Initiating conversation and asking questions

AQA

GCSE

The mastery of interrogative structures and conversational initiators is fundamental to linguistic competence in French. This study area encompasses the syntactic manipulation required to form questions—ranging from simple intonation to complex inversion—and the sociolinguistic awareness necessary to select the appropriate register (tu/vous). Candidates must demonstrate the ability to initiate discourse using correct interrogative pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs, while navigating the nuances between 'langue familière', 'langue courante', and 'langue soutenue'.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award marks for the clear communication of the required message in the Role-play, even if grammatical errors are present, provided ambiguity is not created.
Credit the use of complex question forms (e.g., inversion 'Avez-vous...') over simple intonation questions for higher Range of Language marks.
Candidates must link the question in the Role-play directly to the prompt symbol (?); unrelated questions attract zero marks for that bullet point.
Reward spontaneity in the General Conversation when candidates ask a relevant question without prompting, demonstrating natural interaction.

Example Examiner Feedback

Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

"You successfully communicated the question, but using 'Est-ce que' is a safer structure than relying solely on intonation."
"Excellent use of inversion here ('Avez-vous'); this demonstrates the complexity required for top band marks."
"You missed the prompt to ask a question in the Role-play. Always look for the '?' symbol during your preparation time."
"Your question was grammatically correct but the register was wrong; use 'vous' when addressing a formal figure like a teacher or shopkeeper."

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award marks for the clear communication of the required message in the Role-play, even if grammatical errors are present, provided ambiguity is not created.
Credit the use of complex question forms (e.g., inversion 'Avez-vous...') over simple intonation questions for higher Range of Language marks.
Candidates must link the question in the Role-play directly to the prompt symbol (?); unrelated questions attract zero marks for that bullet point.
Reward spontaneity in the General Conversation when candidates ask a relevant question without prompting, demonstrating natural interaction.

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡In the Role-play preparation time, identify the '?' bullet point immediately and formulate a question using 'Est-ce que' if you are unsure of the inversion.
💡Prepare 'safety' questions for the General Conversation that fit multiple topics, such as 'Et vous, qu'en pensez-vous ?' (And you, what do you think?).
💡Ensure your intonation rises clearly at the end of the sentence if you are relying on statement-format questions.
💡For the Photo Card, while you don't ask questions, anticipate the 'unseen' questions by preparing opinions with justifications (parce que/car).

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Omitting the question entirely in the Role-play task due to failing to recognize the '?' prompt.
Confusing 'Qu'est-ce que' (what) with 'Est-ce que' (is it/do), leading to nonsensical questions like 'Qu'est-ce que c'est le prix?'.
Incorrect word order when attempting inversion, such as 'Avez-tu' instead of 'As-tu' or placing the subject incorrectly.

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Likely Command Words

How questions on this topic are typically asked

Posez

Demandez

Discutez

Expliquez

Décrivez

Justifiez

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