Expression Orale - Section A

Section A - Prise d'information à partir d'une annonce

Contents:
Number of questions :1 question
Official instructions :
« Vous avez vu cette petite annonce pour __________ et vous êtes intéressé(e). Vous téléphonez pour avoir plus d’informations.»
Ask a dozen of questions
Your examiner plays the role of your interlocutor.
 Format :1 press article and 4 proposals for missing sentences.
Purpose: To identify the logical organization of a text.

Strategies:

Tip # 1 - Practice Formulating Questions
It would be a shame to make grammar mistakes on the interrogative form just with 10 questions!
Keep in mind the main rule of the interrogative sentence: subject-verb inversion. When you ask a question, you must put the verb BEFORE the subject. If the finished verb and the subject begins with a vowel or a silent letter, we must add a "t" between the verb and the subject.
Ex : Il habite à Paris. => Habite-il à Paris ?
Elle va à la plage. => Va-t-elle à la plage ?
 
On the other hand, it is recommended to memorize the different interrogative adverbs. Here are the main ones:

• « Quoi / Que », informe sur la nature d’une chose : Que vendez-vous dans ce magasin ?
• « Qui », informe sur la personne qui fait l’action : Qui est le directeur du magasin ?
• « Quand », informe sur la date : Quand avez-vous ouvert ?
• « Où », informe sur le lieu : Où la boutique est-elle située ?
• « Comment », informe sur la manière : Comment votre magasin s’appelle-t-il ?
  

One can also form a question using « est-ce-que » at the beginning of the sentence. In this case there is no subject-verb inversion.
Ex : Elle va à la plage. => Est-ce qu’elle va à la plage ?
Que vendez-vous dans ce magasin ? => Qu’est-ce que vous vendez dans ce magasin ?
Reviewers easily notice questions learned by heart unrelated to the classified ad. It is therefore useless to memorize generic questions.

Tip # 2 - Avoid generic questions, ask questions about the ad
Reviewers easily notice questions learned by heart unrelated to the classified ad. It is therefore useless to memorize generic questions.
 
Tip # 3 - Create a Conversation with the Examiner
It is better to develop an idea than to ask the examiner 10 short questions. Ideally, you should be able to respond to the examiner's answers to your questions. This proves to the reviewer that you understand what he is saying and that you are able to quickly formulate answers over the course of a discussion.
Remember that this is not an exercise in creativity but an assessment of your ability to speak French. The relevance of your questions does not count in the evaluation. You just have to have your questions related to the ad. The most important thing is to speak fluently by varying one's vocabulary.

Do let me know incase of further queries on this subject. :)

Compréhension écrite - Section C.2 - Ordre des phrases

Section C.2 - Ordre des phrases

Contents:
Number of questions :5 independent questions.
Official instructions : « Dans les textes suivants, les phrases ne sont pas dans l’ordre. Reconstituez ces textes en mettant les phrases dans l’ordre. »
Format :4 sentences to arrange in order
Purpose: To identify the logical order of a text

Example

1. Dès cette rentrée, un nouveau prestataire fournira les cantines : la Sogeres, qui annonce 50 % minimum de produits bio d’origine France.
2. « Et plus particulièrement d’Ile-de-France, assure le maire, et ce sans augmentation du prix des repas ».
3. Ainsi, le pain sera fourni chaque matin par « La Fournée de Joinville », un boulanger de la ville.
4. Cette année, les écoliers de Joinville devraient constater un sérieux changement dans leurs assiettes.

A) 1-2-3-4
B) 4-3-1-2
C) 4-1-2-3
D) 1-3-2-4

Solution:

You must choose "C" 

Strategies:

Tip # 1 - Locating TransitionsMissing sentences can be sentences linking two propositions. These can be in opposition or continuity. Thus it is common for the proposed sentences to contain linking words, logical coordinations. It is therefore advisable to read the 2 sentences that surround the missing part to know the logical relationship between them. Review all these articulators well: « ainsi », « alors », « en effet », « donc »...

Tip # 2 - Pay attention to pronouns
A sentence will not start with a pronoun. Indeed, to know what we are talking about, in general, we start with a common name. This helps you to determine the first sentence of a series to arrange in order. We must first find the central idea. What are we talking about ? The second sentence will probably start with a personal pronoun « il », « elle » … It's the same approach with demonstrative pronouns. So you will not find at the beginning of a text the pronoun « ce » or « cette » because it refers to something that has already been mentioned previously in a previous sentence. Look for the main sentence that speaks for the first time about the subject.

