MockoTEF Expression orale Section A places you in a realistic phone scenario: you have seen a French advertisement and you call to find out more. The examiner answers as the advertiser, and your job is to produce around ten natural, correct questions in about five minutes. The score depends on how many intelligible questions you ask, how varied your question structures are, and whether your French sounds like a real phone call rather than a grammar exercise. This lesson gives you the question patterns and the topic framework you need to reach that target reliably.
What you’ll learn
- Identify the five main topic areas to question in any TEF Section A advertisement
- Form questions using at least three different grammatical structures
- Open and close a phone conversation with the correct formal register
- Avoid the two or three question types that most often fail on this task
- Build a mental checklist you can deploy quickly in preparation time
Reading the ad: what to look for
Before the interaction starts, you have a short preparation time. The ad is your only source of information. Read it once for the overall idea, then scan for what is missing. Anything the ad does not tell you is a potential question. A job ad might mention a salary range but not the exact figure, or list tasks but not the hours. An apartment ad might show the price but not what is included. These gaps are your questions.
- Price details: exact amount, what is included, payment terms
- Availability: start date, duration, conditions
- Location: exact address, floor, neighbourhood, transport links
- Conditions or requirements: qualifications, experience, documentation needed
- Practical details: contact hours, visit or interview process, next steps
Quick prep technique
- Write one keyword per topic area in the margin: PRIX / DISPO / LIEU / CONDITIONS / SUITE.
- For each keyword, draft a half-sentence question opener before the task begins.
- Aim for ten gaps total. If the ad is detailed, look harder at conditions and next steps.
Three question structures to rotate
Asking ten questions with the same "Est-ce que..." pattern every time is grammatically correct but marks you as a weak candidate. The TEF rewards variety. Rotating three structures is enough to show range without overcomplicating your speech.
- 1Inversion: subject and verb reversed, very formal, natural for phone calls.
- 2Est-ce que: safe for any question, a good fallback when you lose your place.
- 3Question word + noun (no inversion): "Quel est le loyer exact ?" or "Quelles sont les conditions ?"
1. Le loyer est-il charges comprises ? / 2. Est-ce que le loyer comprend les charges ? / 3. Les charges sont-elles incluses dans le prix ?
1. Is the rent inclusive of bills? / 2. Does the rent include bills? / 3. Are the bills included in the price?
Pourriez-vous me préciser quand le poste serait disponible ?
Could you tell me when the position would be available? (Conditional "pourriez" adds politeness.)
Ten questions across five topics: a model plan
Here is a worked example using a job advertisement for a bilingual customer service assistant. The ad states the company name, the title, the main duties, and mentions "salaire attractif" without a figure. It says "temps plein" but gives no hours. Use it as a template for how to fill your ten-question quota.
- 1PRIX (2 questions): What is the exact monthly salary? Is there a year-end bonus or any other benefit?
- 2DISPO (2 questions): When would the position start? Is this a permanent contract or fixed-term?
- 3LIEU (1 question): Is the office in the city centre, or is there a possibility of remote work?
- 4CONDITIONS (3 questions): What level of French is required? Is previous experience in customer service necessary? How many weeks of paid leave are included?
- 5SUITE (2 questions): Is there an interview planned? Should I send a CV and cover letter by post or by email?
Why two questions per topic?
- Five topics times two questions each gives you exactly ten, which is the typical target.
- Two per topic also gives you a fallback: if the examiner answers one in detail, your second question is already ready.
Polite phrases for a formal phone call
The phone register in French is specific. You will lose marks for sounding either too casual ("T'as un numéro de téléphone ?") or too stiff ("Je désire questionner concernant..."). These phrases strike the right balance for a professional call and fit neatly into Section A.
- Opening: "Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de votre annonce parue sur [site / dans le journal]."
- Before a question: "Pourriez-vous me dire..." / "J'aurais une question concernant..."
- Asking for clarification: "Pardon, vous dites que... est-ce bien exact ?"
- Reacting to an answer: "Je vois, d'accord." / "Très bien, je note."
- Closing: "Je vous remercie pour toutes ces informations. Je reviendrai vers vous prochainement."
Bonjour, monsieur. Je me permets de vous appeler au sujet de l'annonce pour l'appartement à louer dans le quartier des Batignolles. Serait-il possible de vous poser quelques questions ?
Hello, I am taking the liberty of calling about the advertisement for the flat to rent in the Batignolles area. Would it be possible to ask you a few questions?
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Traps that cost marks
- Repeating "Est-ce que" for every single question: vary your structures at least three times.
- Asking closed yes/no questions when an open question would get more information: say "Quel est le loyer ?" not "Le loyer est raisonnable ?"
- Translating directly from your first language: "Je veux savoir votre téléphone" is wrong. Say "Pourriez-vous me laisser un numéro de contact ?"
- Stopping after seven or eight questions because you feel done: push for ten, using the SUITE topic if you run short.
Faible : "L'appartement est grand ?" / Meilleure version : "Quelle est la superficie exacte de l'appartement ?"
Weak: "Is the apartment big?" / Better: "What is the exact surface area of the apartment?" (open, precise, natural)
How to practise this
Real improvement comes from doing the task out loud, not just reading about it. Grab any short French classified ad and run through the full Section A format: phone opening, ten questions in five minutes, polite close. A friend or language partner can play the advertiser, or you can record the questions and answer them yourself.
Practical drill
- Pick one new French ad per day from a site like leboncoin.fr or seloger.com.
- Set a timer for 30 seconds and write your five topic keywords plus two questions per topic.
- Record your ten questions and play them back: count how many question structures you used.
- If you used fewer than three different structures, redo the drill with the same ad.
- After a week, start responding to imagined examiner answers and asking natural follow-up questions.
Key takeaways
- Map the ad onto five topic areas (price, availability, location, conditions, next steps) and aim for two questions per topic.
- Rotate at least three question structures to show grammatical range.
- Open and close with formal phone conventions: they are quick to learn and easy marks.
- Open questions starting with "Quel", "Comment", "Quand", "Où", "Pourquoi" always produce better answers than yes/no questions.
- Ten questions is the target: plan your topics in prep time so you never run out.
