Writing - SEC French
Writing: what SEC French tests
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. Marks are awarded for content (all points covered), organisation, range of language and accuracy.
Core rules
- Plan the response around the bullets; each bullet needs at least one clear sentence.
- Match register: Salut + tu for a friend; Bonjour Madame/Monsieur + vous for a formal contact.
- Use a clear structure: greeting, opening, body, closing.
- Control tenses: passé composé for completed events, imparfait for description and background, futur proche for plans.
- Connect sentences with d'abord, puis, ensuite, enfin, parce que, donc.
- Check agreements, accents and word count at the end.
Worked example
Task: Write an email to a French friend inviting them to visit you, giving dates and transport. Model: Salut Lucie, Comment vas-tu ? Je t'invite à venir chez moi le week-end du 12 mai. Tu peux prendre l'avion jusqu'à Malte ; je viendrai te chercher à l'aéroport. Réponds-moi vite ! À bientôt, Alex Reasoning: Salut and tu fit a friend; Je t'invite performs the invitation; le week-end du 12 mai gives the date; l'avion jusqu'à Malte and je viendrai te chercher cover transport and arrival; Réponds-moi vite invites a reply. The closing is informal. A formal Cordialement would clash with Salut.
Traps that cost marks
Leaving a bullet out; writing under the minimum; mixing tu and vous; translating Maltese/English word order; forgetting accents; using a tense you cannot control.