Advanced Higher French Exam - views?

Hi everyone,
I sat advanced higher French today and was just wondering what you all thought of it?
I thought the listening was really good, reading and translation paper was OK but I struggled with the essays - didn't think the choice was that great.
It'd be great to hear what you all chose.
Claire
xo

Reply 1

Reverie.

The listening was good; I thought it was easier than quite a few past papers. The reading and translation were fine, though most people in my class (by which I mean the other four people :p:

) thought the translation was really hard. The essay choice was a bit rubbish, most of them were kind of random topics...

It's nice to find someone else on TSR who's doing AH French! :smile:

Reply 2

claire89

I got the translation over and done with right at the beginning which was good, I always seem pushed for time with paper 1. It wasn't that bad.
The essays were really random. I thought 1 and 4 were quite similar, about technology/internet/TV and then the 1 about food was just bizarre to me... how did you write 300 words on that?! I ended up doing number 3, the ecological problems one.
There's only 3 in my class, the other two said it was "hell"... I certainly wouldn't go that far...!

Reply 3

Reverie.

I forgot to count my words! Oops. Umm, I just wrote about how things like obesity and eating disorders were at least partially caused by a warped attitude towards food in our society etc. I really hope I wrote enough now... :s-smilie:

Reply 4

studentboy441

Aha. Advanced Higher French, eh? Check you out! What's it actually like? For the oral part, what does that involve exactly? :biggrin:

Reply 5

drainpipes

Considering I only started the course mid-January, it wasn't as bad as I expected. But having said that it was by no means easy, imo. I did the environment essay as well Claire!
Thought the translation in areas was a bit tricky and I really think we should get more time for paper 1!

Reply 6

Rashail

It was better than I thought it would be. I did the first essay on technology and I though the reading and listening were fine. Translation was a bit tricky for me - its always been my weak point though. Wow you guys seem to have hardly anyone in your classes - there's 12 in mine! xx

Reply 7

claire89

studentboy441

Aha. Advanced Higher French, eh? Check you out! What's it actually like? For the oral part, what does that involve exactly? :biggrin:

It's a really great course, it's just not really taught well at my school, but still. A lot more interesting than the higher if you did it, but a hell of a lot harder. The oral exam is a 20 minute discussion with an external examiner about what you've studied throughout the year. Sounds terrible but it's not that bad really.
Thinking about taking it or something?

In response to some of the others...
12 in an advanced higher French class?! That's insane! I go to a really small school though... out of curiosity, what's the boy/girl ratio?

Person who also did the environment essay... what did you say?!

I'm glad it's overrrrr :smile:

Anyone do Italian?

Reply 8

totallyme

In my class theres only 2! Just me and a guy lol But it's great because otherwise I would have done a lot worse than I feel I did.

I thought the reading paper was quite easy, I managed to answer all the questions and even scribble some nonsense for Q5 which I never seem to get round to! The translation was a little difficult and I have absolutely no idea how I did in it as I talked to the guy after and he even had different ideas than me (like where I thought a sentence was a positive thing he had written something that was more negative).

The listening was great but even then in comparison to this guys answers I dont know if Ive done well now. The essay was really difficult (but I always think that), did anyone else choose 3? The one about talking to grandparents/parents?

Glad its all over, no more exams now :biggrin:

Reply 9

Maximus:)

Hey

yeh it is nice to see other peeps who are doing/have done advanced higher french!

I thought overall that it was ok, could have been a heck of a lot worse. The reading seemed ok and the translation was fine compaired to some of the monstrosities which ive seen:P

The listening was alrite actually :O Though out of the four of us, none of us really got question 3c (i think it was 3c) about ways it changes the way she shops.
Apart from that the listening was mostly ok :biggrin:

But yeh totally agree about the essay questions :s-smilie:

I did question 5 about teaching, think the french was ok, not sure about the things i talked about though haha.

is anyone here doing it at uni? :smile:

na sorry Im not doing italian :frown:

dont offer it at our school, wish they did though:P

Reply 10

labaguettemagique

claire89

Anyone do Italian?

I'm doing Higher Italian, how come?

Out of curiosity, what were the questions for Advanced Higher? I'm taking it next year :rolleyes:

Reply 11

labaguettemagique

Okay, I just realised that this thread is from 2007 - anyone else notice?
Oops.

Reply 12

Tsmizzit

Reading and Translation were okay, boring topic though. (Equal pay between Men/ women and male "housewives" etc.)

First part of the listening wasn't bad at all, then the second part killed me lol. (It was all about the pros and cons of the internet).

Did essay number 1 on Censorship of the Press. Was passable i hope.

Overall, I'd be happy with a C from it. Maybe that's not great considering I'm doing it at uni lol. Oh well German in 15 days, I only appreciate how good I am at French when I flop at German lol.