Making Plans: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE French): Revision Note
Exam code: 8652
The topic of ‘making plans’ 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.
Making plans: listening
An important part of listening is being able to identify key information from conversations. This question will help you to practise this skill.
Worked Example
Listen to Manon and Jacques making plans, and complete the table in English.
Activity | |
Day | |
Time |
Answers:
Here are the correct answers:
Activity | go into town |
Day | Sunday |
Time | 10 o’clock |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember that we use the 24-hour clock in French, so this time must be 10:00AM, because 10:00PM would be vingt-deux heures.
Making plans: 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 are some sentences for you to practise reading aloud on the topic of making plans.
Worked Example
Read aloud these sentences in French.
Je sors avec mes amis mercredi après-midi.
Elle ne veut pas voir un spectacle ce soir.
On peut aller au cinéma à huit heures.
Je suis désolé, mais je ne peux pas venir.
On va sortir à quelle heure le matin ?
Answers:
You should have identified the silent final consonant in words such as sors, veut, peux
You should have remembered that ‘h’ in heures and huit is silent
You should have pronounced the liaison in mes amis
Making plans: reading
In the reading exam, there may be a question where you need to identify who says what. As there is only one correct person for each question, read each sentence carefully. There may be two or more people with similar information, so you have to identify the small details to reach the correct answer.
Worked Example
Read the responses to a party invitation. Match the correct person with each of the following questions.
Write S for Sofiane.
Write C for Clara.
Write F for Fatima.
Sofiane: Je veux venir mais je ne peux pas, parce que je dois faire mes devoirs ce week-end.
Clara: Je voudrais venir ! On doit arriver à quelle heure ? Merci de m’inviter.
Fatima: Je peux peut-être venir. Je dois travailler le samedi. C'est chez toi ?
Who cannot attend the party?
Who asks about the time?
Who might be able to come?
Who has to do their homework?
Who has to go to work?
Who thanks the host?
Answers:
Here are the correct answers:
Who cannot attend the party?
S - je ne peux pas
Who asks about the time?
C - On doit arriver à quelle heure ?
Who might be able to come?
F - je peux peut-être venir
Who has to do their homework?
S - je dois faire mes devoirs
Who has to go to work?
F - je dois travailler
Who thanks the host?
C - merci de m’inviter
Making plans: writing
Foundation tier
In the Foundation writing exam you need to complete a gap-fill task which is based on your knowledge of grammar, such as verb forms or adjective agreements. Here are some questions to help you practise these grammar points.
Worked Example
Choose the correct word from the three options.
Tu veux visiter la plage la semaine …………………… ?
prochain | prochaine | prochains |
The correct answer is prochaine. The sentence means ‘Do you want to visit the beach next week?’.
'Week' is a feminine singular noun. Prochain is a masculine singular adjective and prochains is masculine plural.
Mon frère …………………… aller au supermarché.
devoir | dois | doit |
The correct answer is doit. The sentence means ‘My brother has to / must go to the supermarket’.
Doit is the present tense ‘he’ form of the verb. Devoir is the infinitive and dois is the present tense ‘I’ form.
Je voudrais …………………… au cinéma.
allons | allé | aller |
The correct answer is aller. The sentence means ‘I would like to go to the cinema'.
Use an infinitive verb after je voudrais. Allons is the present tense ‘we’ form and allé is a past participle.
Foundation and Higher tier
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 writing a social media post about an event you are planning.
Write approximately 90 words in French.
You must write something about each bullet point.
Mention:
when and where the event takes place
what you have done to prepare for the event
what will happen during the event
Answer:
Here is an example response of 92 words.
Ce week-end, il y aura une grande fête familiale chez moi pour l’anniversaire de ma sœur, samedi soir à dix-neuf heures.
J’ai déjà préparé beaucoup de choses - j’ai choisi la musique et j’ai fait des magasins pour acheter des nouveaux vêtements et un cadeau pour ma sœur.
Pendant la fête, on va danser et manger beaucoup. Mes parents aiment faire de la cuisine donc ils vont faire un gâteau énorme ! À minuit il y aura un feu d’artifice dans le jardin. La fête va finir à une heure du matin.
This weekend, there will be a big family party at my house for my sister’s birthday, on Saturday evening at seven o’clock.
I have already prepared a lot of things - I chose the music and went shopping to buy new clothes and a present for my sister.
During the party, we are going to dance and eat a lot. My parents like cooking, so they are going to make a huge cake! At midnight, there will be fireworks in the garden. The party will end at one in the morning.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This paragraph includes:
a range of tenses to match the bullet points - present, two different future tenses, and the perfect tense
different subjects - ‘I’, ‘they’, ‘we’
a range of adjectives with the correct agreement - grande, familiale, nouveaux, énorme
Check that your answer includes a variety of language and that you have written something about each bullet point.
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