Scholarship French

French Scholarship is an exciting opportunity to broaden your understanding of the language and the culture and how they influence our lives in NZ and globally today.  By doing French Scholarship, you are engaging in critical thinking, detailed analysis and synthesis of complex material that allows you to make informed judgments about the language and culture. These skills are transferable in all facets of further education and the workforce.  By taking French Scholarship, you are not only learning about the language and the culture, you are also preparing yourself for a future career. 

The scholarship course would take place outside of normal class time to be determined by the staff and students involved.  Students need to attend regularly in order to reap the benefits of the preparation programme as well as making sure they are doing the extended learning for the theme provided.

Format of the assessment

Resources or information supplied:

• a question-and-answer booklet for each candidate

• an audio file of the Listening passage(s)

• a laminated 'Speaking Task' card.

The school will provide a device and software on which to play the Listening passage(s), and to record the candidates' spoken responses.

The exam consists of TWO parts, held in a three-hour time slot:

• First, a two-hour Writing section with two questions in response to spoken and written stimulus material in French

• Second, a short individual Speaking section, scheduled within a one-hour time slot, with one question in French.

SECTION ONE: Writing (two hours)

Question One

This question will be in French. It will require a response written in French, to passage(s) spoken in French, and provided as an audio file. 

The Listening passage(s) will:

• require approximately 30 minutes listening time

• be repeated 3 times: the first time as a whole, the second and third times in sections, with a pause after each section

• consist of no more than 3 passages

• be linked around a common theme.

Question Two

This question will be in English. It will require a response written in English or te reo Māori, to stimulus material written in French, provided in the question-and-answer booklet.

The written stimulus material will:

• consist of no more than 3 texts

• be linked around a common theme.

SECTION TWO: Speaking (individual sessions within a one-hour time slot)

Question Three

Candidates will be required to give a spoken response of 3–4 minutes to a question related to the listening passage(s) and/or the written text(s). Both the question and the response will be in French.

In the recording room, candidates will be given:

• a straightforward question

• paper and pen

• 10 minutes to make notes for an oral response to the question.

At the end of 10 minutes, candidates will speak for 3–4 minutes, in French, in response 

to the question. Candidates may use their notes as they speak.