Spoken French, every student's biggest fear! Are you frantically going through vocabulary sheets, and trying to absorb as much French as you can?

Well here are my key tips for the spoken exam:

- first of all, as silly as this may sound, pop on a French DVD. It doesn't really matter if you can't understand much of the plot, because by simply listening to the native French actors, you're picking up some of the accent. Accents are crucial when it comes to spoken exams. Although the content of your presentation is vital, if you deliver your ideas with a French accent, or at least make an effort with the accent, you will already engage the examiner into your presentation and encourage a positive response!

- secondly, make a short vocabulary list (no need to panick over pages and pages of vocabulary sheets from the last 10months of class!). List all the words that come up often, such as connectors and key words that allow you to move from one subject to another. This creates a general flow to your dialogue and makes your presentation seem organised and well thought through.

- finally, have a few practice rounds in front of your mirror. Speak to yourself out loud! Simply looking at yourself deliver the presentation builds up a confidence, and you can practice your facial expressions too! Because remember, if you don't look as if you believe in what you're saying, chances are the examiner won't either!

Just relax, and try to treat the exam as a simple conversation!

GOOD LUCK!!