Learning a foreign language is a rewarding yet challenging experience. This is especially true if you have just two years to develop all the necessary communication skills, grammar, and vocabulary. So today we are giving you Ab Initio French Tips to help you improve your grades.
This means you will be able to keep your progress strong and get over any difficulties as they arise. In fact, an often overlooked point is that it is key to top grades to know when to ask for help.
It is never plain sailing through the whole course, so the students who do best are the ones who deal with the hurdles of learning French from scratch. No mean feat!
So, here are our top Ab Initio French tips from our IB teachers and examiners, so you can get help when you need it most!
- Above all, help from your class teacher is the first port of call. They will point you in the right direction.
- Buddy up with a friend and support each other. go through the topics in the syllabus one by one until you re-gain your confidence.
- Read in French as much as you can. Use comics, or children’s classics so you get the practice without losing your mind with very basic texts.
- Try to listen to French in periods of free/dead time. Podcasts are great (go for the simple ones like this one). Even listening to French radio can make a big difference to comprehension. (France Info has great programs and the ones for children like this tend to be a good level for Ab Initio students).
Learning a little bit daily is much more effective than cramming at the end. Try to practice every day, and use flashcards and quizzes you make yourself, or use these at quizlet can be very effective for learning vocab.
Tutors can be a real help if you find that you still need a little extra support, prepping for your French oral, or exam practice. Don’t hesitate to get in touch, our IB teachers and examiners are just a click away.
Do plenty of past papers, so you know what to expect. Don’t mindlessly plod through them. Instead, make sure you know what is coming at you in the final exam. This means getting used to the type of questions, and how to answer them. This will give you the confidence you need to avoid a panic in the exams.
- Practise, practise, practise your French oral. This is something you can easily prepare well and look to pick up top marks. Record your IA and listen to it back. Then, look at the marks scheme and ask yourself where you dropped marks. In this way you can see where you can improve.
Students admit that it is hard to get a grip on the grammar, and even harder to memorize the extensive vocabulary.
Plus, students have to do all of this while learning other demanding subjects in the IB programme. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many hit bumps in the road.
Don’t despair if you found yourself among those who try hard but just can’t wrap their heads around French. Maybe you just need a nudge in the right direction. We are here to provide it!
As a beginner in French you will always make mistakes. Get in the habit now of correcting your work as you go.
We are Tutors Plus, a friendly and knowledgeable team of IB tutors with dozens of years of experience and hundreds of happy students. Your success is as important to us as it is to you. That’s why we are committed to helping you understand, write, read, and speak French at the top of your game. Learning a foreign language at school can be extremely stressful. With us, you can forget about this stress and just enjoy the process to the fullest.
Are you ready to knock it out of the park? Then don’t hesitate to contact us at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com. Learning French has never been easier with Tutors Plus.
