Travel and Transport: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE French): Revision Note

Four young people are talking about public transport. What is their opinion?

Write P for a positive opinion.
Write N for a negative opinion.
Write P&N for a positive and negative opinion.

Answers:

Here are the correct answers:

1. P

   les transports publics sont rapides

   (public transport is fast)

2. P&N

   les autobus sont pratiques, mais ils sont trop chers

   (the buses are practical but too expensive)

3. N

   ...parce qu’ils sont sales

   (... because it is dirty)

4. N

   sont trop lents

   (... are too slow)

Parle-moi de la photo.

Answer:

Here is an example answer.

Dans la photo, je vois un train, et il y a beaucoup d'hommes et femmes. Il y a des gens qui attendent un autre train. Ils sont dans une gare et il fait assez beau dehors. Je pense que c’est le matin et qu’ils vont au travail. Je crois qu’ils sont un peu malheureux parce qu’ils ont acheté des billets mais le train n’est pas arrivé.

In the photo, I see a train, and there lots of men and women. There are people waiting for another train. They are in a train station, and the weather outside is quite nice. I think that it is morning and that they are going to work. I think that they are a bit unhappy because they bought tickets, but the train hasn’t arrived yet.

Use the acronym PALM to help you - People and objects, Action, Location, Mood. Look at the aspects of PALM mentioned in the response above:

• People and objects
  je vois un train, et il y a beaucoup d'hommes et femmes

• Action
  il y a des gens qui attendent un autre train; je pense qu’ils vont au travail

• Location
  ils sont dans une gare

• Mood
  je crois qu’ils sont un peu malheureux

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Je vais réserver deux billets de retour.

2. Elle a une carte de la gare.

3. Ma famille a voyagé en bateau.

4. À quelle heure part le vol ?

5. Il faut traverser la rue ici.

Answers:

Here are the correct answers:

1. I am going to reserve two return tickets.

2. She has a map of the (train) station.

3. My family travelled by boat.

4. What time/when does the flight leave?

5. You have to / must cross the street/road here.

There are three different tenses used here - questions 2, 4 and 5 are in the present tense, question 3 is in the perfect (past) tense and question 1 is in the near future tense. En means 'by' when used with a form of transport, not 'in'.

Write a short description of a trip you are planning. 
Write approximately 50 words in French.
You must write something about each bullet point.
Mention:

• where you are going

• who you are going with

• the method of transport

• the tickets

• the journey

Answer:

Here is an example response of 49 words.

Ce weekend je vais à Paris en France avec ma mère et mes amies. On voyage en train parce que les billets ne sont pas chers, et prendre le train est toujours rapide et pratique. Le voyage dure environ trois heures et j'aime regarder la campagne par la fenêtre.

This weekend I’m going to Paris, France, with my mum and my friends. We are travelling by train because the tickets are not expensive, and taking the train is always fast and practical. The journey lasts about three hours, and I like looking at the countryside through the window.

When completing a 50-word writing task, remember that you can just answer in the present tense. Tick off each bullet point as you cover it, and always check your work carefully once you have finished. Look at the response above to identify where each bullet point is covered.

You are writing a social media post about travel and transport.
Write approximately 150 words in French.
Describe:

• a journey you have taken recently

• the advantages and disadvantages of public transport

Answer:

Here is an example response of 150 words.

La semaine dernière, je suis allée à Londres avec mes amies. Les billets n'étaient pas chers et je trouve que voyager en train est toujours plus pratique que de voyager en voiture. Le voyage a duré environ deux heures et j'ai regardé de beaux paysages par la fenêtre.
À mon avis, les transports publics ont beaucoup d’avantages. J’ai de la chance parce que j’utilise le métro dans ma ville tous les jours pour aller à l'école et c’est toujours propre, et il n'y a pas souvent de retards.
Cependant, il y a aussi des inconvénients. Aller en voiture est plus rapide, et il ne faut pas porter ses bagages partout. Les voyages avec le bus sont parfois trop longs, surtout quand il y a beaucoup de circulation. Malgré ces problèmes, je pense que les transports publics sont très utiles, surtout pour aller en ville, et c’est mieux pour protéger l’environnement.

Last week, I went to London with my friends. The tickets weren’t expensive, and I think that travelling by train is always more practical than travelling by car. The journey lasted about two hours, and I looked at the beautiful scenery through the window. In my opinion, public transport has many advantages. I am lucky because I use the metro in my city every day to go to school and it is always clean, and there are not often delays.
However, there are also disadvantages. Going by car is faster, and you don’t have to carry your luggage everywhere. Bus journeys are sometimes too long, especially when there is a lot of traffic. Despite these problems, I think that public transport is very useful, especially for going into the city, and it is better for protecting the environment.

When completing a 150-word writing task, you will need to be comfortable using a range of tenses, as the bullet points will cover two tenses.

However, you don't need to cover each bullet point equally. In the response above, the first paragraph answers the first bullet point, and the other two paragraphs cover the second bullet point.