Writing skills (guided composition, letter, message, dialogue, paragraph)
Writing skills in this paper are guided, not free: an informal letter or message, a dialogue, or an 80–100-word paragraph built from three or four given points. Examiners reward task completion, correct format, tense control and connectors far more than ambitious vocabulary used wrongly.
Know the three formats
Lettre amicale: place and date top right, Cher/Chère + prénom, body, closing formula (Bien à toi / Amicalement / À bientôt), signature. Message or carte postale: brief greeting, three or four sentences, sign-off. Dialogue: a dash before each speaker, a reporting verb (demanda-t-il, répondit-elle, s'écria-t-il), and consistent tu between friends.
Link your ideas
Use d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin for sequence; de plus, par ailleurs to add; cependant, pourtant to contrast; donc, par conséquent to conclude. Connectors are the cheapest marks in the paper.
Respect the word count and the points
Count words - contractions such as j'ai count as two. If three points are given, each must appear clearly; a missing point costs more than a grammar slip.
Worked example
Points: où ? - avec qui ? - qu'avez-vous fait ? Model: « Samedi dernier, je suis allé à la plage avec ma famille. D'abord, nous nous sommes baignés, ensuite nous avons pique-niqué et enfin nous avons admiré le coucher du soleil. » Reasoning: the passé composé carries completed actions, d'abord/ensuite/enfin orders them, and nous nous sommes baignés agrees because the reflexive pronoun is the direct object.
Traps that cost marks
Switching between tu and vous in the same letter. Omitting the date, greeting or signature. Writing 55 words when 80 are required. Narrating in the present when the task is about a past weekend. Reproducing English letter conventions (Dear Sir) instead of Monsieur / Madame.