Background Language ATAR
Grew up speaking French at home? This one's yours.
Probably not youPart 01 · The essentials
French in WA schools, decoded.
Which course you're in, exactly what the exam looks like and the syllabus behind it. The 30-second version, then the detail.
Which course is yours?
Second Language ATAR
Learned French mostly in class and it counts toward your ATAR.
This is probably youSecond Language General
Same content, easier. But doesn't count toward ATAR.
Non-ATARThe exam, up close
Click any stage to see exactly how it runs.
Oral
30%22 minutes · you bring your own stimulus
Written
70%2h30 + 10 min reading · everything provided
Oral · A · 10′
You prepare your stimulus
10 minutes · dictionary allowed · counts with Part B (35% of the oral)
What happens
You bring one image, photo or object you’ve chosen. You look at it for 10 minutes and write notes on it (a dictionary is allowed). The examiner waits in another room.
Why it matters
You choose the subject. So pick something you can genuinely talk about. A holiday photo of Provence lets you describe what you saw; an image of a social issue lets you give an opinion.
⚠ The trap
Choose something too complicated or too political and you’ll get lost in your own stimulus.
A real example
Stuck for ideas? A holiday photo (Provence, a French café) → travel & daily life · a movie poster → film & music · a phone/social-media screenshot → technology · a graduation or campus photo → planning my future. Pick the one you have the most to say about.
The stimulus. The rules
The one image, photo or object you choose and bring to Part A. Get this wrong and it can undermine your whole prep.
- ✓One single image, photo or object
- ✓Must relate to one topic only
- ✕No annotations or added notes on it
- ✕No visible French text (unless blurred)
- ✕No collage or multiple images
Wait, 4 units but 6 topics?
Year 11
Units 1 & 2
Not on the ATAR exam
Year 12: your exam
Unit 3 & Unit 4
3
topics in U3
3
topics in U4
6
exam topics
A unit is a big folder; a topicis a file inside it. Your exam has 2 folders (Units 3 & 4), each with 3 files. So 6 files in 2 folders.
Click any 2025–2026 topic for its full prep sheet.
2025–2026 exam
YOUR YEAR2027 exam
not fully locked in yetMusicFilm and seriesFrancophone culturePlanning my future+2 to be confirmed
The syllabus, unit by unit
Year 12's Units 3 & 4 are the ones your ATAR exam is actually on.
Year 11 · foundation
Unit 1: C'est la vie !
My daily routine · French sports and leisure · Leading a healthy lifestyle
Unit 2: Voyages
My travel tales and plans · Australia as a travel destination · Travel in a modern world
Year 12 · your exam units
Unit 3: Les médias
Technology and me · Film and music · In the media
Grammar and Vocab you need →Unit 4: Le monde qui nous entoure
Planning my future · Migrant experiences · Youth issues
Grammar and Vocab you need →⚠️ Three topics have strict limits
Flawless French won’t save an off-topic answer. Master the syllabus boundaries before you prep.
Migrant experiences
✓ Stay in Migration within or to the Francophone world (e.g., Senegal to Québec).
✕ Off-limits Italy, Ukraine, Gaza, Syria. Or migration to a non-francophone country.
Youth issues
✓ Stay in Stress, Drugs and Alcohol only.
✕ Off-limits Body image, Depression, Bullying.
Assumed before Unit 3
A Year-10 checklist. Non-negotiables.
✓
Core tenses
Présent, Passé composé, Imparfait, Futur proche & Futur simple
✓
Basic si-clauses
Present/Future and Imperfect/Conditional
✓
Agreement
Adjective + Past-Participle Agreement
✓
Object pronouns
Direct & Indirect object pronouns
✓
Contracted prepositions
Au / Aux / Du / Des. Never à le / à les / de le / de les
📄 Free reference sheet →Coming in 2027
Not yet officially confirmed.
UnitBecomes
Unit 3
La culture francophone
Music · Film and series · Francophone culture in the world
Unit 4
Et après ?
Planning my future · 2 topics to be confirmed
3 things that cost people marks
Always keep it formal.
Stick to vous and drop the ouais.
Going off-topic
If it’s not on the syllabus, it doesn't count, no matter how relevant it is in real life.
Running out of time
People skip questions in Listening and Reading. Practise with a timer.
How grading works (A–E)
A
Fluent. Few errors and they don't affect meaning.
B
Mostly accurate. Some errors that don't affect meaning.
C
Simple / Rehearsed language. Occasional errors that do affect meaning.
D
Short and disjointed. Frequent errors that affect meaning.
E
Insufficient work completed.
The bridge between a C and a B isn't more grammar, it's spontaneity. Moving from memorised scripts to spontaneous French is the #1 game changer for your grade.
The best FREE practice material there is
Past exams 2020–2025.
Real papers, Real listening audio and Marking keys. Completely free. On the SCSA site under French: Second Language.
Free ATAR Resources
Want me to walk you through all this?
Book a session and I’ll pinpoint exactly where you’re losing marks, plus the fastest way to lift your grade.