You can start by considering the mark allocations for each subsection. Section II is worth 40 marks altogether, consisting of 25 marks for Part A and 15 marks for Part B. Because Part A has a greater mark allocation, you would likely allocate more time for it compared to Part B. You can do this as a percentage of the total mark allocation/recommended time allocation, which would be 50 minutes for Part A and 30 minutes for Part B.
However, each student is different, and this is especially applicable to language subjects. A student may be more capable in a certain aspect of the target language than in another. For example, they may be better at reading/speaking than they may be at writing in the target language. This may affect the time allocation for each subsection. You may wish to consider the following:
- If you are better at reading and analysing texts in French and responding to related questions in English, you may wish to allocate more than 30 minutes for Part B.
- If you are better at reading and analysing texts in French and responding to a writing question in French, you may be able to complete Part B in less than 30 minutes, leaving you with more than 50 minutes for Part A.
- If you believe that you are equally capable in both sections, you can either adopt the 50/30 split or attempt multiple past exams and make a more informed decision based on how you go.
I hope this helps!
