Hobbies (AQA GCSE French): Model Answers

Vous écrivez un email à votre correspondant(e) français(e) sur votre temps libre.

Décrivez :

• votre musique préférée
• quand vous écoutez la musique
• une visite récente au cinéma
• un samedi parfait à l'avenir.

The English translation

You are writing an email to your French pen pal about your free time.

Describe:

• your favourite music
• when you listen to music
• a recent visit to the cinema
• a perfect Saturday in the future.

Write about 90 words in French. Respond to each aspect of the question. [16 marks]

Hi,

My name is Ben, and I live in London. I would say that my favourite music genre is R&B. I love it because it makes me happy. My favourite singer is Brent Faiyaz because his songs are amazing.

I listen to music every day, like most young people. I listen to it after school because it relaxes me after a stressful day. The platform I use to listen to music is Spotify.

Last weekend, I went to town with my friends. We went to the cinema where we watched a new science fiction movie. I really liked this film because it was truly amazing.

If I had the choice, I would go to a restaurant with my friends next Saturday. There's a new Italian restaurant in my town. They sell pasta and orange-based drinks. Unfortunately, the restaurant isn't cheap, so I need more money.

Why does this answer score highly?

Content:

1. Relevance to Bullet Points: The candidate's response is highly relevant and covers all the expected bullet points in the prompt (though not provided, we can deduce they are likely about favourite music genres, when they listen to music, a past event, and a future plan). This satisfies the requirement for covering four bullet points, placing the content in the 7-10 mark range.

2. Clarity: The information is conveyed clearly and coherently. Each sentence directly addresses a bullet point, making it easy to understand without any lapses in clarity. This helps in securing a higher mark within the 7-10 band.

3. Amount of Information: The response provides "a lot" of information as described by the mark scheme. There are detailed descriptions, like explaining why they like R&B, the use of Spotify, the weekend activity with friends, and their future plans of visiting a restaurant. All of this indicates that the candidate has effectively met the word count and included substantial content.

4. Opinions: Two opinions are clearly provided:

   • "J'adore ça parce que ça me rend heureux" (I love it because it makes me happy) - opinion about music.
   • "J'ai beaucoup aimé ce film car il était vraiment formidable" (I really liked this movie because it was really great) - opinion about the movie. This ensures access to the 7-10 mark range as two opinions are required.

Quality of Language:

1. Variety of Vocabulary and Complexity: The candidate uses a variety of appropriate vocabulary and attempts complex structures. Phrases like "je dirais que", "ça me rend heureux", and "si j'avais le choix" show attempts at more complex sentences.

2. References to Time Frames: There are successful references to all three time frames:

   • Present: "J'écoute de la musique tous les jours."
   • Past: "Le week-end dernier, je suis allé en ville avec mes amis."
   • Future: "Si j'avais le choix, j'irais au restaurant avec mes amis samedi prochain." This fulfils the requirement for the 5-6 band in Quality of Language, where reference to all three-time frames is necessary.

3. Accuracy: Errors are minimal, and the intended meaning is nearly always clear. For example, the structure "je suis allé" correctly uses the past tense with "être" for a motion verb, and the conditional form "j'irais" is used correctly for expressing a future desire.

4. Style and Register: The language used is appropriate for the context. The use of "Salut" and the informal tone is suitable for the assumed context of a personal or semi-formal piece.