IB French Ab Initio | What do you say after « Sur la photo, il y a… »?

« Il y a des personnes. Il y a des fruits. » Then the student runs out of things to say. I help DP1 and DP2 students take that same photo and turn it into a conversation they can keep going.

Take a photo of a market in Toulouse. We start with what the student can see, then build a simple cultural link: *« À Toulouse, on peut acheter des produits locaux au marché. Dans ma ville, ma famille fait surtout ses courses au supermarché. »* From there, I ask an unprepared follow-up: *« Tu préfères faire tes courses où ? Pourquoi ? »* We practise turning a one-word answer into an opinion, a reason and a personal example.

**We use the same hands-on approach for the written exams.** In Paper 1, I show students how to underline each instruction, plan where they’ll answer it and check that their email, blog or article suits the reader. In Paper 2, we practise finding the exact words that support a reading answer and listening for small details that change the meaning, such as *« sauf le lundi »*.

I’m Valerie Hurst, a native French speaker from Toulouse, a UK-qualified teacher and an IB examiner. In our first lesson, we’ll work through a short sample together so I can identify where your teen gets stuck and show them one technique they can use straight away.

Lessons are online. Message me with your teen’s **year group, exam session and the part of the course they find hardest**.