Global issues

    AQA
    GCSE

    Analysis of global challenges through the lens of the Francophone world, focusing on environmental sustainability, economic inequality, and migration. Candidates must evaluate the tension between economic growth and ecological preservation in France (e.g., nuclear energy reliance vs. renewable transition) and analyze the sociopolitical responses to poverty and the refugee crisis within l'Hexagone and the wider Francophonie.

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    Objectives
    4
    Exam Tips
    3
    Pitfalls
    3
    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for the accurate use of three distinct time frames (past, present, future) when proposing solutions to global issues.
    • Credit the use of complex structures such as 'avant de' + infinitive or 'il faut que' + subjunctive to demonstrate higher-level linguistic competence.
    • Candidates must explicitly address all bullet points in the writing tasks; omission of a bullet point caps the Content mark.
    • In Reading/Listening, accept synonyms or paraphrasing that convey the correct semantic meaning of environmental consequences.

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have used the perfect tense, but check your auxiliary verb choice for movement verbs like 'aller' or 'partir'."
    • "To improve the range of language, replace basic adjectives like 'bon' or 'mauvais' with 'inquiétant' or 'bénéfique'."
    • "You mentioned the problem of pollution; now expand by adding a solution using the conditional tense (e.g., 'on devrait')."
    • "Ensure your justification links directly to the opinion given—avoid generic reasons like 'c'est intéressant'."

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for the accurate use of three distinct time frames (past, present, future) when proposing solutions to global issues.
    • Credit the use of complex structures such as 'avant de' + infinitive or 'il faut que' + subjunctive to demonstrate higher-level linguistic competence.
    • Candidates must explicitly address all bullet points in the writing tasks; omission of a bullet point caps the Content mark.
    • In Reading/Listening, accept synonyms or paraphrasing that convey the correct semantic meaning of environmental consequences.

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡In the 150-word writing task, ensure at least two justified opinions are included to access the top band for Content.
    • 💡For translation into French, identify 'false friends' related to social issues (e.g., 'actuellement' means currently, not actually).
    • 💡Use the 'si' clause structure (Si j'avais le choix, je ferais...) to discuss hypothetical solutions to poverty.
    • 💡Allocate 5 minutes to proofread verb endings, specifically checking that plural subjects (les gouvernements) have plural verb endings (-ent).

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Confusion of auxiliary verbs in the perfect tense (e.g., writing 'j'ai allé' instead of 'je suis allé' when discussing past volunteer work).
    • Inaccurate gender agreement with thematic nouns (e.g., 'le pollution' instead of 'la pollution', 'le pauvreté' instead of 'la pauvreté').
    • Translating idioms literally (e.g., 'faire du bénévolat' is often mistranslated as 'making voluntary').

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Écrivez
    Traduisez
    Décrivez
    Mentionnez
    Expliquez
    Répondez

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