the candidate word inside the original sentence; for derivatives, verify the base, prefix and suffix separately and check doubled consonants (développement, occasionnel).
In word-formation items the candidate picks a derivative that is grammatically the wrong part of speech for the gap (a noun where an adjective is required, or an adverb where a noun is needed).
Candidates focus on meaning and forget that the gap is governed by a determiner, preposition or noun it modifies, so the morphology is decided by syntax they have not analysed.
What to do instead
Identify the slot first: note the determiner or preposition before the gap and the noun or verb after it, decide noun/adjective/adverb, then apply the suffix that matches (e.g. -ment for adverbs, -eux/-al for adjectives, -té/-ance for nouns) and confirm gender/number agreement.
The candidate conjugates the passé composé with avoir for verbs of movement and pronominal verbs (e.g. 'elle a allé', 'ils se sont lavé les mains' without agreement), or omits agreement of the past participle.
The auxiliary choice and participle agreement rules are layered (être verbs, pronominal verbs, direct-object agreement with avoir), and candidates memorise lists without applying the agreement logic.
What to do instead
Drill a fixed checklist: (1) pronominal or movement verb → être; (2) with être, participle agrees with the subject; (3) with avoir, agrees only with a preceding direct object; then rewrite ten sentences changing subject gender/number to force the agreement decision.
The candidate mixes indicative and subjunctive after expressions like 'bien que', 'pour que', 'avant que', 'il faut que', or uses the subjunctive after 'après que' and 'parce que'.
Triggers are taught as lists, and candidates do not connect the subjunctive to its function (wish, doubt, necessity, concession), so unfamiliar triggers default to the indicative.
What to do instead
Group triggers by function (volonté/émotion/doute/concession/temps) and practise a transformation drill: take ten indicative sentences and rewrite them after 'il est nécessaire que', 'bien que', 'pour que', checking the stem change (aller → j'aille, faire → je fasse, être → je sois).
In written production the candidate writes long English-style sentences with missing or misplaced pronouns and prepositions (e.g. 'je pense que je vais parler de mon opinion sur', 'il m'a donné le livre à moi'), producing calques rather than French structures.
Composing directly from English thought patterns leads to word-for-word transfer, and candidates have not automated French pronominal and prepositional patterns.
What to do instead
Build a bank of ten correct frames (à mon avis, selon moi, je trouve que + indicatif, il s'agit de, cela me semble) and, after writing, run a pronoun/preposition pass: check y/en, indirect object pronouns, and verb + preposition pairs (penser à, dépendre de, s'intéresser à).
The candidate ignores the word limit and the required text type or task points in the composition, writing a memorised essay that does not answer the prompt.
Under exam pressure candidates reproduce prepared material, and they do not re-read the instructions to count words or tick off the required elements (e.g. give an opinion, describe, justify).
What to do instead
Before writing, list the task requirements as bullet points and allocate one sentence to each; after writing, count words and cut or expand to the required range, and check that each bullet is visibly answered in the text.
The candidate describes French-speaking countries through a single stereotype (Paris, the Eiffel Tower, croissants) and ignores the diversity of la Francophonie in comprehension or production tasks.
Textbooks and media concentrate on France, and candidates lack concrete knowledge of Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Senegal, Morocco or the DOM-TOM, so they guess or generalise.
What to do instead
Learn a compact grid of five or six francophone spaces with one fact each (currency, capital, a cultural institution or writer), and practise reading short authentic texts from different francophone sources, noting register and regional vocabulary.
The candidate misreads register and sociolinguistic cues, treating 'tu' and 'vous' as interchangeable or missing the formal/informal signal in a letter, email or dialogue.
Spanish and English habits differ from French conventions, and the exam may test whether the candidate can choose the appropriate greeting, closing and address form for the situation.
What to do instead
Memorise paired formulas (informal: Salut / À bientôt, tu; formal: Madame, Monsieur / Cordialement, vous) and, for each writing task, decide the relationship first, then keep pronoun, verb form and closing consistent throughout.