Tips for the Writing Section (Junior Cert French): Revision Notes
Tips for the Writing Section
The writing section in Junior Cycle French allows you to demonstrate your ability to communicate in written French. You'll typically encounter tasks like writing postcards, informal letters, emails, or short blog entries. These tasks test your ability to express yourself clearly using appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and structure while maintaining the correct tone for your audience.
Understanding the writing task
Writing tasks in Junior Cycle French are designed to mirror real-life communication situations. You might write to a French pen friend, create a blog post about your hobbies, or compose a postcard from your holidays. The key is to write naturally while showing off your French skills through varied vocabulary, different tenses, and connecting words.
Remember that authenticity is crucial - examiners want to see that you can use French in practical, everyday situations just like a real French speaker would.
Most writing tasks will ask you to include specific information, such as describing your family, talking about past events, or sharing future plans. Success comes from addressing all parts of the question while writing in clear, well-structured French.
Guidelines for effective writing
When approaching any French writing task, start by reading the question carefully and identifying what information you need to include. Plan your response by deciding on 3-4 main points to cover, then choose which tenses will be most appropriate for your content.
Structure your writing with a clear beginning, middle, and end. For letters and emails, always include a greeting and closing. Use time markers like "hier" (yesterday), "aujourd'hui" (today), and "demain" (tomorrow) to organise your ideas chronologically. This helps create a natural flow while demonstrating your range of vocabulary.
Always vary your sentence structures and include personal opinions with phrases like "à mon avis" (in my opinion) or "je pense que" (I think that). Adding reasons for your opinions using "parce que" (because) shows more sophisticated language use.
Vocabulary bank
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je / tu / il / elle / nous / vous / ils / elles | I / you / he / she / we / you / they |
| moi / toi / lui / elle / nous / vous / eux / elles | me / you / him / her / us / you / them |
| hier / aujourd'hui / demain | yesterday / today / tomorrow |
| le matin / l'après-midi / le soir / la nuit | morning / afternoon / evening / night |
| toujours / souvent / parfois / rarement / jamais | always / often / sometimes / rarely / never |
| bien / mal / très / assez / trop / un peu | well / badly / very / quite / too / a little |
| parce que / car / donc / mais / et / aussi | because / for / so / but / and / also |
| chez moi / à l'école / en ville / à la campagne | at home / at school / in town / in the countryside |
| je pense que / je crois que / à mon avis | I think that / I believe that / in my opinion |
| c'était / ce sera / il y a / il y avait | it was / it will be / there is / there was |
| je veux / je peux / je dois / je vais | I want / I can / I must / I am going to |
| quand / où / pourquoi / comment | when / where / why / how |
| beaucoup de / trop de / assez de / peu de | a lot of / too much / enough / little |
| qui / que / où / quand / si | who / that / where / when / if |
Using Your Vocabulary Effectively
Don't just memorise these words - practice using them in different combinations. Try creating mini-sentences with different vocabulary items to build your confidence and fluency.
Phrase bank
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Introducing yourself | |
| Je m'appelle... et j'ai ... ans | My name is... and I am ... years old |
| J'habite à ... avec ma famille | I live in ... with my family |
| Je suis étudiant(e) au collège... | I am a student in ... secondary school |
| Expressing opinions | |
| À mon avis... | In my opinion... |
| Je pense que... / Je crois que... | I think / I believe that... |
| Je trouve que... | I find that... |
| Selon moi... | According to me... |
| Je suis d'accord / Je ne suis pas d'accord | I agree / I don't agree |
| Ce que j'aime le plus, c'est... | What I like most is... |
| Ce que je n'aime pas, c'est... | What I don't like is... |
| Adding detail | |
| En général... / Normalement... | In general / Normally... |
| La plupart du temps... | Most of the time... |
| Par exemple... | For example... |
| Un autre aspect important est... | Another important aspect is... |
| Il faut dire aussi que... | It must also be said that... |
| Describing past events | |
| Hier, j'ai... | Yesterday I... |
| Le week-end dernier, nous sommes... | Last weekend we... |
| Pendant les vacances, j'ai visité... | During the holidays I visited... |
| C'était génial / amusant / ennuyeux / fatigant | It was great / fun / boring / tiring |
| J'ai rencontré... / J'ai vu... | I met... / I saw... |
| Talking about the present | |
| Aujourd'hui, je vais... | Today I am... |
| En ce moment, je passe beaucoup de temps à... | At the moment I spend a lot of time... |
| Je joue au foot deux fois par semaine | I play football twice a week |
| Je fais souvent mes devoirs après l'école | I often do my homework after school |
| Talking about the future and ambitions | |
| Demain, je vais... | Tomorrow I'm going to... |
| La semaine prochaine, nous allons... | Next week we are going to... |
| Dans le futur, je voudrais... | In the future I would like to... |
| À l'avenir, je veux être... | In the future I want to be... |
| Je rêve de voyager en... | I dream of travelling to... |
| Expressing feelings | |
| Je suis content(e) / fatigué(e) / triste / excité(e) | I am happy / tired / sad / excited |
| Je me sens bien / mal / nerveux(se) | I feel good / bad / nervous |
| J'étais ravi(e) / déçu(e) / surpris(e) | I was delighted / disappointed / surprised |
| Closing phrases | |
| À bientôt / Écris-moi vite / Amitiés / Bisous | See you soon / Write to me soon / Best wishes / Hugs |
| Avec toute mon amitié... | With all my friendship... |
| Bien à toi... | Yours truly... |
Essential grammar points
French word order follows the Subject-Verb-Object pattern, just like "Je mange une pomme" (I eat an apple). This is different from English in some cases, so avoid directly translating English sentence structures.
