Writing and Composition
Writing and Composition requires coherent, accurate French prose - usually an argumentative essay, formal letter or article of roughly 250–300 words, so check the rubric on the day. Examiners reward a clear line of argument, varied controlled syntax and appropriate register; they penalise memorised material that does not answer the prompt.
Plan before you write
A three-part plan (thèse – antithèse – prise de position) suits debate prompts; a thematic plan (social, economic, personal) suits open ones. One idea per paragraph, announced by a topic sentence.
Build complex sentences deliberately
Include a concessive (bien que + subjunctive), a cause (puisque, faute de), a consequence (si bien que) and a relative clause (ce qui, dont). Vary connectives: en revanche, par ailleurs, or, certes… mais.
Control register
Formal writing keeps vous, avoids slang, and uses il convient de or force est de constater sparingly rather than as filler.
Worked example
Prompt: Le télétravail est-il une chance pour les jeunes salariés ? Thesis sentence: Bien qu'il offre une souplesse appréciable, le télétravail risque d'isoler les jeunes recrues et de freiner leur apprentissage. Reasoning: the concessive clause acknowledges the opposing view without conceding the argument; risque de + infinitive expresses a nuanced judgement; the two coordinated infinitives preview the paragraph's structure.
Traps
- An off-topic essay, however fluent, is capped low.
- Shifting between tu and vous within one piece.
- English calques: réaliser means "carry out", not "realise"; attendre pour should be attendre.
- Missing accents and verb-agreement slips, which signal insecurity more than ambitious vocabulary would.