Here are some study strategies I adopted to use in French B SL and tips to excel:
1. Overall
Throughout the course, I consistently kept up with homework and used Quizlet to revise vocabulary. This helped me ensure that I wasn’t falling behind and I was still keeping in pace with the material. In addition, I made grammar “cheat sheets” to ensure that I understood and remembered rules.
2. Orals
For orals, I recommend watching movies and short videos in French to immerse yourselves in the language. French-speaking YouTubers like Damon and Jo were among my faves, being entertaining and educational. Practicing by yourself (yes, talking to yourself), or recording your voice is another strategy. You can also practice with friends, classmates, and even your teachers in day-to-day conversations.
3. Class Strategies
In class, some of my favorite study strategies included the weekly drills on conjugations which helped us get familiar with the language. We also had tons of practice conversations and oral exercises which helped, as well as frequent practice reading and writing. In addition, listening comprehension drills were hard but they were effective practice.
4. Past Papers
What helped me the most, however, was doing past papers. Past papers were a lifesaver, especially for reading comprehension, as it helped me get used to the format of the exam and the style of questions asked.
The prompts on the past papers for paper 2 were also great for inspiring ideas for writing, as well as just getting writing practice in general. You can also look at the markschemes to get a general gist of what the examiner expects.
Overall, obtaining a good grade in French B SL is a doable challenge- so keep going!
You may also like…
• Katie’s tips on what subjects you should choose
• Check out tips for other subjects