The personal diary: A personal diary (le journal intime) is a private entry where you write down what happened and how you feel about it — for yourself, not for any reader.
In Paper 1: In Paper 1 you choose it when the task tells you to write a diary entry / une page de journal intime about an experience. It's part of Unit 2: Text Types, so the marks come from getting its conventions and register right (Criterion C), not just the events.
- le journal intime
- the personal diary
- une page / une entrée de journal
- a diary entry (one dated piece)
- la date
- the date (every entry begins with one)
- la réflexion personnelle
- the reflection (what you think/feel about it)
- le registre intime
- intimate register (you write to yourself, using je)
- un ton personnel et sincère
- a private, heartfelt tone
Spot it in the task: The task names your format. Écris une page de ton journal intime…, Raconte ta journée dans ton journal… → a diary → intimate, first-person. If it said Écris à ton ami(e) you'd switch to an informal email (a different text type). Always read what format the task asks for first.
Real tasks where it was an option
- On a placement abroad, colleagues ignore you: your feelings (May 2024)
- Immigrants are shown negatively: your reaction (May 2023)
- Rising homelessness worries you (May 2025)
- You want to join a team in your new town (May 2024)
Conventions the examiner checks
- Date + Cher journal,
- Feelings, doubts, questions to yourself
- Bon, j'arrête là… À demain.
Traps that cost Criterion C
- Addressing a reader as if it were a blog
- Listing events with no feelings
- A formal tone in a private text
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Keep it personal and private: Write in the first person (je) for yourself — no greeting to any reader.
The diary tone
- The tone is intimate and reflective: say what happened, then how you feel about it.
- Often you address the diary itself (Cher journal).
Consistency matters: Slipping into a letter-to-a-reader style or formal phrasing breaks the register and costs you Criterion C.
Diary — do this
- Cher journal, aujourd'hui il m'est arrivé quelque chose…
- Je me sens heureuse / triste parce que…
- Je n'arrête pas de penser à…
Letter to a reader — avoid here
- Salut, Léa ! Ça va ?
- Je t'écris pour te raconter…
- Je t'embrasse, / Cordialement,
Stay consistent: Pick the je voice and keep it from the date to the close. Verbs, pronouns (me, mon/ma, moi) and the feelings you express all stay first-person — never address an outside reader as tu.
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The five parts: Every diary entry follows the same shape. Hit all five parts and you've covered the conventions the examiner is looking for.
Personal diary — 5 parts
1
Dated entry
Begin with the date — every diary entry is dated. Samedi 14 juin
2
Opening
Address the diary and set the scene. Cher journal, aujourd'hui a été une journée…
3
What happened today
Tell the events of the day in the first person — the longest part. Ce matin… mais cet après-midi…
4
Feelings & reflection
Say how you feel and what you make of it. Je me sens… Je n'arrête pas de penser à…
5
Looking ahead / close
Look to tomorrow and sign off to the diary. Demain, j'espère… Bonne nuit, cher journal.
Date → Opening → What happened → Feelings → Looking ahead
Don't skip the frame: Students lose easy Criterion C marks by forgetting the date or the feelings/reflection. The date proves it's a diary, and the reflection is what makes it personal — never leave them out.
A model, part by part: Here's a complete diary entry built from the five parts above. Read it once for the message, then tap Voir la traduction to check the English or the audio button to hear it.
Modèle : les 5 parties en action
La page de journal, partie par partie
- Samedi 14 juin
- Cher journal,
- Aujourd'hui a été une journée vraiment étrange. Ce matin, j'ai raté mon examen de mathématiques, mais cet après-midi ma meilleure amie m'a fait une surprise incroyable.
- Je n'arrête pas de penser à quel point j'étais stressée pendant l'examen. Je m'en veux un peu, mais je suis aussi très reconnaissante d'avoir des amies comme elle.
- Demain, j'espère réviser davantage et repartir tranquillement de zéro. Bonne nuit, cher journal.
Pourquoi ça marque — why it scores: This short diary entry earns marks on all three Paper 1 criteria — here's how:
A — Language /12
- Personal, accurate language; je throughout
- Connectors & contrast: mais, aussi, tandis que
- Correct tenses (j'ai raté, a été, j'espère)
B — Message /12
- Clear content: the events AND a real reflection
- Ideas developed (the exam, the surprise, the resolve)
C — Conceptual /6
- Diary conventions: date + Cher journal + close
- Consistent intimate register (je)
- Heartfelt, reflective tone
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A toolkit you can reuse: Learn a few ready-made phrases for each part. They make your entry sound natural and save time in the exam. Tap the audio button to hear them.
Pour commencer (opening the entry)
- Cher journal, — Dear diary,
- Aujourd'hui a été une journée… — Today has been a … day…
- Je ne sais pas par où commencer. — I don't know where to start.
Pour réfléchir (feelings & reflection)
- Je me sens… (heureux / triste / stressé(e)) — I feel… (happy / sad / stressed)
- Je n'arrête pas de penser à… — I can't stop thinking about…
- Ce qui m'a le plus surpris(e), c'est… — What surprised me most was…
Pour terminer (looking ahead / close)
- Demain, j'espère… — Tomorrow I hope…
- À partir de maintenant, je vais… — From now on I'm going to…
- Bonne nuit, cher journal. — Good night, dear diary.
Use one from each: One opener, one or two feelings phrases in the middle, and one closer is plenty — and instantly makes the entry feel like the real text type.