A speaking activity and resource to support pupils in describing pictures for the GCSE speaking exam. Topic “My School”. Pupils use options from the sheet to build detailed and complex descriptions of a photo. It is designed to be used with specimen photos from the exam board or pictures in text books. It enables pupils to describe photos containing people in an educational context. Another suggested activity would be for one pupil to use the sheet and their partner has to sketch what they are describing. Pupils can use the sheet to work with a series of partners, reducing their reliance on the sheet. The language modeled in this activity could be transferred to talking about photos in other contexts.

A model answer, built from key core language to be adapted (as prompted by the sheet) to create answers to other questions. The topic is My School. The language is designed to meet the key GCSE criteria of detailed description, opinions and reasons, reference to past and future, and narration of events. The answers can be used in preparation for the Speaking or for the Writing exam. This worksheet goes well with the French GCSE My School core language worksheet.

A worksheet to focus pupils on using a core of key French language to create answers to GCSE questions on the topic of My School. The language is selected to meet the exam criteria of detailed description, opinions and reasons, reference to past and future, narration of events. Pupils categorise the language given on the sheet and map out which language is key to answering different types of question. They build complex answers using different key elements. The worksheet is structured to make use of the language provided and equip pupils to create complex answers from a core repertoire of key structures. The language and skills developed on this sheet can then be transferred to other topics. A two page worksheet to be copied on A3. By the end of this worksheet, pupils will be building answers suitable for higher tier in writing and speaking.

A structured resource for the new French GCSE to help pupils construct questions. This is a requirement in the speaking exam. It also equips pupils to think about using words from a question in order to give an answer to the question. Uses grids to give pupils options to translate questions and form their own questions. Designed to be doable by GCSE pupils who are studying the topic of "My School" and who have not had experience of formulating questions before. 4 pages (to be copied as 2 A3 sheets),

French writing resource on the topic of Holidays / Les Vacances. Scaffolded with whole sentences which are to be sorted and then lifted to create writing about a series of pictures. Uses opinions, perfect tense, near future to be re-used in chunks by pupils without necessarily having to conjugate the verbs for themselves at this stage. Suitable for KS3 or KS4. Designed to be doable using the information/language on the page. Copy as 2 A3 sheets. Pictures included.

A very successful approach to Writing Assessment and preparation for exam conditions writing at GCSE. Suitable for use at KS3 and in KS4. A3 sheet to be copied for pupils. In exam conditions, pupils fill in the French in column 1. If they don't know a word, they put a cross in the column. This should take 5 minutes. Then allow the pupils to look at their books etc to fill in column 2 for any words they couldn't remember in exam conditions. This should take 5 minutes. Then pupils do the Writing Assessment using ONLY this sheet. They hand the sheet in with their assessed piece so the teacher can see how much was known language (column 1) and how much had to be looked up (column 2). It also acts as a scaffold with pupils having all the ingredients for success ready to put into their writing.

Structured activities developing pupils' ability to describe artworks in French. Includes the style and how it makes you feel. Support/scaffolding given along with pictures to be described. Can be used for Speaking or for Writing. Works well with Year 7 after they have worked on shapes and colours, or throughout KS3 and into KS4 where you may be working on describing pictures for GCSE.

Verb tables with activities for pupils to find the verb they need in the perfect and imperfect. Starts with the verbs in the verb table. Moves on to identifying the ending of other verbs, then to putting the correct ending on. Used in translated sentences to describe what was happening/what happened, using a crime scenario. Stepped activities which are all designed to be doable using the information/language given on the page. Suitable for KS3 or KS4. Includes the Oxford-Cambridge activity where the questionmaster challenges two partners to race to find verb endings on the page. Pupils buzz in when they find the answer.

French Free time / Mon temps libre scaffolded writing and translation. Pupils identify key sentence building elements such as opinions, tenses (present, perfect, imperfect), connectives, verb + infinitive. They then match it to meaning and insert it into sentences/translation. They worksheet is designed to be doable using the language/information on the page. It is suitable for KS3 or KS4.

French my house / ma maison introduction to the perfect tense and the near future in the first person. Pupils sort and match the verbs before seeing them in sentences and then transferring them into their own sentences. Suitable for KS3 or revision at the start of KS4

French in school / au college speaking activity for KS3 or revision at the start of KS4 to develop spontaneous speaking. Pupils use the sheet to construct long sentences talking to a partner. You can ask them to swap partners, reducing how much they look at the sheet as the lesson progresses. Simultaneous Translation activity: their partner tells them what to say, constructing long sentences using the sheet.

This worksheet introduces pupils to the concept of the infinitive, with verbs to be used for talking about my town / en ville. The pupils look for the infinitives, match them to meaning, then insert them into sentences using opinions and je peux (I can). Suitable for KS3 or for revision at the start of KS4.

A basic text on en ville / in town in French with too much repetition. Pupils are given a range of alternative expressions to re-draft the piece of writing and improve it. This activity used to be called Pimp my French when the TV show Pimp my Ride was popular. You can give pupils a "budget" - a very precise number of words they have to use to deliver an improved piece of writing to the client. Uses connectives, verb + infinitive, opinions.

A series of model texts on Les Vacances / Holidays for KS3 or KS4 French. The first text is annotated as an example. Pupils then annotate the other examples. They can translate them into English or use them as a model for their own writing in French. Suitable for working individually, in pairs, or shared out between groups working with colours and large pieces of paper.