NCEA Level 3 French case studies

NCEA Level 3 French · Put your knowledge to work in context.

NCEA Level 3 French is the third-year French course within the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, the main secondary school qualification in New Zealand, which is recognised by employers and used for selection by universities and other tertiary providers in New Zealand and overseas. It suits students in their final school years who already have a solid foundation in French and want to use the language for tertiary study, work, or travel. The NCEA Level 3 French case studies are 5 cases and about 3,636 words.

The exchange student who said no: listening for stance, not keywords

You are sitting the Level 3 French listening external (5 credits). The recording is played twice with a 30-second pause between playings; you may take notes but you cannot pause or rewind.

734 words, about 4 min 2

Four minutes of interaction: defending a position you only half hold

You have five minutes' preparation for a four-minute interactive speaking assessment with your teacher. The card reads: 'Le self du lycée devrait proposer un menu végétarien deux fois par semaine.

742 words, about 4 min 3

Two texts, one decision: reading irony and pronoun chains

The reading paper (5 credits) gives you two short texts, about 260 words in total, on the same decision: the town of Vitry has made buses free for everyone under 25. cette mesure, dont bénéficieront près de 4 000 jeunes...'.

712 words, about 4 min 4

The 250-word letter that must not sound translated

You are drafting a 250-word formal letter for your Level 3 French writing portfolio. The brief: write to the maire of your French twin town, Mme Delaunay, proposing that the twinning committee fund four lycée students to attend a two-week language stay.

726 words, about 4 min 5

Three minutes on a poster: turning description into critique

You have five minutes' preparation for a three-minute spoken presentation in French, followed by two questions from your teacher. The stimulus is a poster for a francophone film festival: a black-and-white photograph of a crowded street, the slogan 'Le cinéma, c'est la liberté', and a 60-word blurb claiming the festival 'donne la parole à celles et ceux qu'on n'entend jamais'.

722 words, about 4 min