Specifications for 2009
Levels 01 - 5 (Grades 7 - 12)
2009 Testing Dates: February 28 - March 22*
The specifications for each level are cumulative and include all material listed for lower levels. (Printer-friendly Adobe Acrobat version) Samples from a previous Concours are available as a Word document. See the Order Form for details on ordering practice test booklets and listening comprehension CDs. Contact your local Chapter Administrator to enroll students in the 2009 Contest. For details on correct level placement and on division categories, see enrollment guidelines
*Note: Contest dates are set by the local Chapter and must fall within this range of dates, unless approval for an alternate testing schedule is approved by the Director
Level 01
Vocabulary
 | Greetings and introductions, including asking name and age |
| Common French names |
| Family members, immediate family |
| Physical description and personality characteristics |
| Weather: il fait beau, mauvais, il fait du vent, il fait chaud, froid |
| Numbers up to 100 |
| Days, months, calendar |
| Expressions of time, such as mois, semaine, année, journée, demain |
| Expressions of quantity: beaucoup + de, beaucoup + d' |
| How to tell time |
| Adverbs of time such as souvent, toujours, quelquefois, maintenant |
| Classroom furniture |
| Common prepositions of location : dans, sur, sous devant, derrière, avec, chez, pour, après, avant |
| Colors and common clothing |
| Common foods |
| Leisure activities j'aime faire du ski, j'adore le tennis |
| Countries bordering France, adjectives of nationality, languages |
| Questions words : Qu'est-ce que, qu'est-ce qui, comment, combien, pourquoi, où |
Grammar
| Elision |
| Articles, definite, indefinite, (partitive in reading and listening only), contractions |
| Regular plural of nouns |
| Form of common adjectives, blond, blonde |
| How to make questions and negations. Use of est-ce que for questions |
| Possessive adjectives mon, ton, ma, ta only |
| Demonstrative adjectives ce, cette, ces |
| Possession with de |
| Subject pronouns je, tu, il, etc. Limited use of moi, toi |
| Regular verbs in -er at present, few regular common -ir verbs such as finir, choisir |
| -er verbs at imperative- mange! mangez! |
| Il y a vs il est, voilà, voici |
| Four irregular verbs: être, avoir, faire, aller |
Cultural sensitivity
| Vous vs tu |
| Proper greetings, Monsieur vs. first name |
| Eating customs in France vs. U.S. |
Level 1
Vocabulary
| Class schedule, subjects and school supplies |
| Rooms of the house, basic furniture, |
| Cities, places, activities and transportation |
| Shopping, restaurants and common food, simple restaurant menu |
| Prepositions of location à côté de, près de, loin de, en face de, entre, etc. |
| Expressions such as: Combien coûte, j'ai besoin de, c'est cher , c'est bon marché,je veux, tu veux, je voudrais, tu voudrais. |
| Leisure time activities jouer à, faire de |
| Name of cognate-based professions |
| Expressions of time: le mois prochain, l'année prochaine |
| Expressions with avoir -- avoir tort, avoir raison, avoir soif, avoir faim, avoir besoin de, etc. |
| Simple expressions with faire : faire la vaisselle, faire des maths, faire du ski |
Grammar
| Near future aller + infinitive |
| J'ai chaud vs. il fait chaud |
| Interrogative quel, quelle, quels, quelle |
| de, négatif de un, du, des... |
| Il ya versus C'est..... |
| Opposition of " j'aime le...je mange du... " |
Cultural sensitivity
| Eating customs in France vs. U.S. |
| School schedule in France vs. U.S. |
Level 2
Vocabulary
| Daily routine |
| Rooms of the house and chores |
| Food, typical French meal |
| School related activities, such as la fanfare, la chorale |
| Health, fitness and expressions such as j'ai mal à, tu as l'air malade, ça va bien? |
| Shopping for special events, such as birthdays and proms |
| Travel plans and activities |
| Giving and asking directions |
| Expressions with avoir such as avoir envie de, avoir le temps de, avoir peur de, avoir de la chance, etc. |
| Expressions with être such as: être en train de, être en forme, être de Toulouse, c'est à moi |
Grammar
| Add all common regular -ir and -re verbs |
