The University of North Carolina Wilmington
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
French Section
Oral Proficiency Exam for Graduating French and French/Business Majors
Student Sheet, Spring 2008
The oral exam is given November 1-20 and April 1-20
The purpose of this exam is to evaluate the oral proficiency in French of graduating seniors at the end of their studies at UNCW. This exam is based, in part, in the ACTFL and OPI oral proficiency guidelines. The format of the exam and structures to be covered are provided below. Specific questions to be asked are left undisclosed until the actual exam time. The exam lasts approximately twenty minutes and is usually administered by two faculty members designated by the French section on a semester basis. Evaluation is based on fluidity, mastery of grammatical structures and vocabulary, oral comprehension and cultural competence. For formal purposes the exam is broken down into three main parts: introduction, development and closing. An outline is provided to faculty in order to assure consistency in content and evaluation; it in no way assumes that all questions will be asked or that all areas will be covered. The exam is to imitate actual, informal conversation rather than a series of unrelated questions. Monologues are not encouraged and should be interrupted by the faculty to insure natural speech.
Students must sign up on the exam schedule posted on Dr. Lapaire’s office door, 282 LH, by March 25. Students must sign up on the exam schedule posted two weeks before exams begin. Students are expected to arrive prepared and on time. No makeup exams or rescheduling at the last moment is permitted. It is highly suggested by the French faculty that students schedule their oral proficiency exam no later than the semester before they intend on graduating. Students who are double majors in French/Business are expected to meet the level of oral competency of French majors; those who are taking the ‘Business Proficiency Exam in French’ will find more details at http://www.uncw.edu/fll/student-business.html. Bus/French majors must take the oral exam after having taken the written (April 4, 3:30-5pm, usually 131 LH).
Sections are as follows:
I. Introduction (highlights habits, hobbies and studies/ present tense)
II. Development
A. (highlights past events/ past tenses)
B. (highlights story telling, witnessing and relaying information in the past)
C. (highlights future projects/ simple future)
D. (highlights hypotheses/ the conditional)
III. Closing (brings closure to the exam)
Revised 03/10/2008
