COLLE METHODOLOGY

In conformity with the requirements of the French Examinations

Foreword
The “useful expressions” suggested in this document should by no means be considered as catch-all formulas to learn by rote. When
misused, they may generate an inverse effect other than the expected one. Moreover, they do not replace the learning of a larger bank
of argumentation vocabulary terms. Finally, the candidate should take into account the appropriateness of the language register as
expected by the oral examiner. Obviously, indulging in familiarity should be avoided.
If you have inspiration and ideas, so much the better, but remember at all times that the oral is, above all, a test of English and that the
examiner is less interested in what you are saying than in the way you are saying it. You are probably not a specialist in whatever is
dealt with in the text, but you are supposed to have spent almost half your life so far learning English and that is what you are being
judged on. Your grade must be deserved. Try not to be ridiculous.
Nota bene: «Dans votre prestation enlevée et convaincante, vous devrez alterner coups d’œil furtifs sur vos notes et regards
soutenus avec vos examinateurs». You get it! The biggest difficulty resides then in your management capacity in 20 minutes.

(A) THE PRESENTATION

I. INTRODUCTION
 The first sentence is meant to put the article in its context. Sometimes it has to do with:
• A sociological, political, scientific... phenomenon.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o With the growing (gap / tension / difficulties...) between ... and ...
o With the advent of (computer-based publishing / hybrid vehicles...), ...
o Following the (recent / striking / unexpected / dramatic...) development of ..., ...
o With the (considerable / significant...) progress of ...
o At a time when the issue of ... is increasingly debated ...
o It is often (claimed / asserted) that ...
o In the recent (years, months, weeks), ... has become a matter of (prime importance/common concern ...)
• Recent event or news item.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o Following what happened in... / In the wake of what happened in...
o The events that took place in... (raised a controversy / were widely covered by the media.)
o The problem of ... has stemmed from...
 Then the document to analyse should be situated in the simplest and lightest ways and an announcing its main theme
follows. However, mentioning the source, date, and the author of a given article has been under debate. Heavy introductory sentences
such as ‘The article we are going to study is extracted from a newspaper, which was published on…’ are to avoid. In other words,
mention at this stage only the elements that are of some significance:
o The date: only if it is important in relation to a historical event,
o The journal or magazine: only if its editorial policy, nationality, and readership are significant,
o The author: only if he/she is a public figure or his/her position / status / occupation make the reading of the
text easier.

«Certains candidats font un exposé trop formel. Il n’est généralement pas nécessaire de lire le titre de
l’article, le journal, la date de publication et l’auteur.» (Rapport du jury HEC/ESCP admission directe, 2003).

Furthermore, do not forget to clearly define the nature of the text:

