Certificat d’Etudes de Français Pratique 1 (CEFP1)

This is an examination based on the Council of Europes Waystage specification. It tests the language skills needed to survive in situations of everyday life in a French-speaking environment.

There are five components:

Reading

Candidates are expected to be able to read in order to extract global or factual information from short, simple authentic texts. These texts are taken from different sources: signs, forms, instructions on machines, guides, programmes, product packaging or short articles. There are three sections and twenty items of the following task types: multiple-choice, matching.

The component lasts thirty minutes.

Writing

There is one task which is to write a personal letter of about 100 words in length. In this letter (or postcard), the candidates must give information, report events, describe a situation taking into account the person it is addressed to (relatives or friends). The component lasts thirty minutes.

Listening

There are two sections. The first consists of identifying phonemes in discrete items. The second is a dialogue and several public announcements, traffic information, or weather reports, telephone messages on topics of general interest. Candidates must be able to understand main points as well as specific details. There are twenty-five items of the following task types: multiple choice, gap filling.

The component lasts twenty minutes

Speaking

Candidates are tested individually. They are expected to keep up a conversation about themselves and provide suitable replies to questions about photos or drawings. The component lasts ten minutes. Structural Competence Candidates are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of specific aspects of the language (e.g. grammar and lexis) which are essential for everyday communication. There are twenty multiple-choice items based on gapped texts (with MCQ of 3 options) taken from a variety of genuine sources. The component lasts twenty minutes.

Weighting of components

Listening and Speaking carry 55% of the total marks. Reading, Writing and structural competence carry 45%.

Results

There are two grades: Pass and Fail. Successful candidates may apply for a certificate.