Diagnostic-Based Skill Tracking and Spaced Review Planning

Bonjour. We now turn the diagnostic into a personal study system rather than treating it as a one-time test. The goal is not to label you permanently as “good” or “weak” at French. It is to establish measurable starting evidence, identify the few patterns that deserve immediate attention, and schedule reviews before those patterns fade.

Your spoken and written baseline samples are the most valuable evidence for this step. I do not yet have your actual diagnostic answers or writing profile in this conversation, so I will not invent results or assign you an unofficial level. We will set up the dashboard and review mechanism now; once you send your results, I will complete the “current level” and error-log entries precisely.

هدف اليوم: إنشاء لوحة متابعة شخصية، سجلّ أخطاء متكرر، وخطة مراجعة موزعة على ستة أيام. سنستخدم نتائجك الحقيقية، لا التخمين.

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1. The target: French proficiency and TCF Canada performance are related, but different

At this stage, your dashboard will record learning evidence: what you can understand and produce without help. Much later, it will also record TCF Canada mock results. A beginner diagnostic cannot be converted honestly into an NCLC score.

For Canadian immigration, however, we should keep the final numerical target visible from day one. Canada.ca lists TCF Canada as an approved French test and provides the conversion table used for immigration programs.

For the NCLC 7 target, the currently supplied official conversion table gives:

TCF Canada ability	NCLC 7 threshold
Listening / compréhension orale	458–502
Reading / compréhension écrite	453–498
Speaking / expression orale	10–11
Writing / expression écrite	10–11

We will aim for a safety margin in later mock exams, generally consistent performance around the published NCLC 8 range rather than one isolated result at the NCLC 7 minimum. This is a preparation rule, not an official IRCC rule.

Important: immigration and exam policies can change. Before booking a test or submitting an immigration profile, we will recheck the official Canada.ca and France Éducation international information.

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2. Your baseline skill dashboard

Here is your Dashboard v0.1. “Not yet measured” means that I do not have the corresponding result in this chat; it does not mean that you cannot do it.

Area	Current baseline	Long-term target	Status	Evidence we will record
Listening	Not yet measured	NCLC 7+	Diagnostic evidence needed	Sound-contrast accuracy; literal-detail questions
Reading	Not yet measured	NCLC 7+	Diagnostic evidence needed	Names, dates, occupations, contact details extracted
Speaking	Spoken sample not available here	NCLC 7+	Diagnostic evidence needed	Duration, comprehensibility, sentence control, repair
Writing	Profile not yet submitted	NCLC 7+	Diagnostic evidence needed	Task coverage, sentence control, spelling, grammar
Vocabulary	Not yet measured	B2+/TCF range	Build from Tier 1	Words recognized and retrieved without help
Grammar	Not yet measured	B2+/TCF control	Build from A1 essentials	Pronouns, articles, verbs, word order, agreement
Pronunciation	Not yet measured	Strong and intelligible	Early priority	U/OU, E/É/È, nasal vowels, final consonants
Fluency	Not yet measured	Strong	Early foundation	Ability to continue meaningfully without long pauses

How we will interpret the dashboard

For the A0–A1 phase, we will use observable evidence, not broad labels alone:

• Listening: number correct, exact sound confusions, whether the issue is vocabulary or sound perception.
• Reading: details found correctly and whether you relied on English cognates, word guessing, or direct recognition.
• Speaking: amount produced independently, not accent perfection.
• Writing: how much meaning you communicate before we formally teach the structure.
• Pronunciation: intelligibility and contrast awareness, especially sounds that Arabic and English do not distinguish in the same way as French.

A key rule: an ability can be uneven. For example, someone may recognize a French word in writing but not understand it when spoken; that is a normal early listening gap, not a contradiction.

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3. The recurring-error log: evidence, correction, review

An error log is not a list of everything that went wrong. It is a compact system for patterns that occur repeatedly or prevent communication.

Each entry must contain:

Field	What we record
Code	A short label, such as G01 for grammar or P02 for pronunciation
Your original example	The exact phrase or sentence you produced
Corrected version	A natural, accurate French version
Error category	Grammar, vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, listening, or fluency
Why it happened	Missing knowledge, Arabic/English transfer, rushed production, or incomplete listening
Priority	Must master, high priority, useful, or low priority
Review dates	Same day, next day, several days later, one week later, then monthly
Status	New, improving, stable, or mastered

Priority rules for your course

Priority	What belongs here	What we do
Must master	Subject pronouns, articles, être, avoir, common present tense, gender awareness, basic question patterns, U/OU distinction, final-sound awareness	Review every week until reliable
High priority	Negation, dates and numbers, place prepositions, common irregular verbs, liaison basics, personal-information vocabulary	Recycle frequently in speech and writing
Useful	Less frequent vocabulary, stylistic alternatives, extra connectors	Add after the core is stable
Low priority	Rare literary forms, highly specialized vocabulary, grammar details with little communication value	Postpone unless needed later

Initial watchlist for an Arabic-speaking learner

This is a watchlist, not an error log yet. I will only turn an item into a personal error once your diagnostic shows it.

