Jobs, career choices and ambitions

    AQA
    GCSE

    This study area requires candidates to navigate the complex landscape of employment, education, and aspirations within contemporary Francophone society. It encompasses the structural realities of the French labour market, including the dichotomy between rigid contract types (CDI/CDD), the cultural significance of the 'droit à la déconnexion', and the evolving nature of apprenticeships versus the traditional academic prestige of the Grandes Écoles. Mastery involves articulating personal ambitions while critically analysing broader socioeconomic trends such as youth unemployment and gender parity.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
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    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
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    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for the accurate manipulation of three time frames: past (work experience), present (current job/studies), and future (career plans).
    • Credit the use of complex structures such as 'si' clauses (e.g., 'Si j'avais le choix, je travaillerais...') to express ambition.
    • Reward specific, high-frequency vocabulary related to employment (e.g., 'un stage', 'l'apprentissage', 'le chômage') over generic terms.
    • Candidates must justify opinions on career choices using varied connectives and qualifiers to access top bands.

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have used the future tense correctly, but try to include a conditional phrase like 'ce serait' to express an ideal scenario."
    • "Your opinion on university is clear; extend this by comparing it to the alternative of an apprenticeship."
    • "Watch out for 'false friends'—'actuellement' means 'currently', not 'actually'. Use 'en fait' for 'actually'."
    • "To access higher marks, link your sentences using connectives other than 'et' or 'mais', such as 'cependant' or 'par contre'."

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for the accurate manipulation of three time frames: past (work experience), present (current job/studies), and future (career plans).
    • Credit the use of complex structures such as 'si' clauses (e.g., 'Si j'avais le choix, je travaillerais...') to express ambition.
    • Reward specific, high-frequency vocabulary related to employment (e.g., 'un stage', 'l'apprentissage', 'le chômage') over generic terms.
    • Candidates must justify opinions on career choices using varied connectives and qualifiers to access top bands.

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Ensure references to future plans use the correct tense (futur simple for definite plans, conditionnel for aspirations).
    • 💡When discussing work experience, include both an opinion on the tasks performed and a justification using 'parce que' or 'car'.
    • 💡Memorise idiomatic phrases like 'avoir l'intention de' or 'ça me plairait de' to vary sentence openers.
    • 💡Check the gender of professions carefully; some remain masculine (e.g., 'médecin') while others change (e.g., 'infirmier/infirmière').

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Confusion between 'travailler' (to work) and 'marcher' (to walk) or 'voyager' (to travel).
    • Incorrect use of prepositions after 'rêver' (requires 'de') or 'commencer' (requires 'à').
    • Anglicisms such as 'applier' instead of 'postuler' for applying to jobs.
    • Failure to agree adjectives with the gender of the subject when describing personal qualities for a job.

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Décris
    Écris
    Mentionne
    Explique
    Traduis
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