Follow 3 Simple Steps to be ready for French oral exam questions

A Flexible Response for common DALF C1 or DELF B2 French Oral Exam Questions

It is very common to see students sharing exam tips and tricks on many Facebook groups including DELF DALF TEF – préparation aux entretiens. Many students are interested in knowing the types of questions and subjects that previous students may have had so that they can be prepared for the same question during their own exam. Often, students can introduce bad study habits into their routine as they simply start to copy and repeat what other students have done without practicing alternative responses.

It is always recommended that you should not attempt to memorize a response for your actual interview or exam because your ability to speak naturally on any topic will present you as a confident French speaker. However, if you are studying for your DELF, DALF, TEF, TCF or other language exams, then you should work on developing response structures that are relevant to the type of question being asked.

Furthermore, you should also work toward maturing your responses by adding more complex grammar and by adding a variety of stock phrases that you can readily draw upon when required. Therefore, the following content will outline a template that you can use as your personal baseline.

In addition, it is highly recommended that you treat it simply as an example and do the required work to make it more natural to you, which means that you can substitute the phrases, verbs, nouns, or even the general structure to better make it fit your way of speaking. It can be assumed that a typical response to a question will require the following elements:

What is the point of view being communicated?
What is the context or the topic being discussed?
Are you in agreement or disagreement?
Is it a question seeking a personal opinion or is it abstract?
What are the two to three arguments that can be used to reinforce the point of view being expressed?
Can concrete examples be referenced?
What is being impacted (I.e. stress, performance, health, finances, etc..) and is it being increased or decreased?
What is the conclusion?
What is the consequence, positive or negative, if the previous arguments are considered?
Does the conclusion require the point of view to be reiterated?

A new way to study for your French oral exam

The following three paragraphs represent the concept of the Flexible Response. Note that each paragraph serves a specific purpose in helping to create a well structured, yet a concise response, for common interview style questions. If you think in terms of a simple mathematical equation, which can be broken down to the following formula, then you can work on developing a response structure that is supported by a variety of complex phrases.

The Flexible Response is a method outlined in the third title of our ebook French oral exam study guide series that you can use to practice developing responses to common French oral evaluation questions. By using this method you can create variety and options within your responses and avoid memorizing a single response for common questions. More importantly the Flexible Response can help you to mentally stay on track when responding to interview style questions and it reduces the risk of speaking around a question or getting lost in the details.

A (X) + B(Y) = C(X)
the Flexible Response formula

A = your introduction where you confirm your understanding of the question and identify the key considerations to be discussed
X = the concrete or abstract item that is impacted, such as health, stress, finances, performance, or even motivation

B = the key points or arguments that you are using to reinforce the point of view that you have selected, which can also be referred to as the “cause”
Y = the concrete or abstract item that is impacted positively or negatively within each argument

C = the conclusion of your response reinforces the “consequences”, either positively or negatively, of following your argument.

A(X)

En ce qui concerne/considérant/parlant/mentionnant ( X ), il serait utile/bénéfique/mieux de noter/proposer/parler/discuter/considérer l’importance/rôle/besoin de la communication et une harmonie/les liens de communication ouverte/collaboration entre tous les membres d’une équipe/employées afin d’encourager/promouvoir/avoir travail d’équipe.

B(Y)

De plus/c’est-à-dire/en d’autres mots, un effort significatif de focaliser/concentrer/analyser sur les problèmes/soucis/inquiétudes typiques au travail, notamment/comme/puisque communication à sens unique, éliminerait les risques associe avec désinformation et créerait un sens d’épauler le travail ensemble, et de cette manière aurait avoir un impact/effet/influence positif/fort sur la roductivité/motivation/rendement.

C(X)

Parce que/car/en effet, communication pourrait être la pierre angulaire/point clé/action principal d’un effort afin de minimiser les obstacles commun pour une équipe, comme ( X ), donc/ça serait la raison pour lesquelles/alors, il vaudrait la peine/il ne serait pas une perde du temps d’investir les temps nécessaires dans le but de perfectionner/ajouter/renforcer la compétence de communiquer.

Testing the exam tips

Using the Flexible Response format can result in the following plausible response for a question pertaining to managing stress at work.

En considérant le stress au travail, il serait important qu’on prenne les temps nécessaires de discuter le rôle de l’employée dans la gestion des risques.
C’est-à-dire, il faudrait qu’on connaisse la racine du problème, par exemple un changement d’emploi ou les obligations familial. Puis, il serait utile d’essayer de proposer les solutions, après tout, si on connait le problème, on peut agir.
Enfin, ça vaudrait la peine d’avoir un plan d’éviter une récurrence du même souci, parce que, de cette façon, ça nous aiderait de gérer le stress plus efficacement.

Note how the structure follows our three part formula: The response starts off by restating that the topic being discussed is “stress at work” and the response makes a direct link to the item that is impacted – employees.

En considérant le stress au travail, il serait important qu’on prenne les temps nécessaires de discuter le rôle de l’employée dans la gestion des risques.

The response then introduces two arguments that are linked to the actions can impact an employee.

C’est-à-dire, il faudrait qu’on connaisse la racine du problème, par exemple un changement d’emploi ou les obligations familial. Puis, il serait utile d’essayer de proposer les solutions, après tout, si on connait le problème, on peut agir.

We signal to the evaluator that we are finishing our thought with “enfin” and the consequence of managing stress more efficiently is linked to the previously mentioned cause of knowing the source of the problem.

Enfin, ça vaudrait la peine d’avoir un plan d’éviter une récurrence du même souci, parce que, de cette façon, ça nous aiderait de gérer le stress plus efficacement.