Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest
Theme 2 covers local, national, international and global areas of interest, focusing on home, town, neighbourhood, region, social issues (charity, healthy living), global issues (environment, poverty/homelessness), and travel and tourism.
Topic Overview
Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest is a key component of the AQA GCSE French specification. This theme explores how you can describe and discuss your local area, compare it with other regions in France and the wider world, and engage with global issues such as the environment, social challenges, and cultural diversity. It builds on the vocabulary and grammar from Theme 1 (Identity and culture) and prepares you for the more abstract discussions in Theme 3 (Current and future study and employment).
Understanding this theme is crucial because it allows you to talk about real-world topics that are relevant to your life and the world around you. You will learn to describe your town or city, discuss transport and amenities, talk about environmental problems and solutions, and express opinions on global issues like poverty, inequality, and international events. This theme also introduces more complex grammatical structures, such as the subjunctive mood (e.g., 'il faut que' + subjunctive) and the conditional tense, which are essential for achieving higher grades.
In the exam, this theme appears across all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You might be asked to write a blog post about your local area, discuss environmental issues in a conversation, or read an article about a global event. Mastering this theme will not only boost your exam performance but also give you the confidence to communicate about a wide range of topics in French.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Describing your local area: vocabulary for places in town (e.g., la mairie, le supermarché, la piscine), adjectives to describe it (e.g., animé, calme, historique), and giving opinions (e.g., 'Je trouve que...' + subjunctive).
- →Comparing regions and countries: using comparative and superlative structures (e.g., 'plus... que', 'le plus...'), and discussing advantages and disadvantages of living in different places.
- →Environmental issues: vocabulary for pollution, recycling, energy, and climate change (e.g., le réchauffement climatique, les énergies renouvelables), and using 'il faut' + infinitive or subjunctive to express necessity.
- →Global issues and international events: discussing poverty, inequality, charity work, and cultural events (e.g., les Jeux Olympiques), and using the conditional tense to express hypothetical situations (e.g., 'Si j'étais riche, je ferais du bénévolat').
- →Social issues: talking about homelessness, unemployment, and integration, and using 'on devrait' or 'il est important de' to give recommendations.
What You Need to Demonstrate
Key skills and knowledge for this topic
- Ability to understand and provide information and opinions about the specified topics.
- Ability to relate topics to own experiences and those of others, including French-speaking communities.
- Application of grammar and vocabulary appropriate to the tier of entry.
- Ability to identify key points, details, and opinions in spoken and written texts.
- Ability to express and justify individual thoughts and points of view in writing and speech.
- Use of communication strategies to sustain interaction and cope with unknown language.
Marking Points
Key points examiners look for in your answers
- Ability to understand and provide information and opinions about the specified topics.
- Ability to relate topics to own experiences and those of others, including French-speaking communities.
- Application of grammar and vocabulary appropriate to the tier of entry.
- Ability to identify key points, details, and opinions in spoken and written texts.
- Ability to express and justify individual thoughts and points of view in writing and speech.
- Use of communication strategies to sustain interaction and cope with unknown language.
Examiner Tips
Expert advice for maximising your marks
- 💡Use the five minutes of reading time in the Listening exam to anticipate content.
- 💡In the Speaking test, use repair strategies (e.g., asking for clarification) if you do not understand a question.
- 💡Ensure you give and explain an opinion when prompted on the Photo card.
- 💡Use a variety of time frames (past, present, future) to access higher marks in writing and speaking.
- 💡Practice using communication strategies like paraphrasing or describing physical properties if you forget a specific word.
- 💡Ensure you address all compulsory bullet points in writing tasks to maximize content marks.
- 💡To score highly in the speaking and writing exams, use a range of tenses (present, past, future, conditional) and include at least one subjunctive phrase. For example, in a discussion about the environment, you could say: 'Il faut que nous agissions maintenant pour protéger la planète, sinon les générations futures souffriront.'
- 💡When comparing your local area to another place, use specific details and opinions. Instead of saying 'Ma ville est plus petite que Paris', say 'Ma ville est plus calme et moins polluée que Paris, mais il y a moins d'activités culturelles.' This shows depth of vocabulary and structure.
- 💡In the reading and listening exams, pay attention to cognates (words that look similar to English) but beware of false friends. For example, 'sensible' in French means 'sensitive', not 'sensible'. Also, look for time markers (e.g., 'hier', 'demain', 'dans le futur') to identify the tense being used.
Common Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers
- Over-reliance on pre-learnt responses in speaking tests.
- Failure to use repair strategies when communication breaks down.
- Ignoring the requirement to give and explain an opinion on the Photo card.
- Topic avoidance in speaking tasks, which limits the ability to gain full credit.
- Inaccurate use of grammatical structures (e.g., tenses, gender, agreement) when narrating events.
- Failure to address all bullet points in writing tasks.
- Misconception: 'Il faut' is always followed by the infinitive. Correction: 'Il faut' can be followed by the infinitive (e.g., 'Il faut recycler') OR by 'que' + subjunctive (e.g., 'Il faut que tu recycles'). Both are correct but have slightly different structures.
- Misconception: 'Plus... que' is only for comparisons of superiority. Correction: You can also use 'moins... que' (less than) and 'aussi... que' (as... as) to make balanced comparisons.
- Misconception: The subjunctive is only used after 'il faut que'. Correction: The subjunctive is also used after other expressions like 'bien que' (although), 'pour que' (so that), and 'avant que' (before).
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Theme 1: Identity and culture – basic vocabulary for describing yourself, family, friends, and daily life.
- •Basic knowledge of the present, perfect, and imperfect tenses, as well as the near future (aller + infinitive).
- •Familiarity with giving opinions and reasons (e.g., 'Je pense que... parce que...').
Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
Likely Command Words
How questions on this topic are typically asked
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