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Exam skills: Paper 2 Reading

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Section A of Paper 2 is reading. It shares the paper with writing, so manage your time.

The paper

Reading strategies

Read the questions first, then scan for key words.
Use cognates (words like English): la nature, important, la population.
Watch for false friends: la librairie (bookshop), actuellement (currently), sensible (sensitive).
Use word families: la boulangerie โ†’ le pain โ†’ le boulanger.

Short answers

Answer in French, briefly. You may often lift words from the text, but make sure they answer the exact question.
Spelling is not assessed in Section A if the meaning is clear.
Worked example

A text says "Actuellement, Marc travaille dans une librairie." Where does Marc work now?

  1. Actuellement = currently, not actually.
  2. Une librairie = a bookshop, not a library.
  3. So he works in a bookshop now.

Answer: In a bookshop (dans une librairie).

Key idea

Paper 2 Section A: 40 marks of reading in a 1 hour 45 minute paper shared with writing. Read questions first, use cognates, avoid false friends, answer briefly in French.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

Check you have got it

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