Ministerial Examination

Ministerial Examination of French, language of Instruction and Literature - College

Goal of the Examination

The purpose of the ministerial test of French is to verify that the student has, at the end of the three general education courses in the language of instruction and literature, sufficient reading and writing skills to understand literary texts and to state a critical point of view that is relevant, consistent and written in a correct language.

The student must demonstrate that he / she has the following skills:

  • the ability to understand literary texts;
  • the ability to articulate a relevant, consistent and compelling critical point of view;
  • the ability to write structured text;
  • the ability to write in a correct English.

Nature and duration of the Examination

The nature of the test is as follows: the student must write a critical dissertation from literary texts on which he supports his reflection. The student has four hours and thirty minutes to read the literary texts that are proposed to him and to write a formal essay of 900 words.

Regulatory References

Since January 1, 1998, all students enrolled in a program leading to a Diploma of College Studies under the College Education Regulations (CER) must pass the examination in order to earn their diploma.

Students may not be exempted from the ministerial examination by a college. In accordance with article 21 of the CER, colleges may only exempt students from courses.

In accordance with Article 26 of the CER, the College at which the student is registered is responsible for the conduct of the Ministerial Examination. The College must ensure that its regulations and admissions policies satisfy the requirements set within.

Permitted materiel

It is permitted to consult a maximum of three reference books on the linguistic code: grammar, dictionary or conjugation manual. However, it is forbidden to use personal notes or lecture notes, an electronic dictionary, anthologies or any other work on the writing or presentation of texts. The use of a cell phone, a walkman, an MP3 player or any electronic device is also prohibited.

Reference (in French only): http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/colleges/etudiants-au-collegial/epreuves-de-langue/epreuve-uniforme-de-francais/

For more information (in French only), Please see the information booklet at the following link : http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/enseignement-superieur/collegial/Guide_AZ_VF.pdf


Ministerial Examination of College English - Language of Instruction and Literature

Goal of the Examination

The goal of the Ministerial Examination of College English (“the examination”) is to ensure that, by the end of the three English courses of language of instruction and literature (603-101, 603-102, 603-103) that are part of the general education component common to all programs, students have acquired a sufficient level of competence in reading and writing to understand literary texts and to express a relevant critical viewpoint using correct English.

Nature and duration of the Examination

Papers will be evaluated on the basis of the three main criteria in the evaluation checklist: Comprehension and Insight (Criterion I), Organization of Response (Criterion II), and Expression (Criterion III).

Students have four hours in which to read the three texts provided and write a formal essay of 750 words about one of them.

Regulatory References

Since January 1, 1998, all students enrolled in a program leading to a Diploma of College Studies under the College Education Regulations (CER) must pass the examination in order to earn their diploma.

Colleges cannot exempt students from the obligation to take the examination imposed by the ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur. Under section 21 of the CER, colleges may exempt students from courses but not from examinations.

Permitted materiel

Students may use unilingual and bilingual dictionaries and a thesaurus. They must, however, bring their own and not borrow from other students. Students may not use an electronic dictionary, personal notes, course notes, handbooks or books on essay writing.

Reference: http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/colleges/etudiants-au-collegial/epreuves-de-langue/epreuve-uniforme-danglais-en-anglais-seulement/

For more information, Please see the information booklet at the following link: http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/enseignement-superieur/collegial/Guide_AZ_VA.pdf

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