French K–12

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Writing Section

Test Format and Sample Questions

The French K to 12 subject area test consists of sections that test your speaking,listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as your knowledge of pedagogy and French linguistic structures, vocabulary, and culture. The test includes approximately 78 questions, and you will have two-and-one-half hours to complete the entire test.

Table of Question Formats

Table of Question Formats
Question Format
Writing Sample
Write a 150-word letter or passage in French presenting cultural information, concepts, or ideas on familiar topics. Cues for the writing task will be given in English.

Scoring Criteria: Writing

The essay will be scored by two raters. The raters will use the criteria listed below when evaluating your essay. The score you receive for your essay is the combined total of the two raters' scores. The personal views you express will not be an issue; however, your use of vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and idiomatic French will be very important to the scoring. Scoring criteria will include, but are not limited to, demonstration of mastery of several verb tenses, subject-verb and noun-adjective agreement, word order, gender, and spelling.

Scoring Criteria
Score Point Score Point Description
SCORE of 5 Demonstrates superiority. Strong control of the language. Proficiency and variety in grammatical usage with few significant errors. Broad command of vocabulary and of idiomatic French.
SCORE of 4 Demonstrates competence. Good general control of grammatical structures despite some errors and/or awkwardness of style. Good use of idioms and vocabulary. Reads smoothly overall.
SCORE of 3 Suggests competence. Fair ability to express ideas in French. Correct use of simple grammatical structures or use of more complex structures without numerous serious errors. Some apt vocabulary and idioms. Occasional signs of fluency and sense of style.
SCORE of 2 Suggests incompetence. Weak use of language with little control of grammatical structures. Limited vocabulary. Frequent use of anglicisms that force interpretations on the part of the reader. Occasional redeeming features.
SCORE of 1 Demonstrates incompetence. Clearly unacceptable from most points of view. Almost total lack of vocabulary resources, little or no sense of idiom and/or style. Essentially Gallicized English or nearly incoherent French.

An essay of clearly insufficient length (less than half the suggested length) or with excessive repetitions will be rated a 3 or lower. An essay that fails to treat the topic will automatically be rated a 1. The coherence or organization of the essay may be the deciding factor in the case of a borderline rating.

Directions: Writing

Write an essay in French of approximately 150 words on the topic presented.

You must write an original essay that specifically and directly responds to the topic. Pre-prepared essays or essays that are discovered to contain memorized sentences or pre-prepared passages will be invalidated. For example, if the essay raters discover passages that appear in two or more essays, the essays and the violation will be brought to the attention of the Florida Department of Education and may result in the invalidation of your scores.

The essay will be scored by two raters. Your essay will not be scored on the position you take or the opinions you express; however, your use of vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and idiomatic expressions will be very important to the scoring. Scoring criteria will include, but are not limited to, demonstration of mastery of several verb tenses, subject-verb and noun-adjective agreement, word order, and spelling.

Take a few minutes to organize your thoughts and plan your essay. Leave time for editing and revising after you have completed your essay. You may outline or plan your essay on the erasable noteboard provided. Your informal outline or plan will not be scored.

Twenty minutes is the recommended time to complete your essay.

To access special characters as you type your essay, use the on-screen Symbol palette or refer to the on-screen reference sheet PDF to use ALT key codes. A paper-based reference sheet may be available upon request.

Sample Essay Topic

 start bold Assume that you are a French major in college and have just returned from a homestay in a Francophone region. Write a letter to your high school French teacher in which you discuss your cultural experiences and what you learned during your stay.

In the box provided below, please write your  start uppercase ORIGINAL end uppercase  essay based on the topic presented. Note that you are limited to 500 words. As you type your response, a word count will appear at the bottom of the response box. end bold 


Word Count: 0
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