Veronica Wijaya, a student of the French Literature study program at the Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, won first place in the French speech competition organized by the Association of Indonesian French Teachers (Association des Professeurs de français d’Indonésie), 9 September 2023. The competition has competition levels A2 to B2.
Veronica Wijaya, a class of 2021 student who is currently in her 5th semester, won first place at level A2. Veronica said she took A2 because she had studied it in semester 4. This semester, Veronica started looking at level B2.
Meanwhile, the 2020 French Language Education Study Program student who participated in the B2 level, Sarah Mumtazah, won third place in the same competition.
In French, there are several levels or grades, namely A1 (basic level), A2 (advanced basic level), B1 (intermediate level), and B2 (advanced intermediate level). After level B2, there is C1 (advanced level) and C2 (autonomous status).
The competition in the éloquence category carries two themes, namely “L’internet, joue-t-il un rôle important dans notre vie quotidienne?” (Does the internet play an important role in everyday life?” and “L’apprentissage du français et moi ou Le français et moi.” (Learning French and me). Veronica chose the second theme related to learning French. Students who like learning languages The foreigner then prepares the text, how to pronounce it correctly, and practices expressing the text.
Furthermore, Veronica, supervised by Novi Kurniawati SPd MA, can advance to the Asia Pacific level. The competition is planned to be held in Taiwan in October 2023. However, Veronica explained that more information should be provided regarding implementing the competition.
The theme and level of competition for the Asia Pacific level is still the same as the previous one. Veronica already has provisions for assessment in the form of evaluations based on fluency and mastery of speaking, content (discussion), emotions and influence or impact, as well as appearance and gestures.
Veronica explains her tips and tricks for participating in the competition: remember the Latin proverb ora et labora; pray and work; contact your supervisor to be guided. “Don’t get tired of practising and keep practising,” said Vero.
Veronica hopes students should not be afraid to try and hope for themselves. “Hopefully, every step I take is only to glorify God,” said Vero. (Winarsih/FBS UNNES Public Relations Student Staff/*)
