A Level French Writing Revision :
Essay Writing :
Structure of the Writing Part of the Exam:
In the exam, you will have about 45 minutes to:
• Jot down all your points
• Write a plan
• Write your essay
• Proof-read
You will be given a planning sheet which will have to be submitted with your exam paper.
A good A Level essay is around 250-300 words in total
A good introduction = 50 words
Part 1 & 2 = 200 words maximum (100 words each)
A good general conclusion = 40 words
Planning an Essay:
It is important to plan the essay well in order to avoid rambling and allow a structure that is easy to
follow:
Read the question carefully and ensure that you have understood what you are being asked to
do (the question may be in two parts)
Focus on the key words, eg. analyse, evaluate, explore or explain
Plan your essay in French
This prevents you writing ideas you are not able to express.
Pinpoint the topics of your paragraphs
Select the main point you want to make in your essay and then break this down into 3 or 4
sub-sections.
Only choose relevant information!
Decide your paragraph order.
It might be a good idea to keep your strongest idea for your last paragraph.
Note linking phrases you can use between paragraphs to make your essay flow as a coherent
and logical argument.
Select some concise examples, statistics or quotations that you can use to illustrate some of
your points
Think about how to introduce and conclude your essay, ensuring that you have answered the
question set.
Think about the suggested word count
It should always be possible to write a meaningful essay within the allocated number of words.
Remember to write for the reader
The content should be interesting and should communicate your meaning with clarity and
coherence.
Stick to your plan and do not get side-tracked into developing an argument or a point that is not
relevant to the set question
, Writing an Essay:
Introduction :
You could split it into three parts:
CONTEXT :
Include an initial mention of the question, ie. what it’s about.
You can use a short sentence to introduce the film or the text you have studied.
Show your understanding by establishing the background
Define the topic while demonstrating its importance.
CONTROVERSY :
Indicate a problem that you will explore.
DEVELOPMENT :
State the purpose of the essay.
Explain the essay’s organisation, ie. how you will discuss the question.
Also:
Try not to repeat the same wording of the essay title in order to impress the examiner with your
ability to manipulate language
Try to invite the reader in by opening with a punchy statement or question
Some Introduction Phrases :
CONTEXT :
Il est bien connu que… It is well known that
On entend souvent que… We often hear that…
Il est généralement admis que… It is generally accepted that…
Nous vivons dans un monde où… We live in a world where…
Il n’y a pas si longtemps… Not so long ago…
CONTROVERSY :
Un problème dont on parle souvent est… / A problem we often talk about is… /
Un problème souvent discuté est celui de… A problem often discussed is that of…
On ne peut nier que… It cannot be denied that…
Un sujet brûlant est… A hot topic is…
La plupart sont d’avis que… Most are of the opinion that…
Dans le monde actuel In the real world…
Il ne se passe pas une semaine sans voir… Not a week goes by without seeing…
Les derniers évènements ont montré que… The latest events have shown that…
La plupart admettent que… Most admit that…
DEVELOPMENT :
eg. Pour essayer de répondre à cette question, nous allons d'abord discuter…
La question est donc de savoir si… The question is therefore whether…
Il est donc nécessaire d'examiner comment… It is therefore necessary to examine how…
Peut-être devrions-nous nous demander si ... Perhaps we should ask ourselves if…
Il serait donc intéressant d’analyser… It would therefore be interesting to analyse…
Quel sera l’impact de… What will be the impact of…
Essay Writing :
Structure of the Writing Part of the Exam:
In the exam, you will have about 45 minutes to:
• Jot down all your points
• Write a plan
• Write your essay
• Proof-read
You will be given a planning sheet which will have to be submitted with your exam paper.
A good A Level essay is around 250-300 words in total
A good introduction = 50 words
Part 1 & 2 = 200 words maximum (100 words each)
A good general conclusion = 40 words
Planning an Essay:
It is important to plan the essay well in order to avoid rambling and allow a structure that is easy to
follow:
Read the question carefully and ensure that you have understood what you are being asked to
do (the question may be in two parts)
Focus on the key words, eg. analyse, evaluate, explore or explain
Plan your essay in French
This prevents you writing ideas you are not able to express.
Pinpoint the topics of your paragraphs
Select the main point you want to make in your essay and then break this down into 3 or 4
sub-sections.
Only choose relevant information!
Decide your paragraph order.
It might be a good idea to keep your strongest idea for your last paragraph.
Note linking phrases you can use between paragraphs to make your essay flow as a coherent
and logical argument.
Select some concise examples, statistics or quotations that you can use to illustrate some of
your points
Think about how to introduce and conclude your essay, ensuring that you have answered the
question set.
Think about the suggested word count
It should always be possible to write a meaningful essay within the allocated number of words.
Remember to write for the reader
The content should be interesting and should communicate your meaning with clarity and
coherence.
Stick to your plan and do not get side-tracked into developing an argument or a point that is not
relevant to the set question
, Writing an Essay:
Introduction :
You could split it into three parts:
CONTEXT :
Include an initial mention of the question, ie. what it’s about.
You can use a short sentence to introduce the film or the text you have studied.
Show your understanding by establishing the background
Define the topic while demonstrating its importance.
CONTROVERSY :
Indicate a problem that you will explore.
DEVELOPMENT :
State the purpose of the essay.
Explain the essay’s organisation, ie. how you will discuss the question.
Also:
Try not to repeat the same wording of the essay title in order to impress the examiner with your
ability to manipulate language
Try to invite the reader in by opening with a punchy statement or question
Some Introduction Phrases :
CONTEXT :
Il est bien connu que… It is well known that
On entend souvent que… We often hear that…
Il est généralement admis que… It is generally accepted that…
Nous vivons dans un monde où… We live in a world where…
Il n’y a pas si longtemps… Not so long ago…
CONTROVERSY :
Un problème dont on parle souvent est… / A problem we often talk about is… /
Un problème souvent discuté est celui de… A problem often discussed is that of…
On ne peut nier que… It cannot be denied that…
Un sujet brûlant est… A hot topic is…
La plupart sont d’avis que… Most are of the opinion that…
Dans le monde actuel In the real world…
Il ne se passe pas une semaine sans voir… Not a week goes by without seeing…
Les derniers évènements ont montré que… The latest events have shown that…
La plupart admettent que… Most admit that…
DEVELOPMENT :
eg. Pour essayer de répondre à cette question, nous allons d'abord discuter…
La question est donc de savoir si… The question is therefore whether…
Il est donc nécessaire d'examiner comment… It is therefore necessary to examine how…
Peut-être devrions-nous nous demander si ... Perhaps we should ask ourselves if…
Il serait donc intéressant d’analyser… It would therefore be interesting to analyse…
Quel sera l’impact de… What will be the impact of…
