Speaking and writing · GCSE French
90-word writing
Three compulsory bullets, about 90 words, clear communication, agreements, and three time frames for the top language marks.
Every bullet. Three time frames. Parce que in each. Then check every adjective and every auxiliary.
The important bits
What you need to know
- 1
On current papers the 90-word task has three compulsory bullets. Miss one and the content band drops.
- 2
Write about 90 words. Everything is marked, but extra length often adds errors rather than marks.
- 3
Content rewards coverage and clear, developed ideas. Language rewards variety, some complexity, and time frames.
- 4
The top language band needs successful past, present and future. Two frames sit lower. Meaning counts, not the label of the tense.
- 5
Je vais demain is future. Quand j’étais petit is past. J’habite aujourd’hui is present. Mix them on purpose.
- 6
Give each bullet a short paragraph: time phrase, conjugated verb, opinion, parce que, one extra detail.
- 7
Final check: articles, adjectival agreement, avoir/être auxiliaries, je n’ai pas, and the silent -ent on ils.
- 8
Pick the question you can say more about. Accurate school-and-family French beats a half-known environment essay.
Quotations worth analysing
Short evidence. Real method.
“D’habitude je vais au collège. Hier j’ai joué au foot. L’année prochaine j’irai en France parce que j’adore le français.”
Present habit, perfect event, future plus parce que. Drop this skeleton under any three bullets, then add adjectives and a connective.
Go deeper
How is the French 90-word question marked?
Communication and quality of language are marked separately on the same answer. Communication asks whether all three bullets are covered and whether a reader can follow you. Language asks for variety, attempts at complexity, and time frames. To reach the top language mark, all three time frames must be mainly successful. Two frames live in the band below. A bullet you ignore caps content even if the French is elegant. Plan three mini-paragraphs before you write. Then spend the last few minutes on the errors that block meaning: wrong person, missing auxiliary, no agreement, or a sentence with no verb. Those are major errors. A missing accent is usually minor if the message is still clear.
Go deeper
How do I fit three time frames into 90 words?
Open each bullet with a magnet phrase. En ce moment / d’habitude for present. Hier / l’année dernière for perfect or imperfect. Demain / l’année prochaine for je vais or simple future. Example: D’habitude je mange à la cantine parce que c’est pratique. Samedi dernier j’ai mangé au restaurant et c’était délicieux. La semaine prochaine je vais cuisiner avec ma mère. That is already a complete three-bullet food answer. Add one comparative and one cependant if you have words left. Do not start a fourth topic. Thirty words a bullet is a sensible ceiling. If a bullet is thin, develop it with parce que, not with a new subject the paper did not ask for.
Go deeper
What does useful complexity look like?
A justified opinion, a connective other than et, a comparative, a quand or si clause, and adjectives that agree. Le collège que je trouve trop grand est plus bruyant que mon ancienne école, donc je préfère la récré. That is heavy; you only need one or two sentences at that density. Complexity you cannot conjugate becomes a major error. A clean je suis allé(e), j’ai fait and je voudrais être, with agreements, will outscore a broken subjunctive. Use il y a, c’est and on peut if they fit, but hang them on real ideas from the bullets. The examiner is ticking coverage and control, not hunting for rare grammar.
See the idea in action
Bullets: school / last weekend / next year. Mon collège est grand et j’aime le français parce que c’est utile. Hier j’ai fait un contrôle et ensuite je suis allé(e) en ville avec mes amis. C’était fatigant mais amusant. L’année prochaine je serai au lycée et je vais étudier plus de langues, car je voudrais travailler à l’étranger. Three bullets, three frames, agreements, parce que and car.
Exam technique
Turn knowledge into marks
Underline every verb in a different colour in your head: present, past, future. If a colour is missing, add one short sentence. Do not rewrite the whole piece.
Common mistakes
Do not give these marks away
- 01
Leaving a bullet as a title with no sentence. Each bullet needs a conjugated verb.
- 02
Present tense only. Without a second and third time frame, language marks stall.
- 03
J’ai allé, je suis 15 ans, une grand école. Auxiliary, age and agreement errors stacked in one paragraph.
What belongs in a top-band 90-word answer?
AAll three bullets and three mainly successful time frames
BOne long present-tense paragraph of 200 words
CA list of nouns with no verbs
Show the answer
All three bullets and three mainly successful time frames. Coverage plus past, present and future, mainly successful, is what the mark scheme asks for. Length without verbs does not.
Quick questions
If this is the bit you searched
Should I write exactly 90 words?
Approximately. A clear 85-word answer that covers the bullets will beat a 140-word piece full of major errors. Count during the check, not during the first draft.
Do I need the subjunctive?
No. Clear tenses, opinions and parce que score. Use bien que or il faut que only if they are automatic and spelled correctly.