Interview

The interview (l'entretien) as a text type: An interview (un entretien / une interview) is part of the theme Text types (2.3). It records a conversation: a journalist asks questions and an invited guest answers. On Paper 1 you may be asked to write one, so you need its layout, its register and its set phrases. The key idea: present the guest first, then alternate question → answer, and close by thanking them.

un entretien / une interview

an interview

l'intervieweur / le journaliste

the interviewer / journalist

l'invité(e) / la personne interrogée

the guest / the person being interviewed

poser une question

to ask a question

répondre / une réponse

to answer / an answer

présenter l'invité(e)

to introduce the guest

un échange de questions et de réponses

an exchange of questions and answers

remercier l'invité(e)

to thank the guest

How you'll recognise it: If a text presents a person and then shows alternating questions and answers, it is an interview. That pair structure — Q from the journalist, A from the guest — is its signature, and it is exactly what the examiner rewards in Criterion C (conceptual understanding).

Semi-formal 'vous', kept consistent: An interview with a guest you respect uses a semi-formal register: address the guest with vous, stay polite and curious, but not stiff. The danger is mixing tu and vous — that breaks coherence and costs Criterion C. Decide on vous before you write, and keep it in every question.

Hold the register: Consistency matters more than formality. Picking vous and never slipping into tu is an easy way to protect Criterion C — examiners notice a single « tu » dropped into a « vous » interview.

Three moves: open → exchange → close: Every interview follows the same shape. Build it in three moves and you will never forget the introduction or the closing thanks — both are easy Criterion C marks.

Open, not yes/no: Good interview questions are open (« Comment… ? », « Pourquoi… ? »), never yes/no — a closed question gets a one-word reply and earns nothing for Criterion B. Each answer should develop the idea with a detail or example.

A model interview, feature by feature: Here is a short original interview with a young chef. Read it once for the general idea — tap 🔊 to hear it, or Voir la traduction if you get stuck. Then we'll point out the features that earn the marks.

Entretien — Léa Dupont, jeune cheffe: Aujourd'hui, nous recevons Léa Dupont, une jeune cheffe qui vient d'ouvrir son premier restaurant dans le quartier.

— Bonjour Léa. D'où vous est venue cette passion pour la cuisine ? — Bonjour. Tout a commencé dans la cuisine de ma grand-mère : je l'observais préparer des plats pendant des heures. — Quel a été le plus grand défi de l'ouverture ? — Sans aucun doute, gagner la confiance des premiers clients. Cependant, l'effort en valait la peine. — Quel conseil donneriez-vous aux jeunes qui rêvent de cuisiner ? — Je leur dirais d'être patients et de ne jamais cesser de goûter de nouvelles choses. Pour terminer, merci beaucoup de votre temps et bonne continuation avec votre restaurant.

Copy the frame, change the content: Reuse this frame — introduce → Q&A pairs → thanks, in vous — for any interview task. Only the topic and the guest change; the conventions stay the same, and that is what scores Criterion C.

Phrases that build the whole interview: Learn these ready-made phrases as a deck. With them you can write any interview: introduce the guest, ask open questions, signal developed answers and close politely — all in vous.

Plug in, don't translate: These are chunks you plug straight into your interview — never translate word-for-word from English, which produces unnatural French. Reusing accurate set phrases + a few connectors is exactly what Criterion A (Language) rewards.