Three criteria, out of 30: Paper 1 (SL) is marked out of 30 on three criteria: A — Langue /12, B — Message /12, and C — Compréhension conceptuelle /6. A rewards your French itself (vocabulary and grammar); B rewards your ideas and how you develop them; C rewards getting the text type, register and tone right for your reader. Knowing what each one wants lets you bank marks on all three, not just on the language.
- Critère A — Langue
- Criterion A — Language /12: the range and accuracy of your vocabulary and grammar
- Critère B — Message
- Criterion B — Message /12: how relevant, developed and organised your ideas are
- Critère C — Compréhension conceptuelle
- Criterion C — Conceptual understanding /6: text-type conventions, register and tone for your reader
- le registre
- register — formal (vous) or informal (tu), matched to the audience
- les conventions
- conventions — the features a text type needs (a blog title, an email sign-off…)
- le type de texte
- text type — the form you must choose (blog, lettre, article, journal intime, discours…) to suit the audience and purpose
Write for the marker, not just the page: Every feature you add can be tied to a criterion: a varied verb (A), a developed reason (B), a proper sign-off (C). If you can name which criterion a sentence is winning, you're writing like a candidate who scores.
What each criterion rewards: Hold the whole mark scheme in your head with one table. The split most students forget under pressure is that A and B are worth twice as much as C — so strong language and a developed message carry most of your grade, but C is the easy 6 marks you bank simply by using the right form and register.
| Critère | Maximum | Ce qui est récompensé |
|---|---|---|
| A — Langue | /12 | variété et correction du vocabulaire et de la grammaire, clarté |
| B — Message | /12 | pertinence, développement et organisation des idées, accomplir la tâche |
| C — Compréhension conceptuelle | /6 | conventions du type de texte + registre + ton adaptés au destinataire et au but |
Lock in the split: A Langue /12 · B Message /12 · C Conceptuelle /6 = /30. A and B are the big halves (language + ideas); C is the free 6 marks you earn just by respecting the text type, register and tone.
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One move per criterion: You don't earn the criteria by luck — each rewards a specific habit you can build in. Show a range of language (A), develop every idea (B), organise clearly (B), use the conventions (C) and match the register (C). Do all five and you've touched all three criteria.
Earn marks on every criterion
1
Show a range of language (A)
Reach for varied vocabulary, tenses and connectors instead of repeating the same easy words — range and accuracy are what Criterion A rewards.
2
Develop each idea fully (B)
Don't just list points — back each one with a reason or example (« parce que… », « par exemple… »). Developed, relevant ideas are what Criterion B rewards.
3
Organise with paragraphs & connectors (B)
Group ideas into clear paragraphs and link them with connectors (« d'une part… d'autre part », « cependant », « donc ») so the message flows — organisation also counts towards Criterion B.
4
Use the text-type conventions (C)
Give the text the features its form needs — a blog title, a letter greeting and sign-off, an article's intro and conclusion — to bank Criterion C.
5
Match the register to the reader (C)
Choose tu or vous to fit your destinataire and keep the tone consistent throughout — register and tone are the rest of Criterion C.
Range → Develop → Organise → Conventions → Register
C is the easiest to lose and to win: Language (A) and ideas (B) take years to build, but Criterion C is fast: the right greeting, sign-off and register cost you nothing and bank up to 6 marks. Never write a beautiful answer in the wrong form — that throws C away.
The real rubric, then one paragraph across three criteria: First, the exact instruction the SL writing paper gives you: « Réalisez une des tâches suivantes. Utilisez, en fonction des propositions, le type de texte le plus approprié. Écrivez entre 250 et 400 mots. » — you pick one of three tasks and choose the right text type. Below is a short slice of a model blog answer with the marker's eyes on it: each line is doing a job for a different criterion. Watch how a greeting, a varied sentence, a developed idea and a sign-off each bank marks. Tap Voir la traduction to see which criterion each feature earns, or 🔊 to hear the French.
La tâche (exemple — type de texte : blog): Réalisez une des tâches suivantes. Utilisez, en fonction des propositions, le type de texte le plus approprié. Écrivez entre 250 et 400 mots.
Votre lycée lance une campagne « bien-être ». Écrivez un texte pour le blog du lycée dans lequel vous encouragez vos camarades à pratiquer un sport et expliquez les bienfaits que vous avez constatés.
Type de texte au choix :_ Blog · Lettre · Article
Un paragraphe, trois critères
Ce qui rapporte chaque point
- « Salut à tous les lecteurs du blog ! »
- « Le sport ne renforce pas seulement le corps, mais il améliore aussi l'humeur et la concentration. »
- « Par exemple, depuis que je nage trois fois par semaine, je dors mieux et je suis plus efficace en cours. »
- « C'est pourquoi je vous encourage à essayer un sport qui vous plaît : votre corps et votre esprit vous remercieront. »
- « À bientôt, et on se retrouve dans le prochain article du blog. »
Make every sentence earn something: Notice that no sentence is wasted: the greeting and sign-off win C, the varied « ne… pas seulement… mais aussi » structure wins A, and the reason-plus-example wins B. Aim to write so that, line by line, you could point at the criterion each sentence is earning.
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What lifts vs sinks each criterion: Most lost marks come from predictable habits, criterion by criterion. Here's the contrast: the Fait monter la note column banks marks on A, B and C; the Fait baisser la note column throws the same marks away. Fix these and your grade climbs without learning a single new word.
Fait monter la note
- Vocabulaire et structures variés.
- Développe chaque idée avec un exemple.
- Utilise les conventions du type de texte.
- Garde le registre adapté au lecteur.
Fait baisser la note
- Repeat the same easy words again and again → loses A.
- List points with no reasons or examples → loses B.
- Write a generic essay that ignores the chosen text type → loses C.
- Use the wrong register (tu/slang for a formal task) → loses C.
Protect C — it's the cheapest 6 marks: The most common avoidable loss is Criterion C: a strong, accurate answer written in the wrong form or register. Before you write, name the type de texte and register in your head and give the text its features — that protects up to 6 marks for free.