Tip # 3 - Use help of Context and Titles
Each text or set of sentences is preceded by a title that guides you to the general meaning of what you are going to read.

Next up:- Section D: Reformulation

Compréhension écrite - Section C.1 - Insertion de phrases

Section C.1 - Insertion de phrases

Contents:
Number of questions :2 independent questions
Official instructions : « Dans le texte, 3 phrases ont été supprimées. Retrouvez chacune d’elles parmi les 4 propositions. »
Format :1 press article and 4 proposals for missing sentences.
Purpose: To identify the logical organization of a text.

Example:

(question 1) Des différences il y en a, évidemment, mais elles sont enfoncées dans le crâne des enfants à coup de « les garçons ceci » et « les filles cela ». En fait, tout montre qu’il suffit de contourner cette inaptitude supposée en transformant la lecture en un jeu pour amener les garçons au même niveau que les filles. (Question 2) Il faudrait choisir entre la méthode syllabique, minoritaire et supposée conservatrice, ou la méthode globale, pensée comme progressiste, quand l’une et l’autre, combinées avec intelligence, se complètent. (Question 3) Quand 20 % des jeunes de 15 ans sont en difficulté de compréhension de l’écrit, il est urgent de revoir la méthode appliquée.

Question 1
A) Chaque année, à l’heure où les enfants entrent en classe, se pose la question de la méthode d’apprentissage de la lecture pour les garçons et les filles.
B) En cause, les caractéristiques sociales de l’environnement des élèves.
C) Comme chaque année, les élèves retrouvent le chemin de l’école.
D) Le principe de la mixité à l’école se pose à nouveau cette année.
Question 2
A) Ainsi, l’apprentissage serait facilité et les progrès quantifiables.
B) Ce constat posé, il reste la dispute annuelle des méthodes de lecture.
C) Les pratiques pédagogiques actuelles se sont accordées pour privilégier une approche.
D) Les nouveaux manuels scolaires vont donc s’adapter en prenant en compte ces différences méthodologiques.
Question 3
A) Les enseignants seront donc invités à se former pour plus d’efficacité.
B) Ce principe sera mis en place dès la prochaine rentrée scolaire si d’ici là le Ministre reste en poste.
C) Le b.a.-ba de l’apprentissage est de regarder les résultats obtenus par la France en matière de lecture.
D) Fort heureusement, le professionnalisme et l’expérience des enseignants font le reste

Solutions

Question 1
Here we must choose Proposition A for several reasons. Here we are necessarily looking for an introduction of the theme, since it is the first sentence. Thus, proposition B can not be chosen because it is introduced by « En cause », which marks a logical continuation with a preceding sentence. Then we also eliminate the sentence D which is slightly off-topic. It is not about co-education; ie. classes made up of girls and boys - but learning differences between girls and boys, as shown in the next sentence. Finally, proposition C is also irrelevant to the second sentence.

Question 2
We must choose Proposition B. First because it creates the link between the two ideas that precede and follow with the help of « Ce constat posé ». Secondly, because the following sentence describes in detail what this missing phrase is about:  les méthodes de lecture.

Question 3
It is necessary to choose here answer C. Ofcourse, the answer D, containing « heureusement » is not at all in connection with the negative statement contained in the following sentence. Answers A and B are formulated in the future whereas the previous sentence is conditional and therefore represents a wish rather than a reality. Teachers are advised to choose to mix the two methods, by « il faudrait »

Strategies:
 
Tip # 1 - Locating Transitions 
Missing sentences can be sentences linking two propositions. These can be in opposition or continuity. Thus it is frequent that the proposed sentences contain words of connection, the logical coordinations. It is therefore advisable to read the 2 sentences that surround the missing part to know the logical relationship between them. Do not forget that you have to give a logical and coherent meaning to the text. Also review all these articulators: « ainsi », « alors », « en effet », « donc » …

 
Tip # 2 - Pay attention to pronouns 

A sentence will not start with a pronoun. Indeed, to know what we are talking about, in general, we start with a common name. This helps you to determine the first sentence of a series to put back in order. We must first find the central idea. What are we talking about ? The second sentence will probably be that starting with a personal pronoun, « il », « elle » … 

This is the same approach with demonstrative pronouns. So, you will not find at the beginning of a text the pronoun « ce » or« cette » because it refers to something that has already been mentioned previously in a previous sentence. Look for the main sentence that speaks for the first time about the subject, that would be the answer or introduction.

If any clarifications or comments, do post your views below! :) 
 

 

Compréhension écrite - Section B - Textes courts

Let's read more about Section B - Textes Courts! - This one's a little more challenging.

