Madrid PAU French (Segunda Lengua) study plan
Madrid PAU French (Segunda Lengua) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Reading comprehension of a written text in French & Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors)
Read two 350-450 word French informative texts (press-style, no dictionary) and write a one-sentence summary of each in your own words
Identify and underline the main idea, two supporting details and the author's stance in each text
Build a personal list of 40 high-frequency PAU lexical items (connectors, opinion verbs, abstract nouns) with a French definition and one original example sentence each
Diagnose your baseline: complete one full past-paper reading section under timed conditions and log every error by cause (unknown word, misread syntax, wrong inference)
Your checkpoint
An error-diagnosis table listing at least 15 reading errors classified by cause, plus a 40-item vocabulary sheet with original example sentences
Reading comprehension of a written text in French & Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors)
Practise true/false and multiple-choice comprehension items on three unseen texts, justifying each answer with a quoted line from the text
Recognise and translate 20 discourse connectors (cependant, en revanche, par conséquent, bien que, tandis que) and use each in a written sentence
Parse 15 complex sentences: identify main clause, subordinate clauses and the referent of every pronoun (y, en, celui-ci, dont)
Read one 500-word argumentative text and map its structure (thesis, arguments, counter-argument, conclusion) in note form
Your checkpoint
Three completed comprehension sets with line-referenced justifications, scoring at least 70%
Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors) & Reading comprehension of a written text in French
Drill verb morphology: conjugate 30 verbs across présent, passé composé, imparfait, futur simple and subjonctif présent, then self-correct against a reference
Apply agreement rules (participe passé, adjectives, tout/tous) in 25 gap-fill items and explain each correction in one line
Complete two timed lexical-grammar sections from past papers and record your score
Rewrite five sentences from a reading text by transforming tense, voice or reported speech without changing meaning
Your checkpoint
A corrected grammar log of 50 items with a written rule note for every mistake made
Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors) & Written expression and production of a coherent text
Write three 120-150 word opinion paragraphs on exam-style prompts, each containing a thesis, two arguments and one connector per sentence boundary
Self-edit each paragraph against a checklist (tense consistency, agreement, connector variety, register)
Convert 10 informal sentences into formal written French suitable for the exam
Complete one timed grammar section and one short writing task back to back to simulate exam fatigue
Your checkpoint
A timed mock of the grammar plus short-writing sections, scored against a checklist, with a rewritten final version of each paragraph
Written expression and production of a coherent text & Reading comprehension of a written text in French
Write two full 180-220 word essays (opinion and for-and-against) in 35 minutes each, using a fixed four-paragraph structure
Integrate at least six varied connectors and three complex structures (relative clause, subjunctive, passive) per essay
Read a model-quality French article and harvest 15 reusable academic phrases, then deploy five of them in your own writing
Peer-review or self-review your essays against a 10-point band descriptor and rewrite the weakest paragraph
Your checkpoint
Two complete timed essays plus a marked-up second draft showing at least eight concrete improvements
Reading comprehension of a written text in French & Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors) & Written expression and production of a coherent text
Sit one full timed past paper under exam conditions (reading, grammar, writing) without breaks or aids
Mark it strictly using the official weighting and identify the two weakest item types
Re-teach yourself those two weak areas using targeted exercises and write a one-page summary of the rules involved
Re-attempt every missed item and explain the correct answer in writing
Your checkpoint
A full mock exam with a score breakdown per domain and a one-page remediation sheet for the two weakest areas
Written expression and production of a coherent text & Reading comprehension of a written text in French
Write four essays across four prompt types (opinion, problem-solution, for-and-against, narrative-descriptive) under 35-minute time limits
Cut filler and repetition: reduce one essay by 15% without losing content
Practise speed-reading: summarise three unseen 400-word texts in 8 minutes each
Build and memorise a personal bank of 12 opening and 12 closing sentence frames
Your checkpoint
Four timed essays with word counts, time logs and a trimmed version of one, all scoring at least 70% on your band descriptor
Reading comprehension of a written text in French & Lexical and grammatical competence (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, connectors) & Written expression and production of a coherent text
Sit two full timed mock exams on separate days and compare scores to week 6
Review only your error log and vocabulary sheet, not new material
Rehearse time allocation: reading 40%, grammar 30%, writing 30%, with a written minute-by-minute plan
Finalise a one-page exam-day checklist covering timing, answer order and proofreading steps
Your checkpoint
Two final mock exams with a score comparison against week 6 showing improvement in at least two domains, plus the completed exam-day checklist
Milestones
Week 2: You can summarise an unseen 400-word French text in three sentences and justify three comprehension answers with quoted lines, scoring at least 60% on comprehension items
Week 4: You conjugate the five core tenses of 30 common verbs with at least 85% accuracy and write a coherent 150-word opinion paragraph in under 20 minutes
Week 6: Your full timed mock scores at least 55% overall, with no single domain below 45%
Week 8: Your final mocks score at least 65% overall and show measurable gains over week 6 in reading and writing; you can produce a 200-word essay in 35 minutes with a clear structure and varied connectors