Digital Technology: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE French): Revision Note
Exam code: 8652
The topic of ‘digital technology’ 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.
Digital technology: listening
In the listening exam, you will complete a dictation task where you write down exactly what you hear in French. This will include some unknown words that are from outside of the vocabulary list. This question will help you practise dictation, including unknown words.
Worked Example
Write down what you hear in French.
1. ...................................................
2. ...................................................
3. ...................................................
4. ...................................................
5. ...................................................
Answers:
This is what you heard:
J'ai reçu un nouveau portable pour mon anniversaire.
Il n'aime pas envoyer des messages.
Le réseau est un peu lent.
J’écoute de la musique avec mes écouteurs.
Le clavier de mon frère ne marche pas.
You should have included the accents on é and è
You should have included the accent ç for the soft c sound
The unknown words were écouteurs (earphones) and clavier (keyboard) - check your spelling carefully
Digital technology: speaking
In part 3 of the speaking exam, you need to describe two photos and then have a conversation with your teacher about the theme covered in the photos. This task will help you to practise answering questions on the topic of digital technology.
Worked Example
Answer these questions in French.
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire sur Internet ?
Qu’est-ce que tu penses du shopping en ligne ?
Quels sont les inconvénients d'internet?
Quand est-ce que tu utilises la technologie au collège ?
Answers:
Here are some example responses.
J'aime tchatter en ligne et jouer à des jeux avec mes amis.
Je trouve ça pratique et j'aime ça.
Beaucoup de jeunes passent trop de temps devant un écran.
J'utilise la technologie quand je fais mes devoirs - je n'utilise pas mon portable en classe.
Digital technology: reading
In the reading exam, you need to translate five French sentences into English. There are two marks per sentence. This question will help you to practise translating into English.
Worked Example
Translate these sentences into English.
Mon ami a partagé beaucoup de photos.
Notre télévision est moderne mais elle était chère.
On peut télécharger des vidéos facilement.
Je voudrais acheter un nouvel appareil.
Les ordinateurs au collège sont trop lents.
Answers:
Here are the correct answers:
My friend shared lots of photos.
Our TV is modern but it was expensive.
You can easily download videos.
I would like to buy a new device.
The computers at school are too slow.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In question 2, the TV is referred to as elle because it is a feminine noun in French, but we wouldn't say 'she' in English.
Digital technology: 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 writing an online article about digital technology.
Write approximately 90 words in French.
You must write something about each bullet point.
Mention:
what you use your phone for
something you have used technology for recently
something you will do online this weekend
Answer:
Here is an example response of 91 words.
J’utilise mon portable tous les jours pour tchatter avec mes amis. J’envoie des messages avant de me coucher, même si ma mère dit qu'il est interdit !
Hier, j’ai utilisé la technologie pour faire mes devoirs. J’ai créé des images en ligne et c’était très intéressant. La technologie est vraiment pratique pour le travail scolaire, surtout quand je dois chercher des informations rapidement.
Ce week-end, je vais regarder un film en streaming et je voudrais télécharger une nouvelle appli pour partager mes photos, par exemple mes selfies avec mon chien !
I use my phone every day to chat with my friends. I send messages before going to bed, even though my mother says it’s not allowed!
Yesterday, I used technology to do my homework. I created images online, and it was very interesting. Technology is really useful for school work, especially when I have to look for information quickly.
This weekend, I am going to watch a film on streaming, and I would like to download a new app to share my photos, for example my selfies with my dog!
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This paragraph includes:
a range of tenses to match the bullet points - present, perfect, imperfect, near future and conditional
a range of vocabulary and structures - avant de, même si, surtout, par exemple
Check that your answer includes a variety of language and that you have written something about each bullet point.
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