Contents:
Number of questions :25 questions. This is the longest section. 2 or 3 questions can relate to the same document, there are 7 documents.
Official instructions : « Vous prendrez connaissance des documents et répondrez aux questions correspondantes. »
Format :1 press article and questions in the form of multiple choice questions
Purpose: To extract the main information from a text.

Example:

Belem
Laurent Voulzy
Qualités évidentes : voici un disque mélodique, clair, apaisant, intime, harmonieux. Un hommage sobre à la samba. Un appel au voyage, sans artifice — beaucoup de guitare-voix en bord de mer, avec bruit des vagues en prime. Une démarche honnête, tant on connaît depuis longtemps l’amour de Laurent Voulzy pour les musiques brésiliennes : il jure même avoir écrit le premier morceau, Timides, l’année de ses… 17 ans. Un album qui ressemble à ce qu’on connaît de lui : si on y découvre sa proximité avec Philippe Baden Powell (fils de), on y retrouve surtout la douceur de sa voix, la mélancolie de son regard, son grand talent de guitariste et sa complicité avec Souchon pour les textes. D’où sans doute ce bémol : une sensation de déjà-entendu. D’autant que la moitié seulement du disque est faite de chansons originales. Le reste ? L’adaptation de l’un de ses vieux tubes, My song of you ; et un morceau patchwork de dix-huit minutes, qui colle des extraits de classiques brésiliens à la manière du Rockcollection de 1977 — dont il avait déjà repris l’esprit sur l’album Recollection en 2008. Or, en la matière, la loi du genre est impitoyable : ce qui était original il y a quarante ans ne l’est plus aujourd’hui. Et même sympathique, la recette prend des airs de facilité.

Question 1
Cet article présente un album qui :
A) Est totalement composé de chansons inédites
B) Montre une grande sincérité de la part de l’artiste
C) N’est composé que d’instruments qui incitent au voyage
D) N’a pas été facile à composer 

Question 2
L’auteur met en cause :
A) Les compétences musicales de l’artiste
B) Les thèmes abordés dans les chansons
C) Le peu de créativité dont fait preuve le musicien
D) L’absence de personnalité de l’album

  
Solutions:

Question 1
B is the right response since its the only correct option available. The author speaks to us of an « démarche honnête, sans artifice ». The synonym is « sincérité »

Question 2
The questions could also relate to the qualification of the album: sounds, colors etc.

Strategies:

 

Tip # 1 - Think about reading the headlines
Pay close attention to the title of the article in the first place, it will give you good guidance of the general theme to answer the first question.

Tip # 2 - The expression of point of view
I request you to review the vocabulary related to the expression of change because the texts chosen often refer to the evolution of a fact.Example: progresser – diminuer – modifier – connaître un changement – évoluer …

Related to this, I suggest you to also review the grammatical formulas of the comparison for easy identification. 

Example: plus que - moins que – davantage … 

Since these are press texts, it is also important to know how to describe the author's position. This will be asked regularly, so you have to identify the expression from the personal point of view that will be reformulated in the response proposals. It will also be necessary to pay attention to the adjectives used by the author which will enable you to understand if the opinion expressed is rather positive or negative.

Tip # 3 - Beware of the Context
Finally again the context will be very important to you. Indeed it is possible that you do not understand all the words of the text but different terms related to the general subject are used. Know how to find them and you will understand the general idea of ​​the text. For example if you do not understand the word « la récré », it is likely that you find the words « enfant », « école », « jouer »etc. You will guess the meaning of the word  « la récréation ».

Tip # 4 - Read French newspapers to train yourselves

To practice for this test, I suggest you to read short articles and try to summarize them in 1 or 2 sentences. For this, refer to newspaper articles like Le Parisien or RFI on the Internet, the articles are short and in French « facile ». Le parisien and RFI app is also available on the playstore or app store. You may download and just quickly browse through it everyday for a couple of minutes.

Do let me know of what you feel about these tips by posting a comment below. And in case you require more information or have any doubts, post a comment! :)

So let's get this tutorial started..Compréhension écrite - Section A - Panneaux / Petites annonces

Compréhension écrite

The reading part (Compréhension écrite) has 4 sections namely,

Section A - Panneaux / Petites annonces

Section B - Textes courts

Section C.1 - Insertion de phrases

Section C.2 - Ordre des phrases

Section D - Reformulation

I am going to teach each part separately in depth so please bear with me. The whole purpose of this blog is to help you guys perform really well in TEF exam to obtain the points you truly desire to fulfil your Canadian dreams. Although, this blog could be really lengthy, it's going to help you to familiarize yourself with each topic given in the examination.

