Task 2, the common mistakes

Task 2 asks for an article, a letter or a note of 120 to 150 words for several readers. FEI describes it as an account of an experience or a story, with comments, opinions or arguments toward a goal, for example making a claim or making up with someone. Most mistakes come from there. The text tells without commenting, comments without telling, or forgets the goal.

The labels follow the same rule as our other pages. “Named by FEI” means the candidate handbook names it, “Our reading” means it is our interpretation of the criteria. The past-tense mistakes already have their table in the task 2 guide, and agreement is on the writing mistakes page.

Mistake	Status
A story with no comment	Our reading. FEI asks for comments, opinions or arguments
An opinion with no story	Our reading. FEI asks for an account or a story
The goal of the consigne forgotten	Our reading. The goal is part of the consigne
The wrong kind of text	Our reading of the sociolinguistic criterion
One reader instead of several	Our reading of the sociolinguistic criterion
A story with no time markers	Our reading of the coherence and cohesion criterion
An aggressive tone in a complaint	Our reading of the sociolinguistic criterion
Fewer than 120 words or more than 150	Named by FEI for a task without the required number of words

A story with no comment

Samedi, notre équipe a nettoyé le parc du quartier. Nous sommes arrivés à 9 h. Nous avons ramassé des sacs de déchets. À midi, nous avons mangé ensemble. Ensuite, nous avons planté des fleurs. Nous sommes rentrés à 16 h.

The story is correct, but it says nothing about what the writer thinks. The consigne always asks for a comment. Add at least two sentences of opinion with a reason, for example “Cette journée m’a montré qu’on peut changer un quartier en quelques heures. Je pense que la Ville devrait l’organiser chaque printemps, car beaucoup de voisins ne se parlaient pas avant.”

An opinion with no story

The opposite mistake is common among candidates used to task 3. They write an opinion piece on volunteering in general and never tell the day the consigne asks about. The story comes first and carries precise facts. The opinion then builds on it, with “Depuis cette journée, je pense que…” or “Cette expérience m’a convaincu que…”.

A guide that is not an FEI rule is to keep about two thirds of the text for the story and one third for the comment.

The goal of the consigne forgotten

“Écrivez au service client pour raconter ce qui s’est passé et pour demander ce qu’il vous paraît normal d’obtenir” (write to customer service to tell what happened and to ask for what seems fair). The weak text tells the failed delivery, complains, then stops at “Je suis très déçu”. The request is missing.

The goal decides the last sentence. For a complaint, ask for something precise, such as a refund, an amount or a deadline. For making up, apologise and offer a gesture. To persuade, end on a proposal.

The wrong kind of text

A blog article that opens with “Madame, Monsieur” and ends with “Veuillez agréer” reads like a letter. A letter to the building manager that opens with “Salut tout le monde !” reads like a note to friends.

Kind of text	Opening	Closing
Blog article	a title or a first line that draws the reader in	a sentence inviting the reader to act
Letter to an organisation	Madame, Monsieur,	a full formal closing and the signature
Note to colleagues or neighbours	Bonjour à tous,	Merci à tous and a first name

One reader instead of several

Task 2 is for several readers. The weak text writes “Cher ami, je te raconte…” when the consigne names the members of an association. For a group, vous is plural and the wording shows it, as in “Chers membres”, “Chers voisins” or “vous avez peut-être appris que…”.

A story with no time markers

Je suis allé à la mairie. J’ai attendu. J’ai parlé à une employée. Je suis rentré. J’ai rappelé.

Five sentences in the passé composé with no link. The coherence and cohesion criterion looks at whether the reader can follow the order of events. With markers, the same story becomes “Le lundi 3 mars, je me suis rendu à la mairie. Après une heure d’attente, une employée m’a enfin reçu. Le soir même, comme rien n’avait avancé, j’ai rappelé.” The markers (le lundi 3 mars, après une heure, le soir même) and one plus-que-parfait make the passage much easier to follow.

An aggressive tone in a complaint

C’EST INADMISSIBLE !!! Vous êtes incompétents et je ne viendrai plus jamais.

The anger is understandable, but capitals, rows of exclamation marks and an insult don’t belong in a letter. A strong complaint stays polite. “Je trouve ce retard inacceptable, alors que j’ai payé la livraison express.” Firmness comes from the facts and the precise request, not the tone.

Fewer than 120 words or more than 150

This is the narrowest range of the three tasks, only 30 words. A task without the required number of words is one of the cases FEI says could lead to “A1 non atteint”. Aim for 125 to 145 words. If you run long, shorten the story, not the comment or the request.

Check a task 2 in two minutes

1. The text tells precise facts, then comments on them with at least one reason.
2. The last part reaches the goal in the consigne.
3. The opening and closing suit the kind of text and a group of readers.
4. Time markers link the steps of the story.
5. The word count is between 120 and 150, ideally 125 to 145.

To see the difference on a whole letter, read both versions of the annotated model answer. To test your own text, write a task 2 with the task 2 timer and have it corrected.