Instructions for the French Placement Test
FRENCH PLACEMENT TESTING for the winter 2025 session is now open to allow students to prepare and plan for courses in the Winter 2025 session. It is highly recommended that students plan ahead and take the placement test early in their planning process.
The French placement test is designed for students who are planning to take their first Trent French course. Only the following courses require the placement test: 1010H (not offered until FA 2025) 1020H, 1060H [both offered in fall 2024], and 1030H and 1070H [both offered in winter 2025]. You do not need the placement test if you wish to take FREN 1101H/1102H.
The test currently consists of a brief oral interview with a French instructor to confirm the appropriate placement.
Oral interview
1. Please be sure to book the oral portion of your testing at the Oral Placement Interview Booking Page.
Appointments will be 5-10 minutes, conducted on Zoom – a link will be emailed to you once you make a booking.
Between October 1 and December 5 bookings will be available Tuesdays 2-4pm (EST) & Thursdays 3-4pm (EST). Testing will continue through the exam period, but it is recommended that students do not wait until the last minute to plan their studies.
If you are unable to schedule 10 minutes in this time block, please be in touch and we will try to accommodate.
2. After the interview, you will be advised of the course most suited to your proficiency level. For courses at the 1st year level, your student record will be adjusted so that you will be able to self-register after 4-7 days. For those students placed in a second year course, you will need to submit a pre-requisite waiver request for the course, noting placement test in the comments field. You can find that form under the academics tab in the mytrent portal. Once the request is received and our staff had time to approve it, you will receive an email letting you know you can go ahead and register.
What course should I take?
Interested in pursuing a major in French and Francophone Studies but unsure whether you have the prerequisite or not? Wanting to take French, but not knowing what courses to take? Students without grade 12 (4 U/M) French or equivalent who wish to take their first Trent French course will be asked upon registration to take the French placement test. Instructions on how to find the test will be provided automatically. Questions should be directed to the department.
Here are, for reference only, some of the FSL courses to which you will be directed (results may vary depending on your actual knowledge of French):
1. I have never taken French before.
FREN 1010H – French for Beginners
Please note that credits for this course do not count towards a degree in French.
2. I have successfully completed Grade 9 or Grade 10 (1 or 2 U/M) French.
FREN 1020H – Intermediate Beginner French I
FREN 1030H – Intermediate Beginner French II
Please note that credits for these courses do not count towards a degree in French.
3. I have successfully completed Grade 11 (3 or 4 U/M) French, and I would like to take French to improve my skills and then possibly pursue a major.
FREN 1060H – Advanced Beginner French I
FREN 1070H – Advanced Beginner French II
Please note that credits for these courses do not count towards a degree in French.
4. I have successfully completed Grade 12 (4 U/M) French, or equivalent, or FREN 1050H; I would like to pursue a single or joint major, or a minor, in French
FREN 1101H – Introduction aux études françaises / Introduction to French Studies
FREN 1102H – Études françaises dans un environnement canadien / French Studies in a Canadian Environment
Please note that these two courses are required for any French degree.
