Write an Email... Notes | Leaving Cert French

In Leaving Certificate Higher Level French, written production makes up 25% of your total marks (100 marks). The email task appears regularly in Section II, most often as Question 2(b) in the correspondence section where you choose between option (a) and option (b). The task is marked out of 30 marks, divided equally between Communication (15 marks) and Language (15 marks), with a recommended length of about 75 to 90 words. Success depends on selecting the correct register immediately, answering every single prompt point, keeping a natural two-way exchange, and demonstrating grammatical accuracy across different tenses.

1. Paper Layout and Register Choice: 'Tu' versus 'Vous'

Section II offers a choice of tasks. The email is typically part (b) of Question 2. If you choose it, allocate roughly 20 minutes: 3 minutes to plan your points, 12 minutes to write, and 5 minutes to check agreements and verb endings. If the prompt prints an incoming email, look at how the sender addresses you: if they use tu, reply using tu; if a job advert addresses applicants with vous, you must write back using vous.

Informal Email (Courriel amical)

Use this when writing to a French friend, penpal, exchange partner, or a person your own age:

Address the recipient strictly with tu (te, toi, ton, ta, tes).
Open warmly without a subject header (Salut Marc !, Coucou Sophie !, Cher Lucas,).
You do not need an Objet line, addresses or a date in an email to a friend — go straight to the greeting.
Close with friendly phrases such as À bientôt !, Bises, or Gros bisous.

Formal Email (Courriel formel)

Use this for job applications, contacting an employer, booking accommodation, or writing to an official:

Address the recipient strictly with vous (votre, vos).
Begin with a clear header using Objet : followed by the topic.
Open with a formal salutation (Madame, Monsieur, or Monsieur le Directeur,).
Frame all requests using the conditionnel de politesse (Pourriez-vous..., Je voudrais savoir si...).
Whatever title you use in your opening must match your sign-off word for word (for example, opening with Monsieur le Directeur, means concluding with veuillez agréer, Monsieur le Directeur...).

Email versus Formal Letter Layout

If the examination prompt specifies a letter (une lettre) rather than an email (un courriel), you must include full postal layout conventions: your name and address on the top left, the recipient's name and address on the right, and the place and date on the right (Dublin, le 12 juin 2027). An email requires no postal addresses and no date line.

2. Structuring the Informal Email

An informal email should read like a real reply: answer what your friend asked, then ask something back. An email that only talks about you reads like a report, not a reply.

Greetings and Openers

Salut Thomas ! Merci pour ton email, ça m'a fait super plaisir d'avoir de tes nouvelles. (Hi Thomas! Thanks for your email, it was great to hear from you.)
Coucou Camille ! Comment vas-tu ? J'espère que tu vas bien. (Hi Camille! How are you? I hope you are well.)
Ça fait un bail qu'on ne s'est pas parlé ! (It's been ages since we last spoke!)

Reacting to News

Good news: Quelle bonne nouvelle ! Je suis vraiment content(e) pour toi. (What great news! I'm really happy for you.)
Bad news: Je suis désolé(e) d'apprendre que ton grand-père est malade. Courage ! (I'm sorry to hear your grandad is ill. Chin up!)
Surprise: Sans blague ! Je n'en reviens pas ! (No way! I can't get over it!)
Accepting invitations: Je te remercie de ton invitation, j'accepte avec grand plaisir ! (Thanks for your invitation, I'd love to come!)
Declining politely: Malheureusement, je ne pourrai pas venir, j'en suis vraiment navré(e). (Unfortunately I won't be able to come, I'm really sorry about it.)

Giving Advice (Donner des conseils)

Prompts frequently instruct you to advise your friend. Use these structures:

Tu devrais en parler à tes parents. (You should talk to your parents about it.)
Je te conseille de te reposer un peu. (I advise you to rest a bit.)
Pourquoi ne pas venir en Irlande cet été ? (Why not come to Ireland this summer?)
À ta place, je choisirais les sciences. (If I were you, I would choose science.) Note that à ta place, je... or si j'étais toi, je... takes the conditional, never the future.

