Hobbies: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE French): Revision Note
Exam code: 8652
The topic of ‘hobbies’ can appear in any of the exams - you might be asked to speak or write about yourself, or understand information about others. Let’s use the vocabulary, grammar and phonics we have seen so far to take a closer look at some typical exam questions and how you might tackle them.
Hobbies: listening
In the listening exam, there will be some multiple-choice questions where you need to select a certain number of correct answers from all of the options provided. Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word that you hear - just listen out for key words. Here is a question to practise this.
Worked Example
What does each person do for their hobby? Write the correct letter for each person.
A | photography |
B | cooking |
C | reading |
D | dancing |
E | fashion |
F | drawing |
Answers:
Here are the correct answers:
1 - E
J’adore la mode. Mon passe-temps préféré, c’est visiter les magasins en ville.
2 - C
Je lis beaucoup. Je trouve la lecture intéressante et amusante.
3 - F
Ma passion, c’est dessiner. Je suis membre d’un club au collège.
4 - A
Je prends toujours des photos de mes amis et de ma famille.
Hobbies: speaking
In part 2 of the speaking exam, you will read aloud a text and answer four unprepared questions based on the topic of the text. Here is a question to practise both elements of this task - reading aloud and answering questions on the topic of hobbies.
Worked Example
Read aloud the following sentences in French.
Mon frère ne joue pas d'un instrument.
J’adore faire des promenades avec mon chien.
Quand il fait beau, je fais de la natation dehors.
Il y a un club de lecture au collège.
Elle aime écrire son blog en ligne.
Answers:
You should have identified the silent final consonant in words such as fais, pas, instrument
You should have pronounced the [-tion] sound correctly
You should have spotted tricky sounds such as [eau] and [gn]
Answer all four questions as fully as you can.
Est-ce que tu aimes lire ?
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire pendant ton temps libre ?
Qu’est-ce que tu n’aimes pas faire pendant ton temps libre ?
Quel est ton passe-temps préféré ?
Answers:
Here are some example answers.
Oui, j’adore lire, surtout les romans historiques, car ils sont passionnants.
J’aime sortir avec mes amis parce que c’est toujours amusant.
Je n’aime pas aller au cinéma parce que c’est trop cher.
Mon passe-temps préféré, c’est dessiner. Je voudrais devenir artiste.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You can add more detail by explaining your opinions. Identify the opinions and explanations in the responses above.
Hobbies: reading
In the reading exam, you will need to identify key information from longer passages. Remember that you don’t need to understand every word. Here is a question to practise this.
Worked Example
Read the text about hobbies and answer the questions in English.
Tout le monde doit avoir un passe-temps ! Les passe-temps aident à se relaxer et à rencontrer de nouveaux amis. Par exemple, écouter de la musique ou jouer d'un instrument peut réduire le stress. Aujourd’hui, beaucoup de jeunes passent trop de temps sur leur portable, donc il est très important de trouver une activité sans utiliser un écran. Il vaut mieux sortir avec des amis, ce qui est plus amusant que de parler en ligne.
What two things do hobbies help you to do? [2 marks]
What two things can reduce stress? [2 marks]
What do young people spend too much time doing? [1 mark]
What activity is suggested for young people? [1 mark]
Answers:
Here are the correct answers.
relax, meet new friends
les passe-temps aident à se relaxer et de rencontrer de nouveaux amis
listening to music, playing an instrument
écouter de la musique ou jouer d'un instrument peut réduire le stress
on / using their phone
trop de temps sur leur portable
going out with friends
il vaut mieux sortir avec des amis
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Questions 1 and 2 require two details, as they are worth two marks. Always check carefully how much information is required.
Hobbies: writing
In the writing paper, there will be one question where you need to write a 90-word response guided by bullet points. The same question will appear on both Foundation and Higher papers.
Worked Example
You are emailing your Swiss friend about your hobbies.
Write approximately 90 words in French.
Describe:
Why it is important to have hobbies
A hobby you have done recently
A hobby you would like to try in future
Answer:
Here is an example response of 91 words.
À mon avis, les passe-temps sont très importants pour profiter de son temps libre et pour se relaxer. Mes amis et moi avons les mêmes intérêts et nous faisons beaucoup ensemble, ce qui est très amusant.
La semaine dernière j’ai fait une promenade avec ma famille et notre chien, mais il faisait froid ! Nous avons aussi fait du shopping au centre-ville.
À l'avenir, je voudrais apprendre à jouer d’un instrument, parce que j’aime écouter de la musique et chanter. Je pense qu’il y a un club de musique au collège.
In my opinion, hobbies are very important to enjoy your free time and to relax. My friends and I have the same interests, and we do a lot together, which is very fun.
Last week, I went for a walk with my family and our dog, but it was cold! We also went shopping in the city centre.
In the future, I would like to learn to play an instrument because I like listening to music and singing. I think that there is a music club at school.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This paragraph includes:
a range of tenses to match the bullet points
different subjects - ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘it’
a range of conjunctions - mais, aussi, parce que
different opinion phrases - à mon avis, je pense que, je voudrais
Check that your answer includes a variety of language and that you have written something about each bullet point. Look at the response above to identify where each bullet point is covered.
Unlock more, it's free!
Did this page help you?