Adjective Placement Rule
Most adjectives come after the noun they describe, such as "un chien noir" (a black dog). However, some common adjectives like "grand" (big) come before the noun: "un grand homme" (a tall man).
Agreement is crucial in French writing. Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe: "une voiture rouge" becomes "des voitures rouges" in the plural.
When writing negatives, place "ne" before the verb and the second part ("pas", "jamais", "rien", "plus") after the verb. For example: "Je ne joue pas" (I don't play) or "Je ne mange jamais" (I never eat).
Worked Example: Using the Passé Composé
For past events, use the passé composé by combining "avoir" or "être" with the past participle:
Step 1: Most verbs use "avoir"
- "j'ai joué" (I played)
- "tu as regardé" (you watched)
Step 2: Movement verbs use "être" and the past participle agrees with the subject
- "je suis allé(e)" (I went)
- "nous sommes partis" (we left)
To talk about future plans, use "aller" plus an infinitive: "je vais manger" (I am going to eat). For polite requests or wishes, use the conditional: "je voudrais" or "j'aimerais" (I would like).
Connecting your ideas
Using linking words makes your writing flow naturally and shows sophisticated language skills. For addition, use "et" (and), "aussi" (also), or "de plus" (moreover).
To show contrast, try "mais" (but), "cependant" (however), "au contraire" (on the contrary), or "par contre" (on the other hand).
Worked Example: Building Connected Sentences
Instead of writing separate simple sentences:
- "J'aime le football. Je n'aime pas le tennis."
Use connecting words for sophistication:
- "J'aime le football mais je n'aime pas le tennis."
- "J'aime le football, cependant je préfère le basketball."
When explaining reasons, use "parce que" or "car" (because), "puisque" (since), "grâce à" (thanks to), or "à cause de" (because of).
For consequences, use "donc" (so), "alors" (so/then), "c'est pourquoi" (that's why), or "ainsi" (thus).
To show sequence, start with "d'abord" (first), then use "ensuite" or "puis" (then/next), "après" (after), and finish with "enfin" or "finalement" (finally).
Essential Prepositions to Master
Common prepositions include:
"à" (to/at)
"de" (of/from)
"avec" (with)
"chez" (at someone's house)
"pour" (for)
"sans" (without)
"devant/derrière" (in front of/behind)
"entre/sur/sous" (between/on/under).
False friends and common traps
Warning: Common Translation Mistakes
Be careful with words that look similar to English but have different meanings:
- "Actuellement" means "currently", not "actually"
- A "librairie" is a bookshop, not a library
- "Collège" refers to junior secondary school, not college
- "Journée" means the whole day, while "jour" simply means a day
- "Demander" means "to ask", not "to demand"
- "Sensible" means sensitive, not sensible
- "Monnaie" means change or coins, not money in general
- "Location" means rental, not location
- "Assister à" means "to attend", not "to assist"
- "Expérience" means experience, not experiment
- "Blesser" means "to injure", not "to bless"
- "Coin" means corner, while "pièce" means coin
Strategies and tips
Before writing, read the question carefully and underline key words that tell you what to include. Decide on 3-4 clear points to cover and choose which tenses you'll need (past, present, future).
While writing, always include a greeting, main message, and closing for letters or emails. Structure your response with time markers and aim to use three different tenses if possible. Add personal opinions and give reasons to show more advanced language use. Include connecting words to make your writing flow smoothly.
The Power of Quality Over Quantity
Focus on quality rather than length - six to eight well-formed sentences score higher than long, error-filled passages. Practise using set phrases that work in many contexts, like "c'était super" (it was great), "je me suis amusé" (I had fun), or "demain je vais..." (tomorrow I'm going to...).
After writing, reread carefully checking for accents, verb endings, and noun-adjective agreement. Verify that negatives are correctly placed around the verb. Ensure you've answered every part of the question.
If you forget a word, describe it instead. For example, "le truc pour écrire" means "the thing for writing" (a pen). Regular practice with model paragraphs helps you become comfortable swapping in different details like family names, hobbies, or places.
Key Points to Remember:
- Plan your writing by identifying 3-4 key points and choosing appropriate tenses
- Use connecting words to make your writing flow and demonstrate language range
- Include personal opinions with reasons to show sophisticated French skills
- Check grammar carefully, especially verb endings, agreements, and negative constructions
- Focus on clear, well-formed sentences rather than trying to write too much