Technology in everyday life

    AQA
    GCSE

    Examination of the pervasive influence of digital technology within Francophone society, tracing the evolution from the Minitel era to the contemporary 'French Tech' ecosystem. Candidates must analyse the sociological impact of the internet on communication patterns, the economic shift towards e-commerce and teleworking, and the ethical tensions surrounding privacy, cyber-bullying, and the 'digital divide' (la fracture numérique) across generations and geographical territories.

    0
    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 clear communication of ideas regarding the advantages and disadvantages of technology
    • Credit the use of complex linguistic structures (e.g., 'avant de' + infinitive, 'si' clauses) within the 150-word task
    • Candidates must explicitly justify opinions using varied structures (e.g., 'ce que je trouve...', 'étant donné que')
    • Award marks for accurate application of three time frames (past, present, future) when describing technological habits

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have listed the advantages; now include a disadvantage using a connective like 'cependant' to show balance"
    • "Check your adjectival agreements for 'technologie' (feminine) and 'réseaux' (masculine plural)"
    • "You used the present tense well; try adding a future reference using 'j'ai l'intention de' to increase complexity"
    • "Ensure you justify your opinion on social media with a specific example rather than a generic statement"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for clear communication of ideas regarding the advantages and disadvantages of technology
    • Credit the use of complex linguistic structures (e.g., 'avant de' + infinitive, 'si' clauses) within the 150-word task
    • Candidates must explicitly justify opinions using varied structures (e.g., 'ce que je trouve...', 'étant donné que')
    • Award marks for accurate application of three time frames (past, present, future) when describing technological habits

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Ensure all bullet points in the writing prompts are addressed explicitly to access the top band for Content
    • 💡Use the 'PALM' method (Past, Adjectives, Linking words, Modal verbs) to ensure variety in the 150-word question
    • 💡In Reading/Listening, identify negatives ('ne...jamais', 'ne...plus') which often reverse the meaning of a statement
    • 💡When translating, focus on the grammatical core (verb endings, agreements) rather than attempting a literal word-for-word translation

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Confusion between the imperfect ('j'utilisais') for past habits and the perfect ('j'ai utilisé') for specific past actions
    • Incorrect gender assignment for key vocabulary (e.g., 'le' technologie instead of 'la', 'la' portable instead of 'le')
    • Over-reliance on generic adjectives ('c'est bon') rather than topic-specific vocabulary ('pratique', 'indispensable', 'nocif')

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Écris
    Mentionne
    Justifie
    Traduis
    Identifie
    Complète

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