Passing on Messages

When reporting what someone else said, use indirect speech and shift the tense:

Ma mère a dit qu'elle viendrait demain. (Mum said she would come tomorrow.)
Martine m'a dit qu'elle avait raté le bus. (Martine told me she had missed the bus.)
Add urgency when requested: le plus tôt possible (as soon as possible), c'est urgent (it's urgent).

Signing Off

Écris-moi vite ! / Donne-moi de tes nouvelles dès que possible. (Write soon! / Send me your news as soon as possible.)
À bientôt ! / Bises, / Gros bisous, (See you soon! / Love / Big kisses)

3. Structuring the Formal Email and Job Application Bank

A formal email is concise and businesslike. It states its purpose in the opening sentence, addresses each practical detail clearly, and concludes with a standard formula.

Standard Layout Elements

Header: Objet : Candidature au poste de serveur / Demande de renseignements
Salutation: Madame, Monsieur, or Monsieur le Directeur,
Request: Formulated with polite verbs (Je vous écris pour..., Pourriez-vous...)
Sign-off: Dans l'attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, mes salutations distinguées. (Set formula meaning: 'I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully.' Learn it word for word; do not translate it literally into English in your head).

Job-Application Phrase Bank

poser ma candidature au poste de... (to apply for the position of...)
un emploi saisonnier / un petit boulot (a seasonal job / a part-time job)
J'ai déjà travaillé comme serveur / serveuse / animateur. (I have already worked as a waiter / waitress / activity leader.)
J'ai de l'expérience dans ce domaine. (I have experience in this area.)
Je suis travailleur / travailleuse et ponctuel(le). (I am hard-working and punctual.)
Pourriez-vous me préciser le salaire et les horaires de travail ? (Could you tell me the pay and working hours?)
Combien d'heures par semaine faudrait-il travailler ? (How many hours a week would I have to work?)
Le personnel est-il nourri et logé ? (Is board and lodging provided for staff?)
Je serais libre du 1er juillet au 31 août. (I would be free from 1 July to 31 August.)
Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon CV et mes références. (Please find attached my CV and references.)
Polite enquiry forms: Je voudrais savoir si... (I would like to know whether...) and Serait-il possible de...? (Would it be possible to...?).

4. Exam Strategy, Person-Switching, and Checking Routine

The Communication marks are shared out over the points the question sets. If a task has five bullets and you answer four, you cannot score in the top band, so give every bullet at least one clear sentence. Stay close to the length the question asks for (about 75 to 90 words). Nothing beyond it earns extra credit, and every extra sentence is another chance to make a mistake that costs Language marks.

The Person-Switching Technique

Prompts present instructions in the second person (tu or vous). You must convert these directly into the first person (je) and change all possessive adjectives:

Prompt Question (tu)	Your Written Response (je)	Pitfall to Avoid
Quelle carrière as-tu choisie ?	J'ai choisi d'étudier le droit...	Tu as choisi... (copying question form)
Comment est-ce que ton conseiller t'a aidé ?	Mon conseiller d'orientation m'a conseillé de...	Ton conseiller t'a aidé... (wrong possessive)
Qu'est-ce que tes parents pensent de ton choix ?	Mes parents sont ravis de ma décision.	Omitting the parents' view entirely
As-tu l'intention de rester en Irlande ?	Oui, j'ai l'intention d'y rester.	Writing Oui without expanding into a sentence

Small Accuracy Wins

Agree adjectives with yourself: a female writer writes je suis désolée, je suis irlandaise, je suis allée, je suis ravie. A male writer writes désolé, irlandais, allé, ravi.
Nationalities are lower-case as adjectives: je suis irlandais (never capitalised here).
Days and months are always lower-case: samedi, juillet.
Dates: only the first day of the month takes 1er (du 1er juillet au 31 août). Never write le 1 juillet.
Times use the 24-hour clock: à 18h30.

The Two-Minute Checking Routine

Before moving to the next question, run this five-point check:

Does every verb ending agree with its subject?
Do adjectives describing you match your gender?
Are all accents in place (à bientôt, j'espère, très, ça)?
Is the register strictly consistent, with zero slips between tu and vous?
Did you tick off every bullet point in the question against a sentence in your draft?