Section A - Panneaux / Petites annonces

Contents:
Number of questions : 10 questions in total – 2 questions will be given from the same document.

Instructions provided in the exam:   « Vous prendrez connaissance des documents et répondrez aux questions correspondantes. »
Format :  1 document and questions in the form of QCM.

Objective: To define the theme, nature and function of a simple daily life document.

Example:

Ce document est :
A) Un prospectus d’annonce de fête
B) Une brochure publicitaire d’un restaurant
C) Une annonce d’un spectacle
D) Un dépliant d’un théâtre

The answer here is C. The term « comédie » informs you that the document is about a « spectacle ». Also, the timings mentioned and title clearly reveals the same.

Tip #1 - Type of documents in TEF

The documents proposed in this section of the test are often selected from the following list:

• Document publicitaire (Advertisement)
• Article de journal (Newspaper Article)
• Brochure touristique (Touristic brochure)
• Annonce de spectacle (Show/Entertainment announcement like the image represented above)

I request you to therefore familiarize yourself with these type of documents and determine the elements of each document type. For example, identify the typography of the advertisement, the price clues, the vocabulary used for an association, a shop, a trip and usage of verb tenses.

Tip #2 - Read Answers Well

Be careful, the wording of the proposals can be confusing. You must know how to identify the difference, for example, the difference between a newspaper article about a region and a tourist brochure for that region. For that, it is very important to focus your attention on the source of the document. Where does this text come from? Do you have the name of the newspaper or company, a website address maybe? 

Tip # 3 - Identify Communication Intentions

This section assesses your ability to understand "why" we write. So after describing the type of document, you will have to say what is its intention, its purpose. For that it will be useful for you to make lists of lexicon corresponding to the acts of speech below:

• Vendre / la vente
• Découvrir / la découverte / l’initiation / le baptême
• Promouvoir / la promotion / la lutte / la défense
• Offrir / l’offre / la cadeau / une promotion / une remise

 

Canada Express Entry - Increase your CRS points - TEF Canada

Have you maxed out your IELTS ?

Need more CRS points??

I've come across a lot of people who have maxed out their IELTS scores and are still stuck in the express entry pool without any opportunities to increase their scores.

For those willing to learn French or already know a little French, I would say writing the TEF exam is a great means to improve your score.

I know how hard it is waiting in the EE pool. I've been there. So here's the thing, I'll be teaching you guys the right approach to prepare for TEF and I'm sure you would find it useful.

If you've already been doing alot of research on TEF, I am sure you would have come across the famous two books:

Title: Test d’évaluation de français
Publisher: Hachette livre – Français langue étrangère

Title: TEF (test d’évaluation de français) – 250 activités
Publisher: CLE International

The books are available online in India and in other countries too. But, incase you need an e-version of the same, please do contact me or post a comment with your email address in the comment box below and I shall email it to you.

Although these two books are popular for preparation of TEF, I felt it wasn't good enough to score the marks we require for immigration. That is why, I am there to guide you guys, to help you attain the scores we all need. The books are indeed helpful in familiarizing with the format of the  exam and the type of content that can be given in the exam as well.

Don't forget to post your comments/additional requests below👇

What is TEF Canada?

I have been researching online for a year now trying to find appropriate material to train myself for TEF Canada exam.
There are tons of material available online to train for IELTS. Unfortunately, very few videos/documents are available to prepare for TEF.

This persuaded me to create a blog dedicated entirely for prepping those willing to take up this French exam to pursue their Canadian dreams.

Firstly, for those who don't know already, TEF Canada stands for The Test d'Évaluation de Français pour le Canada (TEF Canada).

Reasons for taking up TEF:

For immigration:
If you need access to entire Canada, then you would have to take up TEF Canada that consists of 4 modules namely :

Listening - Compréhension orale : 40 min – 60 questions
Reading - : 60 min – 50 questions
Speaking - Expression orale : 15 min – 2 parts
Writing : 60 min – 2 parts

If you just need to migrate exclusively to Quebec, you can opt for TEFAQ

It has the exact same modules as TEF Canada.

For studying in Canada:

Here the modules are slightly different. ie. Instead of taking up the Speaking part, you would have to take up:

Lexique et structure : 30 min – 40 questions

There are other reasons such as naturalization and obtaining resident card from the French government but I haven't seen many people taking up the exam for these reasons.

I hope this post helped you understand the purpose of writing this test..

I will be writing more posts to help you guys!