MATSEC SEC French study guide
MATSEC SEC French · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The MATSEC Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) Examination in French is a secondary-school certification exam administered by the MATSEC Examinations Board, which sits within L-Università ta' Malta. The board publishes its regulations, guidelines and policies, syllabi, current session information, past papers, and marking schemes and exemplars on its section of the University of Malta website. Candidates are typically secondary students preparing for certification in French, and the exam is organised around the four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - so preparation should be balanced across all four rather than concentrated on grammar drills or written translation alone. Because the board publishes the syllabus and the current session information separately, the authoritative statement of the exam's structure, task types, timing, weighting and any oral component is the syllabus document for the session in which you intend to sit, not second-hand summaries. The MATSEC SEC French study guide has 4 sections and about 1,299 words.
01Listening - SEC French
The Listening domain checks whether you can follow spoken French at SEC level: short announcements, dialogues, interviews and messages on familiar topics such as school, travel, shopping, health and leisure. Tasks usually ask for gist, specific detail or inference, and may require a short answer in French.
334 words, about 2 min02Speaking - SEC French
The Speaking domain assesses your ability to interact in French, not to recite a prepared essay. SEC tasks typically include a short role-play or situation and a conversation on familiar topics: family, school, hobbies, holidays and future plans.
348 words, about 2 min03Reading - SEC French
The Reading domain tests comprehension of short written French: notices, emails, adverts, timetables, short articles and simple literary extracts. Questions may ask for gist, specific detail, true/false with justification, matching or inference.
303 words, about 2 min04Writing - SEC French
The Writing domain asks you to produce short, purposeful French texts: an informal email or message, a postcard, a description, a short article or a narrative. Tasks usually give bullet points to cover and a word limit.
314 words, about 2 min