Upper-year courses
These are chosen based on your program requirements (listed in the Academic Calendar) from the following areas. Bolded course numbers are required for the major programs:
French language and expression
FREN 2151H – Français intermédiaire avancé I / Advanced Intermediate French I
FREN 2152H – Français intermédiaire avancé II / Advanced Intermediate French II
FREN 3051H – Stylistique comparée de l’anglais et du français / Comparative English-French Stylistics
FREN 3052H – Traduction anglais-français / English-French Translation
FREN 3053H – Langue et expression écrite / Language and Written Expression
FREN 3150Y – Linguistique appliquée et phonétique/Applied Linguistics and Phonetics
FREN 4053H – La communication en contexte / Communication in Context
French Canadian literatures and cultures
FREN-CAST 2452H – Cultures et société: Le Québec et le Canada français / Cultures and Society: Quebec and French Canada
FREN-CAST 3231H – Théâtre québécois / Québécois Theatre
FREN-CAST 3232H – Poésie québécoise / Québécois Poetry
FREN 3236H – Littérature pour la jeunesse au Québec et au Canada français / Children’s Literature in Quebec and French Canada
FREN-CAST 3237H – Littératures francophones de l’Amérique du Nord / Francophone Literatures of North America
FREN-CAST-INDG 3238H – Littératures autochtones de langue française au Canada / French Language Indigenous Literature in Canada (ICR)
FREN-CAST 3239H – Littérature franco-ontarienne / Franco-Ontarian Literature
FREN-CAST 3831H – Le roman québécois des origines à 1945 / The Québécois Novel from its Origin to 1945
FREN-CAST 3832H – Le roman québécois de 1945 à nos jours / The Québécois Novel from 1945 to Today
FREN-CAST-CUST 4229Y – Science-fiction et fantastique québécois / Québécois Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
FREN-WMST 4251H – Questions de genre / Gender Issues
FREN-CAST 4301H – Actualités franco-canadiennes / French-Canadian Current Affairs
FREN 4500Y/4501H – Étude approfondie de la littérature québécoise / Advanced Study of Québécois Literature
FREN-CAST 4520Y – Montréal
French literature and culture
FREN 2451H – Cultures et société: La France et la Francophonie / Cultures and Society: France and the Francophonie
FREN 3172H – Molière et son époque / 17th Century French Literature
FREN 3182H – Le siècle Candide / 18th-Century French Literature
FREN 3191H – Le roman au temps des Misérables / 19th-century French Novel
FREN 3192H – 19th Century French Poetry / Des romantiques aux poètes maudits
FREN 3200Y – La vie littéraire française au XXe siècle / Life and Literature in Twentieth-Century France
FREN 3201H – Le roman français au XXe siècle / The French Novel of the Twentieth Century
FREN 3202H – Le théâtre français au XXe siècle / French Theatre of the Twentieth Century
FREN 3203H – La vie littéraire française I / French literature I
FREN 3204H – La vie littéraire française II / French literature II
FREN 3305Y – La pensée française / French Thought
FREN-HIST 3505Y – La civilisation française / French Civilization
FREN 4800Y/4801H – Étude approfondie de la littérature française / Advanced Study of French Literature
International Francophone literature and cinema
FREN 2451H – Cultures et société: La France et la Francophonie / Cultures and Society: France and the Francophonie
FREN 3301H – Littérature de la Francophonie / Literature of La Francophonie
FREN-CUST 4302H – Cinéma francophone / Francophone Cinema
FREN 4780Y/4701H – Étude approfondie de la littérature francophone / Advanced Study of Francophone Literature
Texts and theories
FREN 2051H – La lecture critique / Critical Reading
FREN 4150Y – L’analyse du discours / Discourse Analysis
FREN 4200Y – La critique littéraire / Literary Criticism
FREN 4201H – Création littéraire / Creative Writing
FREN 4202H – La critique littéraire française / French Literary Critique
FREN-WMST 4251H – Questions de genre / Gender Issues
FREN-CUST 4611H – Littérature et contestation / Literature and Contestation
Honours courses
FREN 4150Y – L’analyse du discours / Discourse Analysis
FREN 4200Y – La critique littéraire / Literary Criticism
FREN 4201H – Création littéraire / Creative Writing
FREN 4202H – La critique littéraire française / French Literary Critique
FREN-CAST-CUST 4229Y – Science-fiction et fantastique québécois / Québécois Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
FREN-WMST 4251H – Questions de genre / Gender Issues
FREN-CAST 4301H – Actualités franco-canadiennes / French-Canadian Current Affairs
FREN-CUST 4302H – Cinéma francophone / Francophone Cinema
FREN 4500Y/4501H – Étude approfondie de la littérature québécoise / Advanced Study of Québécois Literature
FREN-CAST 4520Y – Montréal
FREN-CUST 4611H – Littérature et contestation / Literature and Contestation
FREN 4780Y/4701H – Étude approfondie de la littérature francophone / Advanced Study of Francophone Literature
FREN 4800Y/4801H – Étude approfondie de la littérature française / Advanced Study of French Literature
Experiential learning
(Many of our courses have an experiential learning component. Check the syllabi for more details.)
FREN 4010Y – Initiation à la recherche littéraire / Introduction to Literary Research
FREN 4020D – Recherche littéraire avancée / Advanced Literary Research
FREN 4201H – Création littéraire / Creative Writing
FREN-CAST 4301H – Actualités franco-canadiennes / French-Canadian Current Affairs
See the Academic Calendar for a full description of our courses.
See the Academic Timetable to check which courses are offered this year.