Why is the French test for immigration so criticized? Does it meet our expectations as a host society? What are its pitfalls and pitfalls? To get a more direct knowledge of it, we went to take one of the tests, the French Assessment Test adapted to Quebec. We have chosen to take the two oral parts of the test, namely the expression and comprehension portions, because these are the ones that are mandatory at the moment.
After making an appointment at an approved center located near the offices of the Duty, we go there with proof of identity. All other personal effects are left in the cloakroom, and the oral comprehension part takes place in a gray cubicle, in front of a computer and under headphones. The supervisor makes rounds in the rows, which bring together no more than ten candidates.
The oral expression test includes two simulations assessed by an examiner in person. Sitting in front of the candidate, who presents her passport as proof of identity, she is surprised to see a Canadian citizen wanting to skip this part. “You don’t need it for immigration,” she said, frowning.
In order not to influence the outcome of the process, The duty did not disclose his professional reasons for attempting the test. In the speaking simulations, we had to ask questions for five minutes to the staff of a cheese shop where we pretend to call. Then it’s about simulating, for 10 minutes, that you convince a friend to become a food delivery bike. Here, the assessor encourages the candidate to keep developing ideas, but it takes a lot of imagination to fill all that time. A shy or insecure person might find it difficult to speak for that long.
For the oral comprehension part, it is immediately the French accent which is notable. Out of 51 questions, only four audio recordings have a Quebec accent. The CCI Paris Île-de-France has however assured us by email that “the Quebec accent is present at around 35% in the oral comprehension test”.
Some answer choices are rather confusing, even ambiguous. For example, at one point, we hear a fake news bulletin. “The first patient with a heart transplant has died. He will be buried next Saturday”, we hear, with few details. It is then necessary to indicate to which section the statement referred: unusual, science, society, miscellaneous facts. Even for the person who understands each of the words and the general information, several answers seem to be in order.
Same scenario for the following question: “It rained at the stadium, so much that the sporting event was canceled. » Is it weather or sports?
In this test, it is also the stopwatch that watches for the candidate. Sometimes you have to answer three questions for the same recording, most often heard only once. A person with reading difficulties could be at a serious disadvantage, even if they speak French well.
Another section is about opinions. We hear the expressions “c’est pas de la tarte” and “c’est fichu”, which come from a French vocabulary, just like the word “lunch” to talk about the midday meal or even “supermarket” and “to sit cross-legged”.
All these elements confirm several opinions of immigrants and experts. “Do all tests have bias? Yes. But can this test be improved? Even more certainly,” sums up linguist Elizabeth Allyn Smith.