MFL

How to achieve an A* in a MFL

Writing and Speaking

1) Tenses: the ability to narrate events using a variety of tenses is fundamental to success. Most

candidates will manage the present, past and future so to stand out from the crowd try to include the conditional, imperfect and simple future as well.

2) Vocabulary: a wide range of vocabulary is vital. Do not repeat the same vocabulary twice and where possible use the more unusual language to stand out from the crowd.

3) Verbs: never use the same verb twice! Think of another way to express your ideas.

4) Higher level structures: phrases such as avant de / après avoir / después de  / antes de will help you to demonstrate your linguistic understanding.

5) Flow: Think about how you can structure your information so that the material flows and reads naturally. This is particularly important between the different paragraphs.

6) Be concise: You only have a limited number of words so make every one count and do not ramble aimlessly.

7) Accuracy: No matter how good you language unless you can recall it accurately you will not achieve the top marks. Accuracy includes accents, spellings and word order.

8) The subjunctive: This is a challenge but if you can include the subjunctive mood effectively and within context then it will help you to access the A*.

9) Be individual: think how many pieces of CA the examiner is going to read on the topic of holidays! How can you make yours stand out from the crowd? Bring in some humour or some less well known vocabulary.

10) Read it through: Always build in enough time to read through your work and check for any errors. 

Reading and Listening

1) Use your time wisely: in the listening you will have 5 minutes before the start of the MP3, use it wisely, pre-empt what you think you are going to hear and make notes in the target language. 

2) Read the Question: sounds simple but if you do not read the question how will you know what language you are going to hear.

3) Use the example: the example is to show you what kind of and level of language you are going to hear so listen carefully and always cross off the answer that has been used in the example.

4) Tenses: these are key to understanding the material correctly. Be careful if the question asks you to identify what the person did yesterday then listen for the past tense and do not get distracted by an activity they may have planned for tomorrow.

5) Listen / scan for time indicators: even if you cannot identify the tense itself then the indicator will tell you what tense you are going to read / hear.

6) Red Herrings: be careful not to fall into the examiners trap, where there are three options for a potential answer then I is likely that all three will be mentioned but maybe not in the correct format.

7) Negatives: be aware of all forms of negatives as these can completely change the meaning of a phrase: ne..jamais / ne..rien / nunca / nadie

8) Subjects: who is doing the activity mentioned? Be aware that the subject can change to throw you off course.

9) Detail: the higher end questions need you to give detailed answers so answer as fully as you can in line with the number of marks available.

10) Answer every question: never leave an answer blank, even if it is an educated guess towards the end of the paper!