Performance of Francophone Secondary School Leavers in English Structure and Written Expression

Abstract

This study looks into the performance in English of Francophone learners in general, and into their mastery of structure and written expression in particular. The informants were 430 pupils who had just obtained the Baccalauréat, the certificate required for admission into tertiary education, and who came from different schools in ten regions of the country. The data were a collection of answers to a TOEFL-like test designed to check these pupils’ knowledge of English structure. The analysis revealed that these pupils did not attain college level English, and the English test they took at the Baccalauréat did not seem to effectively assess knowledge of structure. To ensure that Francophones do perform well in English, there is a need to re-orient the English language syllabus and to use the time allocated to the English subject (3 hours a week for seven years) to teach them the substance of English-medium primary education content. When this is done, they would be able to take the First School Leaving Certificate examination before they complete French-medium secondary education.