o A news article/ a news report
o A leader / an editorial
o An opinion column
o A transcript of a speech
o A survey / an analysis of an opinion poll (l’analyse d’un sondage)
o A (film/book) review
The author of the text should be designated as “journalist”. Avoid the term author (and a fortiori writer). In general, try to make the
best out of the title and the author’s status if they are specified: They necessarily reflect the adopted point of view, the targeted
readership, and sometimes the rhetoric used.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o This article, taken from ..., (deals with / considers / addresses) the issue of ...
o This article is taken from a recent edition of ...
o The article under scrutiny reports on ...
o The article’s main theme is ...
o The article under study provides the reader with (an analysis of / a debate over ) ...
o The newspaper the article is taken from is well-known for its (left-wing / right-wing / liberal /
conservative) leaning.
o The (title / subtitle) of the article is based on a (play on words / pun).
o The eye-catching (title / subtitle) of the article arouses the reader’s interest at once.
 Avoid
o The article speaks about / talks about. .
o The article is a reflection on. .
 Next, state the issue the document raises: why the issue is worth debating/commenting on.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o The article raises the following question: ... ?
o The main question that arises from the text is ...
o The issue raised by the article is a (thorny / highly sensitive / highly controversial / much debated) one.
Compiled & Translated by 1
- Tarik Boussetta (CPGE – Lycée Charif Al Idrissi - Taza)
- Mohammed Messaoud (CPGE – Lycée Al-Khansaa - Casablanca)
 o The question that comes readily to mind is ...
o What is at stake in the article is ...
o The gist of the text is ...
o The (crux / heart) of the matter is ...
o What is at stake in the article is ...
 Avoid
First I will summarize the text and then I will comment upon it. .
(Needless reminding the jury, who are well aware of the presentation format, of the order and plan
you are adopting)
II. SUMMARY
 At this stage, it is about reproducing a “logical skeleton” of the text. It should not necessarily be confused with its original
linear development. Contrarily, it is preferable to showcase the journalist’s line of reasoning which would lead to a thorough
comprehension of the content of the document by any interlocutor who would not have access to it.
 The pitfall to avoid is summarizing a text in a linear and laborious fashion - paragraph by paragraph.
 Additionally, the journalist’s point of view has to be adopted so that the summary of the text would look as if it is the
author’s.
 it is recommended that you renounce the use of declarative structure such as “The journalist (says / points out / argues
that...)” in order not to vainly weigh down the purpose.
 Do not forget that a summary is a reformulation task. The latter necessitates your effortful use of a rich vocabulary bank to
be able to express, in your own words, ideas that are already in the text. The use of paraphrasing techniques is a must to
avoid the pitfall of plagiarism.
 A judicious use of linking words / transitions makes it easy to present elements in a structured manner.
 It then goes without saying that the examinee should present only what appears essential without retaining
everything in the text. Your summary is NOT a verbatim précis:

«Ce que nous voulons, c’est que le candidat ne raconte pas un enregistrement (qu’il reproduit souvent sans
comprendre) de façon linéaire et sans distinguer l’essentiel de l’anecdotique. Le candidat doit reformuler le
dialogue dans un ordre différent, le recomposer en utilisant peut-être d’autres termes, en montrant la ligne
directrice et en dégageant les idées générales illustrées si besoin est par des exemples» (Rapport du jury BCE).

 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o There are (two / three/ four...) main points in the article: ....
o Several points of interest arise from the article: ...
o (Two / three / four) points can be identified in the article: ...
 Avoid
o The text can be (split up / divided) into ...
o The journalist says that ... and then the journalist says that ...
------------------------------------------------
III.THE TRANSITION “SUMMARY / COMMENTARY”
------------------------------------------------

 Transitions, after a very short pause, should be brief and concise so that you can smoothly move on from the summary
(purely analytical) to the commentary (purely introspective and personal).
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o I would now like to comment on ...
o What I found most significant in the text was ...
o What struck me most in the article was ...
o At this stage, I would like to focus on a few points that I find particularly (relevant / challenging /
interesting / thought-provoking / ...): ...
 Avoid
o I have finished my summary /synthesis, and I now wish to move on to my commentary.
o So much for my summary, I will now present my commentary.

