For a group of students from Greater Fort Erie Secondary School, this language test was no simple case of showing they could “parler francais.”
In total, 11 GFESS Grade 12 students joined others from across the District School Board of Niagara in writing the Diplome d’etudes en langue francaise (DELF) exams, which measure the students’ proficiency in the French language. Although the tests were written back in November, the results had to be certified in France before diplomas are issues by the French Ministry of Education.
For the students themselves, taking the exams was a way for them to prepare for their future.
“I’m planning on doing a co-op in France,” said Arica Oliver, one of the students who took the exam and received her certificate on Thursday, Jan. 9. She will be attending Brock University’s international business school and attend the Neoma Business School in Paris.
Jordyn Rowling, meanwhile, said he has his eyes set on a future in law and figures being fluent in French will serve him well.
“I will be able to talk to more people,” he said.
As for taking the test itself, there was a lot of practice put in beforehand, said Christine Suntz, French teacher at GFESS.
“Everyone in the class took it very seriously,” she said.
The exams were held at St. Catharines Collegiate’s Curriculum Support Services department. Students were graded on comprehension and expression in both written and oral forms.
For student Audreana Rossi, who scored 87.5 out of 100 on her testing, the process was a little intimidating at first.