Topic 3: Global issues
This topic covers free-time activities, specifically focusing on music, cinema and TV, food and eating out, and sport.
Topic Overview
Topic 3: Global issues in AQA GCSE French covers a range of contemporary challenges that affect people worldwide, such as environmental problems, poverty, inequality, and global health. You will learn to discuss these issues in French, using appropriate vocabulary and structures to express opinions, propose solutions, and talk about personal actions. This topic is crucial because it connects language learning with real-world awareness, helping you become a more informed global citizen while developing your ability to argue and persuade in French.
In this topic, you will explore subtopics like the environment (e.g., climate change, recycling, pollution), social issues (e.g., homelessness, unemployment, discrimination), and global events (e.g., natural disasters, international aid). You will also learn to use the subjunctive mood to express necessity or doubt, and the conditional tense to discuss hypothetical solutions. Mastering this topic will prepare you for both the speaking and writing exams, where you may be asked to give your opinion on a global issue or describe what you would do to help.
This topic builds on your knowledge of daily life and local community issues from earlier themes, and it connects to the 'Current and future study and employment' theme when discussing careers in sustainability or international relations. By the end, you should be able to hold a conversation about global problems, understand authentic texts like news articles, and write a persuasive essay in French.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Environmental vocabulary: le réchauffement climatique (global warming), la pollution (pollution), les énergies renouvelables (renewable energies), le recyclage (recycling), la déforestation (deforestation).
- →Social issues vocabulary: le chômage (unemployment), les sans-abri (homeless), l'égalité des sexes (gender equality), la pauvreté (poverty), les inégalités (inequalities).
- →Using the subjunctive after expressions like 'il faut que' (it is necessary that) and 'il est important que' (it is important that) to express necessity or opinion about global issues.
- →Using the conditional tense (e.g., 'je ferais', 'nous pourrions') to talk about what we would do to solve problems or hypothetical situations.
- →Structuring arguments: giving opinions (à mon avis, selon moi), justifying with reasons (parce que, car), and proposing solutions (on pourrait, il faudrait).
What You Need to Demonstrate
Key skills and knowledge for this topic
- Ability to express and justify opinions on free-time activities.
- Ability to narrate events related to past, present, and future free-time activities.
- Use of appropriate vocabulary related to music, cinema, TV, food, and sport.
- Correct use of grammatical structures including tenses and modal verbs in the context of leisure.
- Ability to understand and extract information from spoken and written texts about hobbies and interests.
Marking Points
Key points examiners look for in your answers
- Ability to express and justify opinions on free-time activities.
- Ability to narrate events related to past, present, and future free-time activities.
- Use of appropriate vocabulary related to music, cinema, TV, food, and sport.
- Correct use of grammatical structures including tenses and modal verbs in the context of leisure.
- Ability to understand and extract information from spoken and written texts about hobbies and interests.
Examiner Tips
Expert advice for maximising your marks
- 💡Use a variety of time frames (past, present, future) to demonstrate range.
- 💡Learn and use opinion phrases (e.g., 'ça me plaît', 'je déteste') to enhance communication.
- 💡Practice using connectives to link ideas and extend sentences.
- 💡Use communication strategies like paraphrasing if you forget a specific word.
- 💡Read the rubric carefully to ensure you address all bullet points in writing tasks.
- 💡Use a range of tenses: present to describe current issues, future (e.g., 'le monde sera en danger') to predict consequences, and conditional to suggest solutions. This shows linguistic flexibility.
- 💡Learn key phrases for expressing cause and effect: 'à cause de' (because of), 'grâce à' (thanks to), 'entraîne' (leads to). These help you link ideas and develop arguments.
- 💡In the speaking exam, if you don't know a word, paraphrase. For example, if you forget 'déforestation', say 'quand on coupe les arbres'. This demonstrates communication strategies.
Common Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers
- Over-reliance on simple sentences instead of using complex structures.
- Confusing similar-sounding words or false friends in listening and reading tasks.
- Failure to justify opinions when required by the task.
- Inconsistent use of tenses when narrating past or future activities.
- Ignoring the context of the question, leading to irrelevant answers.
- Misconception: 'Je suis d'accord' is the only way to agree. Correction: You can also say 'Je partage votre avis' or 'C'est exact' to vary your language and impress the examiner.
- Misconception: The subjunctive is always used after 'il faut que'. Correction: While 'il faut que' always triggers the subjunctive, other expressions like 'il est possible que' also require it, but 'il est probable que' takes the indicative. Learn the list of triggers.
- Misconception: You only need to describe problems, not solutions. Correction: The exam often asks for your opinion and what can be done. Always try to propose at least one solution, using 'on pourrait' or 'il faudrait'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic knowledge of the present tense and common irregular verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire) to describe current issues.
- •Familiarity with giving opinions using 'je pense que', 'je crois que', and 'à mon avis' from earlier topics.
- •Understanding of the near future tense (aller + infinitive) to talk about upcoming actions or changes.
Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
Likely Command Words
How questions on this topic are typically asked
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