Part 02 · Exam tips
Score higher, the smart way.
Not in WA? I also coach other French exams, including the French VCE, just mention it when you book.
The grammar behind Units 3–4, the errors examiners flag most, what actually earns extra points and the sounds that trip people up.
Grammar recap
Unit 4. New grammar
Vocabulary, topic by topic
Each topic has its own free prep sheet. Vocab, up-to-date facts, videos and real examiner questions. Open any of the six:
The errors examiners flag most
Error✕ Wrong✓ Right
Contracted prepositions
✕à le, à les, de le, de les
✓au, aux, du, des
Adjective / past-participle agreement
✕les pommes qu’il a mangé
✓les pommes qu’il a mangées
Literal translation
✕word-for-word from French
✓translate the overall meaning
Two conjugated verbs in a row
✕je veux voyagerai
✓je veux voyager
Register slip
✕tu / ouais with the examiner
✓vous / oui. Always formal
Negation beyond ne…pas
✕forgetting ne…plus, ne…rien, ne…personne exist
✓learn and use complex negatives
Preposition + verb
✕wrong preposition after a verb
✓learn verb+preposition pairs as chunks (décider de, réussir à…)
Tense mismatch
✕answering in a different tense than the question
✓mirror the question's tense
What actually earns extra points
Tick these off as you build each answer. They're what pushes a good response into a top one.
✓
Idioms used correctly in context
Used naturally, not forced in.
✕ Before. Je suis très fatigué ce soir.✓ After. Ce soir, je suis vidé : je vais me vider la tête.
✓
A genuine range of connectors
Go beyond et / mais on repeat.
✕ Before. J'aime le sport et j'aime lire et j'aime voyager.✓ After. J'aime le sport ; par ailleurs, j'apprécie la lecture.
✓
Tense variety
Mix past, present, future and conditional accurately.
✕ Before. Hier je mange, demain je mange aussi.✓ After. Hier j'ai mangé, aujourd'hui je mange, demain je mangerai.
✓
Precise numbers & quantifiers
The small words examiners look for.
✕ Before. Il y a beaucoup de gens.✓ After. Il y a plus de mille personnes, presque le double.
✓
Spontaneous, non-memorised responses
The biggest jump from a C to a B/A in the oral.
✕ Before. Réciter un paragraphe appris par cœur.✓ After. Répondre naturellement à la question posée.
✓
Matching the text type's conventions
The right format scores higher than good French in the wrong one.
✕ Before. Salut ! Ça va ? (dans une lettre formelle)✓ After. Madame, Monsieur, … Je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations.
Pronunciation. Sounds that trip people up
The classics examiners call out directly, then the ones that quietly cost you.
Sound / ruleCommon mistakePractice with
Final "t", "s"pronouncing themchat, tapis, petit, trois, dans
"-tion"said like English "-shun"nation, information, attention, question
"ch"said like English "ch" (chair)chat, chien, chercher, chaud
French "r"English hard "r" or a rolled "r"rouge, Paris, très, France, mercredi
"u" vs "ou"mixing up tu and touttu / tout, rue / roue, dessus / dessous
Nasal vowels (an, on, in, un)pronouncing the "n"pain, bon, vin, un, temps
"gn"said as hard "g" + "n"montagne, campagne, oignon, gagner
"eu" / "œu"said like English "you" or "oo"peu, deux, sœur, cœur, bleu
Liaisonskipping it or over-adding itles amis, un ami, nous avons, très heureux
H aspiré vs H muettreating every silent "h" the samel'homme / le héros, l'hôtel / la hauteur
Practice tip. record yourself reading a past-exam listening transcript out loud, then compare to the official audio. It's the fastest way to catch your own patterns.
Free · no commitment
Want me to catch these mistakes for you?
In a free diagnosis I'll run part of the exam with you and pinpoint exactly which of these are costing you marks. And the quickest fixes.