5. High-Yield Tenses and Higher Level Structures

Moving smoothly across past, present, and future tenses shows the examiner that you have control over grammatical structures.

Tense Range

Passé composé (specific completed events): Hier, j'ai enfin eu mon permis de conduire. (Yesterday, I finally passed my driving test.)
Imparfait (background description and emotions): Il faisait très beau et j'étais ravi. (The weather was very fine and I was delighted.)
Present (current situation): En ce moment, je révise d'arrache-pied pour le Leaving Certificate. (Right now, I am revising flat out for the Leaving Certificate.)
Futur simple (firm plans and upcoming arrangements): Quand les épreuves seront terminées, je partirai en vacances. (When the exams are over, I will go on holiday.)

Structures That Score Language Marks

Quand + future: When an action after quand or dès que happens in the future, French uses the future tense in both clauses: Quand tu arriveras à Dublin, je viendrai te chercher. (When you arrive in Dublin, I will collect you.)
Depuis + present: Describes an action that began in the past and is still happening: J'apprends le français depuis six ans. (I have been learning French for six years.)
Si + present + future: Si tu viens en Irlande, on visitera Galway. (If you come to Ireland, we will visit Galway.)
Subjunctive after il faut que: Il faut que je te raconte ce qui s'est passé. (I must tell you what happened.) Contrast this with affirmative j'espère que, which takes the plain indicative: J'espère que tu vas bien. (I hope you are well.)
Après avoir/être + participe passé: Après avoir passé mes examens, je chercherai un emploi. (After sitting my exams, I will look for a job.) Remember that this infinitive construction works only when the same subject performs both actions. If the subjects are different, use a conjunction such as quand.

Key terms

Un courriel / Un courrier électronique: The standard French terms for an email (also referred to informally as un mail or un e-mail).
Le registre: The level of language (informal or formal) chosen to fit the relationship between writer and reader.
Le tutoiement: Using the pronoun 'tu' alongside second-person singular verbs and possessives (ton, ta, tes), reserved for friends and peers.
Le vouvoiement: Using the pronoun 'vous' alongside formal verbs and possessives (votre, vos), required when writing to employers and officials.
L'objet (m.): The subject header line positioned at the start of a formal email to indicate its purpose.
La formule de politesse: The conventional greeting or closing statement used to open and conclude correspondence.
Une pièce jointe: An email attachment (for example, 'Veuillez trouver mon CV en pièce jointe').
Le conditionnel de politesse: The conditional mood used to express polite requests (such as 'pourriez-vous' or 'je voudrais') rather than blunt present tenses.

Check yourself

What are the two marking components and the standard mark split for an email in Section II of the Higher Level paper?
The task carries 30 marks, divided equally into Communication (15 marks) and Language (15 marks).
How must you transform the prompt question 'Quelle carrière as-tu choisie ?' in your response?
Switch from the second person to the first person in the passé composé: 'J'ai choisi d'étudier / de devenir...' followed by a reason.
Which mood and tense follow affirmative 'j'espère que'?
The plain indicative mood (for example, 'J'espère que tu vas bien' or 'J'espère que tu pourras venir').
How do you ask politely in a formal job application email whether board and lodging are provided?
'Pourriez-vous me préciser si le personnel est nourri et logé ?' (using the conditional of politeness).
Identify and correct the error in this sentence: 'Quand tu viens à Dublin, nous irons visiter le musée.'
Change 'viens' to the future tense 'viendras': 'Quand tu viendras à Dublin, nous irons visiter le musée.' French requires the future tense after 'quand' when the action takes place in the future.
Write a three-sentence reply to your French friend Élodie, who wrote saying she failed her driving test and is discouraged: react to her news, give her one piece of advice using 'à ta place', and ask what she plans to do.
Je suis vraiment désolé(e) d'apprendre ça, quel dommage ! À ta place, je reprendrais des leçons et je réessaierais en septembre. Et toi, qu'est-ce que tu comptes faire ?

Write an Email...