IV. COMMENTARY
 It is the commentary stage that adds value to your linguistic potential and where your knowledge, value system, critical
thinking, and opinion come into play. The best way to work on it is by focusing on the very themes a given text evokes
other than broadly making use of your prior knowledge of its general theme.
 You need to be convincing and, therefore, you need to have a good lintguistic, cultural, and rhetorical baggage.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o First, I wish to argue that ... . And my second point will be ...
o I wish to raise the following points: ...
o I would like to make the following points: ...
o There are a few points that I wish to (expand on / to discuss further...): ...
o There are some points I would like to develop further: ...
Avoid
o I will endeavour to demonstrate that ...
o In a first part, I will try to show that ... before focusing on ...
o In a first part, we will show that ... and then we will moderate this statement.
Compiled & Translated by 2
- Tarik Boussetta (CPGE – Lycée Charif Al Idrissi - Taza)
- Mohammed Messaoud (CPGE – Lycée Al-Khansaa - Casablanca)
 «Dans le commentaire, les candidats se précipitent un peu vite vers des thèmes connus, car vus en classe. Ils
n’hésitent pas à tenter un grand écart pour rattacher ce qu’ils savent au thème général du texte étudié.
Encore une fois, il vaut mieux que les candidats se concentrent véritablement sur les thèmes directement
évoqués par le texte» (Rapport du jury ESCP, 2008).
 You may advance / state an idea that is directly linked to the subject, develop an argument that is skimmed over by the
author, or even contradict him/her. Nevertheless, do not criticize for the sake of criticizing.
• Some texts could legitimately be qualified as being biased (subjective/partial), but this partiality should not be
considered as cunning or malignant throughout the whole text. It is quite common that a journalist expresses their
own political / ideological opinions.
• The journalist should not be systematically accused of ignoring some aspect or another on the pretext that you wish
to add it. However, it may be interesting to revise the presuppositions, to add touches to them.
 Express yourself by using the subject pronoun I, and avoid, at all costs, the royal We (We can see / say).
 Starting by a commentary closer to the text would be the right thing to do. Over a second phase, you can expand the
debate, but in reasonable proportions.
 If you are having a difficult time building your commentary (preparation phase), ask yourselves questions that would
nourish your reflection:
• Can the example(s) given in the text be generalized?
• Can the situation be compared with that of another country?
• Is the theme developed convincingly illustrated?
• Are there conflicting views over the issue at stake? Why is it so (contentious / controversial / polemical)?
• Is there one striking sentence or phrase that could be worth commenting on?
• Can a (political / moral / ethical / sociological ...) standpoint be read between the lines?
 As a matter of fact, a commentary is about debating, comparing, illustrating, and sometimes generalizing within limits.
But, remember, taking sides with or against has to be based on a justification of your stance.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO DEVELOP IDEAS CONTAINED IN THE TEXT
o I wish to (elaborate / expand) on a point the journalist (already mentioned / merely hinted at).
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO ANALYZE DEVELOPED ARGUMENTS (Author’s).
o The journalist makes it quite clear right from the outset that ...
o The journalist’s main concern seems to be ...
o Unfortunately, the author makes no reference to ...
o I think the journalist fails to consider a crucial point ...
o The implicit stance that lies behind this text is ...
o Through the headline, the reader is made to feel that ...
o The caption below the cartoon / image / caricature reads “...”, which perfectly illustrates ...
o The underlying stance we feel throughout the article is that ...
o It’s relatively easy to see which side of the political spectrum he / she is on.
o This argument (is the epitome of / perfectly exemplifies) ...
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO EXPRESS YOUR AGREEMENT.
o I entirely agree with the analysis developed by the journalist.
o I strongly support the journalist in his / her view that ...
o The examples quoted by the journalist indeed bear out that ...
o The journalist is perfectly right in saying that ...
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO QUALIFY WHAT IS SAID.
o I have a few reservations about the journalist’s approach.
o To my mind, the problem needs to be seen through a different (angle / lens / prism)
o The journalist has every right to think that ..., but I am afraid I cannot be as positive.
o The article seems to me too harsh a criticism of ...
o I must say I am somewhat surprised by this argument.
o The argument sounds rather convincing at first sight, but, on further examination, ...
o The (alleged / so-called) progress the journalist refers to seems to me ...
o Such argument(s) should not be taken (for granted / at face value)
o Isn’t it rather paradoxical to maintain that ... ?
o I see what the journalist is driving at, but I think one should remain wary of hasty generalizations.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO OPPOSE WHAT IS SAID.
o I completely disagree with ...
o Contrary to what the journalist claims, I wish to contend that ...
o The journalist voices an opinion I disagree with.
o I do not share his / her view on the subject.
o I am afraid I cannot agree with such a statement.
o I strongly disagree with this argument.
o I wish to take issue with the journalist on this point.
o The arguments used here seem to be rather (objectionable / far-fetched / contentious / dubious...)
o The journalist goes to great lengths to explain that., but I am afraid I am far from being convinced.
o The argument he / she uses does not (stand up / hold water)
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO INTRODUCE AND EMPHASIZE YOUR PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW
o In my opinion / In my view / To my mind ...
o As far as I am concerned, I tend to think that ...
o I, for one, feel that ...
o My (personal point of view / own opinion) on this topic is that ...
o I do believe that ... / It is my strong belief that ...
Compiled & Translated by 3
- Tarik Boussetta (CPGE – Lycée Charif Al Idrissi - Taza)
- Mohammed Messaoud (CPGE – Lycée Al-Khansaa - Casablanca)
 «Il ne faut pas s’éterniser sur le résumé et il faut accorder un temps au moins égal au commentaire. C’est en
effet dans le commentaire que les candidats donnent en général la mesure de leurs connaissances
linguistiques, en particulier leurs capacités pour l’expression spontanée, révélant leur culture et leur
originalité » (Rapport du jury HEC, 2006).

