Reaction to 2025 Leaving Certificate French (Higher Level) by Corinne Gavenda, French teacher at The Institute of Education.
- Trickier vocabulary and grammar questions in the 2nd Comprehension will test them more than usual.
- The absence of some predicted topics in Section B Question 1 will have panicked some students at first glance.
If students took the paper step-by-step and remained calm, they will have found this to be a rather approachable paper with balanced challenges. However, those who jump straight to Section B’s Production Écrite options might have had a moment of panic as they assessed their options.
Section A’s first comprehension was a nice introduction to the exam. On the theme of scouting, there were no nasty surprises as the questions and vocabulary were accessible and clear. The lack of a reformulation question will have suited many and the question on grammar was straightforward. The second comprehension increased the level of difficulty. This piece is always drawn from literature and students sometimes struggle to really connect with it under the pressure of the exam hall. If students remained composed and read the English question they would have found a useful prompt to help them navigate it. In general, the vocabulary was much harder in this piece than the first. The use of “J’ai désigné” (I showed) will have thrown some. This text also featured two reformulation questions, the second of which required them to recognise indirect object pronouns. The grammar question was on the passé compose which hasn’t appeared in years – students only practicing the most recent papers certainly won’t have seen it appear. This requires both the auxiliary and past participle, so students could potentially lose out on precious marks.
Section B Question 1 is compulsory and offers a list of 3 options. Students who had spent time learning essays on anticipated topics like A.I. or vaping will have been worried by their absence. The first prompt was inspired by the comprehension on scouting and asked about the value of participation in teams. Read in isolation this prompt’s mention of “scoutisme” might have worried some, but this was only a launching point into the topic. Students who kept calm will have recalled material from their orals (sports, charity work etc.) that could easily be reworked to fit in here. This approach wasn’t likely possible for the second question on respect for the elderly. While socially topical, it is unlikely that it is very apparent in the direct experiences of young people and is not something that tends to overlap with other areas they studied. The third option was on the topic of challenges, but many students avoid this story telling question due to the trickier tense requirements. As a result, students will leave this section less confident than they will have expected.
This unease should have settled as they read their options for the final task. Across the 5 options there was something for everyone. Question 2’s “journal intime” (diary) was on cancelling a party due to bad weather, both of which were areas of vocabulary that students would know. The email in Question 3 was even nicer with its focus on the use of mobile phones by young people. Students disappointed by the lack of vaping in Question 1 could adapt some of the material for Question 4’s opinion piece on drug use, so they will be pleased that their hard work did not go to waste. The other opinion piece on gender inequality will have suited some while the final question on young people’s political engagement will be too niche for many but really appealing to those who prepared material on voting. In the end, students could have read all the options and made a choice of what best serves their interest and abilities.
For the aural exam, students might have found it tougher than last year as the pace of the speaker increased. However, for some this would be a benefit as it was a better representation of the natural cadence of the language. Throughout the sections students will be happy with both the material and the vocabulary. Section D was particularly lovely as the topic of introducing uniforms in French schools was expected to appear this year – some students could have guessed the answers. The biggest challenge came in Section E as the word “brisant” (breaking) was essential, but students would be more familiar with “casse” and so miss out on the exact answer. But this was only part of a generally very accessible paper that will have suited students of all levels.