Possible code	Pattern we will check	Why it matters
P01	U / OU: tu versus tout	French distinguishes two vowels that English and Arabic do not map neatly in the same way
P02	Nasal vowels: an, on, in	The vowel changes; it is not simply a vowel plus a fully pronounced final n
P03	Final consonants: pronounced versus silent	French spelling often contains letters that are not pronounced
P04	French R	It must be intelligible; we will build it gradually, without forcing an exaggerated sound
G01	Subject pronouns	French normally needs an expressed subject: je parle, il travaille
G02	Article and gender choice	French nouns generally require an article and have grammatical gender
G03	Verb endings and agreement	Written endings may be silent but matter in spelling and formal writing
S01	Accents and apostrophes	They affect spelling and sometimes pronunciation or meaning
V01	English–French false friends	Strong English helps with cognates, but words such as actuellement and librairie require care later

When you send the results, I will add only the demonstrated patterns, with examples from your own French.

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4. Why the reviews are spaced and retrieval-based

Reading a correction repeatedly can feel productive, but the crucial skill is being able to produce or recognize it without looking. This is called retrieval practice. Spacing means returning to the same material after a delay instead of concentrating all review in one session.

For French, retrieval must be more than French-to-English word matching. We will use several forms:

1. Meaning recall: “How do I say ‘I live in…’?”
2. Form recall: “Choose the correct article or verb form without notes.”
3. Sound recognition: “Did you hear tu or tout?”
4. Production transfer: Use a corrected structure in a new sentence about your own life.
5. Timed use: Retrieve the structure under mild time pressure, as future TCF tasks require.

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5. Your six-day diagnostic-based review schedule

This is the default schedule for the first week after we receive your diagnostic. It is deliberately varied: language progress needs input, retrieval, and production, not six identical grammar sessions.

Day	Main objective	Core activity	What gets recorded
Day 1	Diagnose and correct	Review your answers; compare original and corrected French; make a small set of cards from demonstrated gaps	Dashboard baseline; first error-log entries
Day 2	Recall without notes	Five-minute vocabulary and grammar recall; repeat or read aloud corrected sentences	Recall accuracy; pronunciation observations
Day 3	Build the missing foundation	Begin the next A0 lesson; use baseline errors in controlled practice	Whether the same error reappears
Day 4	Transfer to a new context	Produce new personal sentences or answer a short prompt without copying models	Grammar and word-order transfer
Day 5	Target the weakest skill	Short listening, reading, pronunciation, or writing micro-session based on results	Skill-specific accuracy and time
Day 6	Low-stakes mini-check	Complete a brief mixed recall check; update the log and plan the next week	Stable, improving, or persistent errors
Day 7	Recovery day	No compulsory study; optional relaxed French exposure only	Energy and consistency note

Review intervals for every important item

A new word, sound, or correction will usually return:

• the same day: understand and imitate it;
• the next day: retrieve it without notes;
• three to four days later: use it in a different sentence;
• one week later: retrieve it in a mixed review;
• one month later: test whether it has become durable.

If you miss a day, do not restart the whole schedule. Resume at the next available session and record the interruption. Consistency matters more than a perfect streak.

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6. What I need to finalize your personal version

Please reply with the information below. Do not correct or polish your original French first. If you have already completed other parts of the diagnostic, paste your raw answers or results. If you have not, write “not completed” beside that item.

A. Writing baseline
Time used: ___ minutes
Dictionary / translator / AI / notes used: no / yes

My French profile:
[Paste the exact 6–8 sentences, or your best attempt.]

B. Speaking baseline
Duration: ___ seconds
What I said (approximate transcript, if possible):
[Paste it here.]
Did I use notes / translation? no / yes

C. Reading diagnostic
Answers or score:
[Paste results.]

D. Listening and sound diagnostic
Answers or score:
[Paste results.]
Which contrasts felt difficult, if any: U/OU / E-É-È / nasal vowels / final consonants / other

E. Your study reality
Study time available on most days: 90 min / 2 h / 3 h / other
Preferred study time: morning / afternoon / evening
One likely obstacle this week: __________

After you send this, I will return:

1. your completed baseline dashboard;
2. an initial, evidence-based informal A0/A1 estimate by skill;
3. your first personal error-log entries, using your actual examples;
4. a six-day schedule with exact review items and time allocations; and
5. the first A0 sound-and-spelling lesson, beginning with the French alphabet, names, and spelling.