Adjectives and adverbs

    AQA
    GCSE

    The study of adjectives and adverbs in French requires mastery of morphosyntactic agreement and placement rules. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to manipulate adjectival agreement (gender and number) and understand the invariable nature of adverbs. Critical assessment focuses on the semantic shifts caused by adjectival placement (pre- vs. post-nominal) and the irregular formation of comparative and superlative structures. Proficiency distinguishes between descriptive accuracy and high-level stylistic nuance.

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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 accurate gender and number agreement of adjectives with the antecedent noun
    • Credit the correct pre-nominal placement of BAGS adjectives (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size)
    • Reward the correct formation of adverbs ending in -ment derived from the feminine adjectival form
    • Differentiate responses that use irregular comparatives (meilleur, pire) from those attempting regularised errors

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have used a range of adjectives, but check the gender agreement for feminine nouns"
    • "Good use of the comparative structure; ensure you use 'meilleur' instead of 'plus bon'"
    • "Your position of adjectives is generally correct, but remember that colours go after the noun"
    • "To access higher bands, include adverbs of manner (ending in -ment) to qualify your verbs"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for accurate gender and number agreement of adjectives with the antecedent noun
    • Credit the correct pre-nominal placement of BAGS adjectives (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size)
    • Reward the correct formation of adverbs ending in -ment derived from the feminine adjectival form
    • Differentiate responses that use irregular comparatives (meilleur, pire) from those attempting regularised errors

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Systematically check every noun in written work for gender/number and verify the modifying adjective matches
    • 💡Use intensifiers (très, assez, trop) before adjectives to enhance complexity marks in AO4
    • 💡Memorise the 'BAGS' rule for pre-nominal adjectives to avoid syntax errors in translation tasks
    • 💡In speaking (AO2), self-correct immediately if an agreement error is realised; credit is awarded for the final utterance

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Failure to agree adjectives with plural nouns, particularly in the 90-word and 150-word tasks
    • Incorrect syntax placing colour or nationality adjectives before the noun (e.g., 'bleu pantalon')
    • Confusion between the adjective 'bon' and the adverb 'bien' when qualifying verbs vs nouns

    Study Guide Available

    Comprehensive revision notes & examples

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    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Écrivez
    Décrivez
    Traduisez
    Mentionnez
    Justifiez
    Répondez

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