Is French tutoring in person or online?

Both. In-person sessions take place in Montreal, and online sessions run through Teams and OneNote, with document sharing and annotated corrections. Follow-up between sessions is included.

Montreal, Quebec and AEFE curricula

French Tutor in Montreal

Q: Which levels do you cover as a French tutor in Montreal?

I work with students in French from Quebec secondary school, at CEGEP, and in the lycee of the French AEFE curriculum. That runs from grammar, spelling and verb forms through to writing, literary analysis and preparation for the French examinations: the Ministry writing paper in secondary school, the epreuve uniforme at CEGEP, and the anticipated French papers of the Baccalaureate.

Q: Do you prepare the CEGEP epreuve uniforme de francais?

Yes. I prepare students for the epreuve uniforme, the critical essay required to obtain the CEGEP diploma: understanding the question, planning, structured writing, quality of language and time management, trained on real past papers.

French tutoring in Montreal, from secondary school through to lycee and CEGEP: grammar, spelling, writing, text analysis and preparation for the French examinations. Sessions adapted to the student's level and curriculum, Quebec or French (AEFE). I explain in English where that helps, and the work itself stays in French.

Grammar & spelling Writing & essays Literary analysis French examinations ★ 5.0 · 11 Google reviews

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If French is the school language but not the home language

This is common in Montreal and it produces a specific pattern: a student who speaks French fluently, follows every lesson, and still loses marks on written work. The gap is almost never comprehension. It is written accuracy, agreement, verb forms, and the very codified structures that French examinations reward.

It also matters more than families expect. In Quebec, the Secondary 5 French writing paper is one of the few remaining Ministry examinations, and the CEGEP epreuve uniforme is required to graduate at all, whatever the program. A strong science student can be held up by a French paper.

Levels and curricula covered

Quebec secondary school

Homework support, grammar, spelling and verb forms, reading comprehension and writing. From Secondary 4 and 5, I prepare the Ministry writing paper: plan, structured development, quality of language and respect for the brief.

CEGEP: the epreuve uniforme de francais

Preparation for the epreuve uniforme, the critical essay required to obtain the CEGEP diploma. We work on understanding the question, building the plan, argued writing and command of the language, on real past papers.

French AEFE curriculum: college and lycee

From college through to Terminale, including preparation for the anticipated French papers of the Baccalaureate in Premiere: text commentary, essay, linear reading and the oral. I know what Lycee Marie de France and College Stanislas expect and I work on the student's own list of set texts.

What we work on in French

Language and expression

Grammar, agreement and verb forms
Spelling and vocabulary
Syntax and punctuation
Clarity and style in writing

Writing and method

Plan and structure of a text
Essay and argumentative writing
Introduction, development, conclusion
Time management in an examination

Literary analysis

Text commentary
Linear reading (French Bac oral)
Figures of speech and literary devices
Study of the set works

Comprehension and reading

Reading comprehension
Identifying a thesis and its arguments
Summary and reformulation
Oral preparation

French and written method: the same demand for rigour

In the French system, as at CEGEP, the quality of the writing is assessed on the same footing as the substance. A text that is correct but badly structured or badly written loses marks. That is very often where the difference lies between an average mark and a good one.

For more on the written method and justification the French system expects, see the page on French written method.

Your French tutor

My name is Ahmed Squalli Houssaini. Educated in the French system and a graduate of McGill University and Concordia University, I have worked with students in Montreal for more than 10 years, in French as in the scientific subjects. I know what the Quebec and French examinations demand, and I work on the language as much as on the method.

Frequently asked questions

Which levels do you cover?

Quebec secondary school, CEGEP, and the lycee of the French AEFE curriculum: from grammar, spelling and verb forms through to writing, literary analysis and preparation for the French examinations.

Do you prepare the CEGEP epreuve uniforme?

Yes, the critical essay required for the CEGEP diploma: understanding the question, planning, structured writing, quality of language and time management, on real past papers.

Do you help with the Baccalaureate French papers?

Yes. In Premiere at Lycee Marie de France and College Stanislas, I prepare the written paper (commentary, essay) and the French oral: linear reading, textual explanation, the grammar question and presenting the set work.

In person or online?

Both. In person in Montreal, and online through Teams and OneNote with document sharing and annotated corrections. Follow-up between sessions is included.