MATSEC SEC French cheat sheet

The listening paper is played twice; during the first playing, focus on gist and speaker tone, and during the second, fill in specific details.

Questions appear in the order of the recording; use the pause before each section to predict the topic and likely vocabulary.

Numbers, dates, prices and times are frequent distractors: the first number heard is often corrected later in the same turn.

Register matters: 'vous' signals a formal exchange (shop, office), 'tu' signals a peer or family exchange; this helps identify relationships.

Common task types: multiple-choice, true/false with justification, matching speakers to statements, and short written answers in French.

Answers must be in French unless the rubric says otherwise; a correct idea in English earns no mark.

Listen for discourse markers ('d'abord', 'ensuite', 'par contre', 'donc') that signal sequence, contrast and conclusion.

Spelling counts in short-answer items: accents on 'é', 'è', 'ê' and cedilla 'ç' are part of the word.

The oral typically has two parts: a short monologue or picture description, then an interaction with the examiner.

Prepare a 60–90 second self-presentation covering name, age, family, school subjects, hobbies and future plans.

Use the 'vous' form with the examiner; 'tu' is reserved for role-play with a peer character.

For a picture description, structure as: what I see (people, place), what they are doing (present tense), then a personal reaction or inference.

Role-play cards require a functional exchange: asking for information, making a request, complaining politely, or negotiating.

Useful repair phrases: 'Pardon, pouvez-vous répéter ?', 'Comment dit-on ... en français ?', 'Je veux dire que...'

Pronunciation targets: silent final consonants, liaison ('les_amis'), nasal vowels ('on', 'an', 'in'), and the difference between 'u' and 'ou'.

Marks reward communication and fluency over grammatical perfection; self-correcting a tense error shows control.

Skim the questions first, then scan the text for the relevant paragraph; answers follow the order of the text.

Cognates help but false friends mislead: 'actuellement' = currently, 'éventuellement' = possibly, 'assister à' = to attend.

For true/false items, justify with a short quotation from the text; the justification carries separate marks.

Identify text type from layout and register: an informal email uses 'tu' and contractions, a notice uses infinitives and imperatives.

Tense recognition guides meaning: passé composé for completed events, imparfait for background, futur simple for plans.

Unknown words: use context, word family (e.g., 'développement' from 'développer') and prefixes/suffixes before guessing.

Answers must be rewritten in your own words unless the rubric says 'citez le texte'; copying whole sentences may not earn the mark.

Watch negation and restriction: 'ne ... que' means only, 'ne ... plus' means no longer, and both reverse the expected answer.

Two typical tasks: a short functional message (60–80 words) and a longer piece such as an article, letter or story (120–150 words).

Plan for 5 minutes: list 4–6 content points, then map them to paragraphs before writing.

Address all bullet points in the prompt; each omitted point loses content marks regardless of language quality.

Vary sentence openers and link ideas with 'd'abord', 'cependant', 'en effet', 'par conséquent', 'enfin'.

Check agreement chains: subject–verb, article–noun, adjective–noun, and past participle with 'être' verbs.

Accents change meaning: 'a' (has) vs 'à' (to), 'ou' (or) vs 'où' (where), 'sur' (on) vs 'sûr' (sure).

Reserve 5 minutes to proofread for tense consistency, accents, and the correct register ('vous' in formal letters).

Word count is a rubric item: stay within ±10% of the required length; both too short and too long can be penalised.