| Add to the four irregular verbs avoir, être, aller, faire. Eight additional irregulars: mettre, prendre, dormir, sortir, partir, vouloir, pouvoir, savoir |
| Regular -er, -ir and -re verbs at passé composé, along with passé composé of the above mentioned irregular verbs avoir, être, aller, faire, mettre, prendre, dormir, sortir, partir. Common " être " verbs vs. " avoir " |
| Pronominal verbs only at present |
| Imperfect might be used in listening comprehension and reading selections, but not tested as a grammar item |
| Agreement and position of all adjectives |
| Comparatives and superlatives of regular adjectives and adverbs plus.que, moins. .que |
| Interrogative pronouns: qui, qui est-ce qui, que, qu'est-ce que, quoi |
| Object pronouns with verbs at present tense, use of one pronoun only - le, lui, y, en., etc... |
| Use of prepositions with geographical names à, en, au, aux |
| Simple negations rien, jamais, personne, plus |
| All regular imperatives, including mangeons, finissons |
| All possessive adjectives, notre...., leur..... |
Cultural sensitivity
| House construction, size, rooms |
| Differences in daily life, energy conservation, extra curricular activities |
| Health care |
| School life |
| The many facets of Francophone lifestyles |
Level 3
Vocabulary.
Wider scope vocabulary related to: school, daily schedule, parts and rooms of house, extended family, clothing and appearance, more complex menus, leisure, sports and entertainment, future plans for education and job, health, city life and environment, holidays and traditions.
Grammar
| Use of inversion to make questions |
| All regular verbs at passé composé, including pronominals |
| Contrast of imparfait and passé composé |
| Simple agreement of past participle with être and common pronominals |
| Pronominal verbs at impératif |
| Future and conditional |
| Subjunctive of common verbs will be used in reading and listening comprehension but will not be tested as a grammar item |
| Common verbs requiring a preposition followed by infinitive commencer à, etc. |
| Correct use of sortir, partir, laisser, quitter |
| Depuis + present tense |
| Use of ne…..que |
| Adjectives followed by de |
| Relative pronouns qui, que. Dont, lequel used only in reading and listening comprehension, not tested as grammar item. |
| Common negative structures, including ni…ni |
| Expanded comparative structures aussi…que, autant…que, etc |
Cultural sensitivity
| Driving and car use among teenagers |
| Secondary studies and college in France and US |
| Teen life and dating in France and US |
| Communities and the environment |
| The many facets of Francophone lifestyles |
Level 4
Vocabulary and culture
| Social issues, such as human rights, equality between sexes, crime and violence, diversity, emigration, prejudice and discrimination, science and medicine, nature and ecology in France and the Francophonie |
| Culture, celebrations and traditions, arts, historical events, literature in France and the Francophonie |
Grammar
| Verbs with spelling changes such as espérer, acheter |
| All interrogative pronouns |
| All possessive pronouns |
| Si clauses with present and imparfait |
| En with present participle |
| Past infinitive with après |
| Relative pronouns including dont, lequel.... |
| Demonstrative pronouns |
| Developed negative words, aucun, ni....ni... |
| Correct use of manquer de, manquer à |
| Use of present and imparfait with depuis, il y a, ça fait…que |
| Most simple uses of subjunctive, |
| Use of descendre, monter, sortir, rentrer, passer + direct object at passé composé |
| C'est vs. il est,more complex uses |
| Recognition of futur antérieur and passé simple in readings only. |
Cultural sensitivity
All the preceding topics expanded
Level 5
Vocabulary
Globalization and technology, such as current events, politics, communications, media in France and the Francophonie
Grammar
| Plus-que-parfait and conditionnel passé |
| Correct use of imparfait and passé composé |
| Agreement of past participles with all passés composés |
| All si clauses, including plus-que-parfait |
| Double object pronouns |
| More elaborate use of subjunctive |
| Expended use of relative and demonstrative pronouns |
Cultural sensitivity
All the preceding topics expanded
07/06/2008