Mali DEF common mistakes
Mali DEF · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In the French composition, the candidate writes a full narrative on the assigned topic but never states a thesis or plan in the introduction, so the corrector cannot identify the argument being defended.
BEPC-style French training in Mali often emphasizes narration and description in the collège years, and candidates transfer story-writing habits into the dissertation or résumé tasks without practicing the three-part plan (introduction, développement, conclusion).
What to do instead
Before writing, spend 3 minutes drafting a one-sentence thesis and a two- or three-part outline on the draft page; open the introduction with a general observation, reformulate the sujet, and announce the plan explicitly in one sentence. Practice with five past-type sujets under timed conditions until the plan announcement becomes automatic.
The candidate confuses the consigne verb in French exercises, producing a résumé when a commentaire is asked, or answering a question about a figure of style by paraphrasing the sentence instead of naming and explaining the procédé.
Consignes are read quickly under exam pressure, and candidates rely on the general topic of the text rather than the exact task verb (résumer, analyser, comparer, justifier, relever).
What to do instead
Underline the consigne verb and the object of the task before reading the text a second time; build a personal glossary of task verbs with one model answer each, and in the last five minutes re-read each answer against its consigne to check the required operation was actually performed.
In mathematics, the candidate jumps straight to calculation without writing the given data, the property or theorem being used, or the conclusion, losing method marks even when the numerical answer is right.
Classroom practice in Mali often rewards the final result, so candidates do not internalize that the grading grid awards points for stating hypotheses, citing the relevant property (Thalès, Pythagore, angle inscrit) and concluding explicitly.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed written frame for each exercise type: 'On sait que…', 'Or…' (property), 'Donc…' (conclusion). Do three exercises per week writing every step in full, then compare against the official grading criteria for that topic; never erase intermediate lines.
The candidate leaves answers in an unfinished numerical form, such as an unsimplified fraction, a square root left unextracted, or a result given without its unit, and loses points on otherwise correct work.
Under time pressure candidates treat 'I found the value' as the end of the task and are unaware that the expected form (fraction irréductible, valeur exacte then arrondie, unité SI) is part of the answer.
What to do instead
Keep a one-page checklist of expected answer forms per topic (fractions, puissances, racines, unités, arrondis) and apply it in the final two minutes; in practice, mark your own work against the model correction and record every lost point caused by form rather than reasoning.
In physics and chemistry, the candidate writes a formula and substitutes numbers without converting to SI units or checking dimensional consistency, giving a result off by factors of 10, 100 or 1000.
Exercises frequently give data in grams, centimetres, minutes or millilitres, and candidates substitute the raw numbers directly into formulas memorized with kilograms, metres and seconds.
What to do instead
Make unit conversion an obligatory written step before substitution: write each given quantity with its unit, convert on the line below, then substitute. Drill ten conversion exercises (g→kg, cm³→m³, min→s, mL→L) at the start of each revision session and always write the unit after every intermediate result.
The candidate describes an experiment or a chemical reaction in vague everyday language ('it heats up', 'it changes colour') instead of using the required vocabulary and observation–interpretation–conclusion structure.
Laboratory work is limited in many schools, so candidates have read about experiments more than performed them and have not practiced the written report format expected in the épreuve.
What to do instead
Memorize a short report template (matériel, protocole, observations, interprétation, conclusion) and rehearse it on the ten standard experiments of the programme (test de l'eau de chaux, électrolyse, combustion du fer, précipitation). Learn the precise terms for each observation and use them verbatim.
In biology and earth sciences, the candidate answers with a definition or a list when the question asks for an explanation of a mechanism (photosynthesis, digestion, reproduction, plate tectonics), omitting the causal chain.
Definitions are the most memorized element of the course, so candidates reproduce them by reflex and never practice sequencing the stages of a process in order with cause and effect.
What to do instead
For each major mechanism, draw a flow diagram with arrows labeled by cause, then convert it into a written paragraph using connectors (d'abord, ensuite, ce qui provoque). Practice answering 'expliquer comment…' questions aloud from the diagram before writing.
In history-geography, the candidate reproduces a narrative of events without dates, without a map or sketch, and without answering the specific question asked about causes, consequences or spatial organization.
Revision tends to focus on stories and names rather than on the analytical operations (expliquer, caractériser, localiser) that the grading grid rewards, and map skills are under-practiced.
What to do instead
Build a dated timeline and a labeled sketch map for each major theme, and answer every practice question with an explicit structure: locate in time and space, then explain causes, then consequences. Always include at least one precise date and one geographic reference in each answer.
In civic and moral education, the candidate answers with moralizing generalities ('il faut être sage', 'respecter les autres') without naming the relevant institution, right, duty, or legal text, and without applying it to the concrete situation in the question.
The subject is often perceived as easy common sense, so candidates do not learn the institutional content (constitution, droits de l'enfant, institutions de la République, devoirs du citoyen) that distinguishes a scored answer.
What to do instead
Make a two-column table of rights and matching duties, each with the institution or text that guarantees it, and practice answering scenario questions in three steps: identify the value or rule at stake, cite the institution or text, then state the concrete behaviour expected.
In English, the candidate translates word for word from French, producing sentences with French word order and missing auxiliaries (for example omitting 'do/does' in questions or 'be' in continuous forms), and writes answers that ignore the tense required by the question.
English is taught largely through written translation and grammar drills, with little spoken production, so candidates construct sentences from French structures rather than from English patterns.
What to do instead
Learn ten high-frequency sentence frames by heart (questions with do/does/did, present continuous, past simple, comparatives) and reuse them in answers. Before writing, identify the tense and subject of the question, then build the answer from a memorized frame, checking verb, auxiliary and word order separately.
In the national language paper, the candidate writes Bambara (or another national language) using French spelling habits or an improvised orthography, mixing tonal or vowel distinctions, and produces a text that is hard to read against the official orthography.
National-language literacy is often acquired informally and school practice may be limited, so candidates transpose French letters (ou, e, o) instead of the standardized Latin-based orthography used in the official alphabet.
What to do instead
Copy out a short official text in the national language weekly, noting the standard spellings of vowels, nasals and tone marks, and keep a personal list of the twenty words you misspell most. Before the exam, rewrite two of your own essays in standard orthography and have them checked against the official alphabet chart.