Writing - Text Types for Audience and Purpose
Writing is the external standard that asks you to produce a variety of text types in French for a specified audience and purpose. Tasks may include a formal letter or email, an article, a blog post, a review or a narrative. You are assessed on task fulfilment, development of ideas, range of language and accuracy. A short, accurate text that answers the task beats a long text full of unrelated vocabulary.
Core rules
Identify the text type and its conventions before you write. A formal email needs Madame, Monsieur, a clear purpose, polite requests and a formal closing. A blog post can be more personal but still needs structure. Plan three or four paragraphs: opening, development, example or opinion, conclusion. Use connectives and varied structures: non seulement … mais aussi, cependant, afin que, si …, il est essentiel que. Check verb endings, adjective agreements and accents, especially accents that change meaning such as a/à and ou/où.
Worked example
Task: write a formal email to a tourist office asking about an eco-tourism stay. A weak opening is Salut, je veux savoir des choses. A stronger opening is Madame, Monsieur, je me permets de vous écrire afin de demander des renseignements sur votre séjour éco-touristique. A question such as Pourriez-vous me préciser si l'hébergement est inclus et quelles activités sont proposées ? uses inversion and polite conditional. Close with Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées. The reasoning: register, format and precise requests all earn credit, while Salut would be inappropriate for this audience.
Traps
Writing an informal text for a formal task; ignoring the bullet points; translating English word order; forgetting agreements; using a dictionary word without checking its context; and writing so many ideas that none is developed.