V. CONCLUSION
 It should be open to further debate and not a mere recapitulation of what has been developed in your commentary.
 Thank your oral examiner / the jury for their attention; it is the best way to conclude!
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
o In conclusion
o To conclude
o I would like to conclude this presentation (with one observation / by saying that ...)
o It would have been beyond the scope of the presentation to discuss ... although I think the two issues
are closely intertwined.
 Avoid
o As a conclusion ...
o By way of conclusion ...
o That’s all! / I am finished! / I am done! / That’s pretty much all I had to say.

(B) THE INTERVIEW

 The interview constitutes the essential part, if not the most important, of the presentation.
 It is not rare that a jury member interrupts the candidate (interviewee) in the middle of their commentary if they exceed the
allotted time.
 The interview is indeed meant to test the spontaneity of the candidate and their ease.

«Lors de l’entretien, le candidat doit réagir/donner son opinion sur des sujets variés qui sont proposés en
guise de questions ou d’affirmations. Les thèmes varient et incluent notamment des questions d’éthiques,
thèmes d’actualités, et des situations de la vie courante. » (Rapport du jury ESSEC, 2013).

«Le candidat doit parler seulement pendant 5/6 minutes environ. Il faut surtout laisser assez de temps pour
permettre aux examinateurs de poser des questions et instaurer un dialogue avec le candidat.» (Rapport du
jury HEC/ESCP, 2007).

 While being interviewed, the candidate has to react/give their opinion about the different topics proposed by means of
questions or claims. The themes vary and include mainly ethics questions, current issues, everyday life situations.
 The jury’s posed questions may be meant to help the candidate correct an error, qualify a claim, repair an oversight, or
develop a point skimmed or passed over.
 Nevertheless, the candidate has to prove open enough for exchange. (avoid monosyllabic answers: yes, no, okay, right...)
avoid expressions like: As I’ve already told you in my presentation).
 If the jury ask you to go back to a point touched upon earlier, they undoubtedly want you to modify your discourse or
clarify your position.
 Particularly, the juries of business schools often have the tendency to ask “motivation/al” questions rather than questions
based on the text and the presentation itself.
 Below is a by-no-means exhaustive list of classic questions (Try hard not to memorize ready-made answers; doing so you
risk producing the reverse effect, your spontaneity and ease are what the jury test):
o What would you like to do for a living?
o In what field would you like to work?
o What do you expect from a/our business school?
o Could you tell us about an achievement you’re particularly proud of?
o Do you have some work experience?
o Do you practice sports? / What are your hobbies?
o What’s the last book you’ve read?
o Have you ever travelled to an English-speaking country?
o What are your plans for the holiday?
o Are you happy? What makes you happy?
o What keeps you going? What makes you tick?

Translated from French:

 GRENECHE, F. (2010) L'anglais aux concours commerciaux. Editions Ellipses Optimum. (pp. 161-173)
 CASCADE, Coord J. (2013) The English Textbook – Prépas Commerciales. Editions Ellipses. (pp. 20-26)

Compiled & Translated by 4

- Tarik Boussetta (CPGE – Lycée Charif Al Idrissi - Taza)
- Mohammed Messaoud (CPGE – Lycée Al-Khansaa - Casablanca)