MockoIn the TEF IRN oral exam, one of the speaking tasks asks you to phone a service or business to get specific information. You are given a short written document (an ad, a notice, or a description) and must conduct a phone conversation in which you ask clear questions and respond naturally to what the examiner says. The challenge is not just producing questions: it is managing a real-time exchange in formal French while getting enough details to complete the imaginary task. This lesson focuses on the practical skills that make that conversation work.
What you’ll learn
- Open and close a formal phone call in correct French
- Form precise, natural-sounding questions in the formal register
- React appropriately when the examiner gives or withholds information
- Cover enough question topics to gather all the details the task requires
- Recover smoothly when you do not understand an answer
Understanding the phone task
The phone task in TEF IRN is a role-play. You have a document: maybe a job offer, a housing ad, or an event notice. The examiner acts as the person on the other end of the line. Your job is to ask questions to fill in the gaps the document leaves. You might need to ask about price, availability, exact location, required documents, or next steps in a process.
One important difference from a written task: the examiner can react. They might answer partially, ask you to repeat, or give you unexpected information. You need to listen, acknowledge, and adapt. A stiff script of pre-planned questions that ignores the answers will cost marks.
What the task is testing
- Can you ask clear, varied questions in formal French?
- Can you react naturally to the examiner's answers?
- Do you manage the phone conventions (opening, polite requests, closing)?
- Do you get the information the task asks for?
Opening the call: the first fifteen seconds matter
Many candidates freeze at the very start because they have not rehearsed the opening. The opening has three moves: greeting, identification (who you are or why you are calling), and a request to speak or ask questions. Once you have these three moves memorised, you can start any phone task confidently.
- 1Greet: "Bonjour, madame / monsieur."
- 2Identify: state why you are calling (the ad, the document, or the service).
- 3Request: ask politely if the person can answer your questions.
Bonjour, madame. Je me permets de vous appeler au sujet de l'offre d'emploi que vous avez publiée pour un poste de comptable. Seriez-vous disponible pour répondre à quelques questions de ma part ?
Hello. I am taking the liberty of calling about the job offer you published for an accounting position. Would you be available to answer a few questions from me?
Bonjour, monsieur. J'ai trouvé votre annonce concernant la formation en gestion de projet. Pourriez-vous me donner quelques informations supplémentaires ?
Hello. I found your announcement about the project management training course. Could you give me some additional information?
Question types and vocabulary
For a phone task in B1 French, you need to move between question types smoothly. Using only one type makes the conversation sound robotic. Here are the most useful patterns for this specific task.
- "Pourriez-vous me dire / me préciser / m'indiquer + question indirecte": polite and versatile
- "Quel est / Quelle est + noun": direct, very natural for asking about specific details
- "Y a-t-il + noun": good for asking whether something exists or is available
- "Dans quel cas...?": useful for conditions and requirements
- "Qu'est-ce qui est inclus / prévu / requis?": good for checking package details or requirements
1. Quel est le montant exact du loyer mensuel ? / 2. Les charges sont-elles comprises dans ce prix ? / 3. Y a-t-il un parking disponible pour les locataires ? / 4. Pourriez-vous me préciser à partir de quelle date le logement serait disponible ? / 5. Quels documents faudrait-il fournir pour le dossier de candidature ?
1. What is the exact monthly rent? / 2. Are bills included in this price? / 3. Is there parking available for tenants? / 4. Could you specify from what date the accommodation would be available? / 5. What documents would be needed for the application file?
Reacting to answers: keeping the conversation alive
A phone call is not a one-sided questionnaire. Between your questions, acknowledge what you hear and react to it. These small reactions show the examiner you are listening and make the exchange sound like a real conversation rather than a spoken test.
- "Je vois, d'accord." (I see, right.): neutral acknowledgement
- "Très bien, je note." (Very well, noted.): suggests you are writing it down
- "C'est intéressant." (That's interesting.): reacts positively to a benefit
- "Ah, je ne savais pas que..." (Oh, I did not know that...): shows you are processing new information
- "Pardon, pourriez-vous répéter ? Je n'ai pas bien entendu." (Sorry, could you repeat? I did not hear clearly.): a natural recovery phrase
Using the examiner's answers
- If the examiner gives you a number or a date, repeat it back: "Donc, si je comprends bien, c'est disponible à partir du 1er juin ?"
- This confirmation technique shows comprehension and buys you a moment to think of your next question.
Closing the call properly
Many candidates end the task by trailing off or just stopping. A clean closing takes only two sentences and leaves a professional impression. It also signals clearly to the examiner that you have completed the task.
Je crois que j'ai toutes les informations dont j'ai besoin. Je vous remercie beaucoup pour votre aide et votre disponibilité. Bonne journée, au revoir.
I think I have all the information I need. Thank you very much for your help and your time. Have a good day, goodbye.
Merci beaucoup pour ces renseignements. Je vais réfléchir et je vous rappellerai d'ici vendredi si je souhaite donner suite. Au revoir, madame.
Thank you very much for the information. I will think it over and call you back by Friday if I want to proceed. Goodbye.
How to practise this
The phone task feels more natural once you have run through it several times out loud. The key is to practise with someone answering you, even if that person does not speak French. Tell them to give short, simple answers and focus entirely on your own production.
Solo and partner practice
- Solo: find a short French ad, set a timer for three minutes, and ask ten questions out loud. Use the full opening and closing each time.
- Partner: give your partner a simple answer script (two or three facts per question). Ask your questions naturally and react to their answers.
- Record yourself and check: Did you vary your question structures? Did you use at least three reaction phrases? Did you close properly?
- Focus on fluency over perfection: a natural-sounding sentence with one small grammatical slip is better than a perfect sentence delivered with a ten-second hesitation.
Key takeaways
- Open every call with a greeting, a reason for calling, and a request to speak: memorise this three-move pattern.
- Vary your question forms: "Pourriez-vous me dire...", "Quel est...", "Y a-t-il...", and "Qu'est-ce qui..." cover most situations.
- React to what you hear with short acknowledgement phrases before asking the next question.
- If you miss something, asking "Pourriez-vous répéter ?" is natural and penalised by nothing.
- Close the call with two clean sentences: a thank-you and a next step.
