Photo Card

What do I have to do?

__WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? __



  • You have 6 of the 12 minutes preparation time to prepare answers to 3 questions about a photo. Your teacher will then ask you 2 additional questions.
  • At foundation you will talk about the photo for 2 minutes, 3 at higher.
  • The first question will always ask you what is in the black and white photo.
  • You will need to use tenses, opinions and listen carefully to what the question means to help respond.
How many questions will you be asked in total?
5
How long will you need to speak for?
Your answer should include: 2 mins foundation / 3 mins higher
Can you talk about the colours of the photo?
no
Explanation: The photo will be in black and white!

How can I get full marks?

__HOW CAN I GET FULL MARKS? __

  • Answer all the questions
  • Develop your answers
  • Give a range of tenses
  • Use verbs accurately
  • Use complex opinions
  • Develop and explain opinions
  • Talk about what other people do
  • Use narration

__MARKING CRITERIA __

Photo Card, figure 1

Steps to success

__HOW DO I SUCCEED? __

  • Use 6 minutes of the prep time (approx 1 min 30 per question then 1.30 to predict other questions)
  • The first question is always ‘qu’est-ce qu’il y a sur la photo’?- learn some stock responses to it.
  • You must give reasons and opinions and develop your answers as much as possible
  • Try and give both sides of an argument e.g. positive opinion and then a negative one
  • Use words like ‘eh bien’ to stall the conversation if you need time to think
  • Give descriptions, and complex opinions
  • Spot the different tenses and prepare some verbs in that tense to answer the question
  • Any notes you make can be taken into the exam
  • Once you have worked out what the photo and conversation are about use time to think about all other language you know related to the topic
  • Develop all answers, when describing the photo you can show development by using the following- ‘ils sont en train de’= they are in the middle of +infinitive, ‘ils ont l’air de’/ ‘ils semblent’= they seem.
  • One line answers are not enough- if you give an opinion give the other side of the opinion, give reasons for opinions, talk about what others think.
  • Use opinions and reasons to develop answers and give extra detail by giving examples of things you have done/ like, linked to the idea in the question.
  • Try to vary your language by talking about what other people do/ have done and using a range of tenses.
  • Use connectives to link sentences and narrate as a tool to develop answers (premièrement, puis, finalement).
  • Listen carefully to the question- what tense it is? What person/ people do you need to refer to in your answer?
  • When you are preparing remember you can use the question to help form your answer, just remember to look at the pronoun guide above to help keep it accurate.