French — GCE O Level (545)

What this syllabus is

French 545 is the Cameroon GCE Board Ordinary Level French syllabus. It tests the linguistic competence of learners at the end of a five-year secondary course, in keeping with the government policy on official bilingualism.

The syllabus evaluates four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The Board notes that it is reviewed as the world environment changes.

How the course is organised

The official content is set out as two main topics — Language, and Essay Writing Techniques — each with sub-topics and attainment targets. SABI groups it into four strands so that what you learn matches what each paper asks of you.

• Strand 1 — Comprehension and Listening (topic 1.1)
• Strand 2 — Grammar, Spelling and Conjugation (topics 1.2, 1.3)
• Strand 3 — Vocabulary and Expression (topic 1.4)
• Strand 4 — Essay Writing and Translation (topic 2.0 and the translation section)
• Cross-cutting — Oral communication and the practical centre-based examination

Strand 1 — Comprehension and Listening

Reading and listening are assessed in both papers, and they are also where your vocabulary is really tested.

• Read and understand a variety of written passages
• Answer comprehension questions on a printed text
• Listen and react to recorded passages
• Translate given passages between the two official languages

Strand 2 — Grammar, Spelling and Conjugation

This is the largest single body of content in the syllabus and the backbone of the multiple-choice paper.

• Les articles : défini, indéfini, partitif, contracté
• Les noms : commun, propre, genre et nombre
• Les pronoms : possessifs, relatifs, indéfinis, personnels, démonstratifs, et leurs fonctions (COI, COD)
• Les adjectifs : interrogatifs, démonstratifs, possessifs, indéfinis, qualificatifs, numéraux
• Les adverbes de manière, cause, fréquence, but, moyen et circonstance
• Les conjonctions, les prépositions, les interjections et l''impératif
• La phrase simple et complexe ; le verbe et son sujet ; le groupe nominal ; les compléments des verbes
• L''orthographe : les différents accords, les accents et la ponctuation

Strand 3 — Vocabulary and Expression

Marks here are won by range. The syllabus expects varied, appropriate vocabulary and genuine idiomatic French.

• Les champs lexicaux ; la synonymie, l''antonymie et la phonologie
• Expressions avec « aller », « avoir », « être » et « faire »
• Expressions du temps et de poids : il fait beau, etc.
• Les proverbes usuels ou adages : tel père tel fils ; petit à petit l''oiseau fait son nid
• Les sons du français (phonétique) and figurative language

Strand 4 — Essay Writing and Translation

Topic 2.0 teaches composition as a technique with three stages, and the syllabus is explicit about what each stage must do.

• Introduction : les techniques des différents types de sujet ; situer les évènements dans le temps et dans l''espace (nature de l''évènement, date, lieu, plan d''action) ; comment introduire une lettre — destinataire, auteur, formules de politesse
• Développement : énoncer l''idée introductive d''un paragraphe, lancer une idée, veiller à la concordance des temps, les propositions relatives, donner les détails d''un lieu, d''un objet, d''un personnage ou d''une action, utiliser les connecteurs logiques, organiser les idées liées à une photo
• Conclusion : comment exprimer un jugement de valeur par rapport au type de sujet donné
• Translation: a text in short simple sentences conveying a life situation, translated from English into French

Cross-cutting — Oral communication

Section B of Paper 2 is a practical centre-based oral examination. A recorded French text of no more than 200 words is played, and you answer five written questions on it — the questions are set in English and answered in English. You then react orally to two questions or topics, with three minutes per candidate. Questions are adapted for candidates with special needs.

How you are examined

Assessment objectives are weighted: recall, selection and use of syllabus knowledge 30%, demonstration of understanding 40%, application of knowledge and understanding 20%, and analysis and synthesis 10%.

Paper 1 — 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, 30%: language aspects, a reading comprehension passage with ten questions, and a listening comprehension text.

Paper 2 Section A — written translation and essay writing in 1 hour 30 minutes, 60%: one translation from English into French, plus one essay chosen from three topics (free composition, letter writing, or picture interpretation).

Paper 2 Section B — the practical centre-based oral examination, 10%: a maximum of 30 minutes for listening and 3 minutes per candidate for speaking.

Where Section B is not implemented, the weighting becomes Paper 1 at 40% and Paper 2 at 60%. Paper 1 is set as 30 single-star, 15 double-star and 5 triple-star questions.

The Board notes that candidates are expected to show a commendable knowledge of the English Language, since translation runs in both directions.

How to study this syllabus

Topics are drawn from the everyday experience of a 15- or 16-year-old: family, school life in town and country, transport and travel, shopping, eating and drinking, holidays, sport, common professions, folklore, customs and traditions, simple ailments and usual ceremonies. Build your vocabulary around those situations.

The language of the Ordinary Level paper is straightforward and mostly narrative or conversational; very colloquial and very literary registers are avoided. But where you are not required to produce French — in comprehension and listening — the passage may be more complex and may contain words you do not actively know, so practise reading above your comfort level.

Write one timed essay a week using the three-stage structure in Strand 4. Examiners mark the plan as much as the French.

Practise translation in both directions. It appears in Paper 1 indirectly and in Paper 2 directly.

Source and status

This overview follows the official Ordinary Level French syllabus, code 545, published by the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board.

Aims, assessment objectives, examination structure, grammar content and essay writing techniques are taken from that document. The strand grouping is SABI''s study structure, added to make the syllabus easier to learn from.