A letter has a place and a date, a greeting, a message, and a close that fits the person you are writing to. A block of sentences with no greeting is not a letter.
The idea
Start with the place and the date, on the right: Accra, le 12 mars. Then the greeting. A letter to a friend uses Cher or Chère and the name. A letter to a head teacher, a company or someone you do not know uses Monsieur or Madame, without a first name. The message comes next, in paragraphs. Say why you are writing in the first lines. Then the facts or the request. Then what you want the person to do, if the task is a request.
The close must match the greeting. A friend can end with Amicalement or À bientôt, then your name. A formal letter ends with a polite formula, then your name. Do not close a letter to a head teacher the way you close a letter to a classmate. Write the whole letter in French. Answer the task that was set: a letter about a lost bag is not a letter about a holiday. Do the essay as well. Leaving the letter blank loses that section even if the essay is strong.
The French tips guide sets out the letter beside the essay, and the mistakes that cost marks. WASSCE French tips
What earns the marks
The layout is part of the mark: place and date, greeting, message, close. A greeting that does not fit the person loses that mark even when the French is correct. The message must do the task. A formal formula copied onto a letter to a friend is the wrong register. Check accents in the close. À bientôt needs the accent. A missing accent on à can be read as a different word.
Practice questions
These are practice questions in the style of the paper, with a model answer and a mark scheme. They are not a promise of what your paper will ask.
1Question 1
5 marks
Tu écris à ton ami Kwame, à Kumasi, pour l'inviter pendant les vacances.
(a) Écris le lieu, la date et la salutation. (2 marks)
(b) Écris deux phrases pour l'invitation. (2 marks)
(c) Écris une formule finale qui convient à un ami. (1 mark)
Model answer
(a) Accra, le 3 avril
Cher Kwame,
(b) Je t'invite à passer une semaine chez moi pendant les vacances. Nous pourrons visiter la ville et parler de nos projets.
(c) Amicalement,
Ama
Mark scheme
A place and a date1 mark
Cher or Chère with the friend's name1 mark
An invitation in French1 mark
A second sentence that adds a detail, such as when or what you will do1 mark
A friendly close, such as Amicalement, not a formal formula1 mark
2Question 2
2 marks
Quelle salutation convient pour une lettre au directeur de ton école, et pourquoi? (2 marks)
Model answer
Monsieur le Directeur, ou Madame la Directrice. C'est une lettre formelle, donc on n'utilise pas le prénom.
Mark scheme
Monsieur or Madame, with the role1 mark
The letter is formal, so a first name is not used1 mark
3Question 3
2 marks
Pourquoi la formule de fin doit correspondre à la salutation? (2 marks)
Model answer
La salutation et la fin montrent à qui on écrit. Une fin familière après Monsieur le Directeur ne convient pas. Le correcteur note ce choix.
Mark scheme
The close has to fit the person, as the greeting does1 mark
A mismatch is marked, or a friendly close does not suit a formal letter1 mark
Practise French with Anna
More questions on this topic are inside glearn, marked as you answer, with the reason written out. The first ones need no account.
The place and the date, a greeting that fits the person, the message in French, and a close that matches the greeting. Say why you are writing in the first lines.
How is a letter to a friend different from a formal letter?+
A friend gets Cher or Chère and a first name, and a close such as Amicalement. A head teacher or a stranger gets Monsieur or Madame, and a formal close. The message still has to do the task that was set. All WASSCE French past questions