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      Contrôle écrit: photo description, essay and translation practice (Edexcel)

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can confidently complete the photo description, 90-word essay and translation tasks from the writing paper.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Use the PALM acronym to structure photo descriptions.
      2. The BORDER acronym is a useful tool to respond fully and accurately to bullet point writing prompts.
      3. It is important to carefully check verb endings and adjectival agreement when translating from English to French.

      Keywords

      • PALM - acronym for photo description (people and objects, action, location, mood)

      • BORDER - acronym used to respond fully and accurately to bullet point writing prompts

      Common misconception

      When describing the photo in the writing exam, I should develop my sentences with justified opinions and a range of verb tenses.

      You should keep photo description sentences short and simple in the writing exam.

      Teacher tip

      To save time in Task B2, you could assign each bullet point to a different group of students to create a collaborative whole-class practice essay.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the meaning

      Correct Answer:le doute (m),doubt
      Correct Answer:la tête (f),head
      Correct Answer:le pied,foot
      Correct Answer:la solution,solution
      Correct Answer:la direction,direction
      Correct Answer:la relation,relationship, connection

      Q2.
      Match the French infinitive verbs to their correct meanings in English.

      Correct Answer:apporter,to bring, bringing
      Correct Answer:chercher,to search for, look for
      Correct Answer:utiliser,to use, using
      Correct Answer:donner,to give, giving
      Correct Answer:durer,to last, lasting
      Correct Answer:obtenir,to obtain, obtaining

      Q3.
      Translate the sentence into English: Il est moins rapide.

      Correct Answer: he is slower, he is less fast

      Q4.
      Translate this sentence into English: 'Elle est assez claire.'

      Correct Answer: she is quite clear, it is quite clear

      Q5.
      Match the meaning.

      Correct Answer:le cœur (m),heart
      Correct Answer:les affaires (fpl),business
      Correct Answer:le cas (m),case, scenario
      Correct Answer:la façon (f),way, manner
      Correct Answer:le corps (m),body
      Correct Answer:l’été (m),summer

      Q6.
      What does this sentence mean? C'est-à-dire qu'il chante mal.

      That means he is sings well.
      Correct answer: In other words, he sings badly.
      That's why he sings badly.

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the meaning.

      Correct Answer:exister,to exist, existing
      Correct Answer:souffrir,to suffer, suffering
      Correct Answer:reconnaître,to recognise, recognising
      Correct Answer:soutenir,to support, supporting
      Correct Answer:remplacer,to replace, replacing
      Correct Answer:manquer,to miss, missing

      Q2.
      Match the meaning

      Correct Answer:mort (f),death
      Correct Answer:présent (m),present (time)
      Correct Answer:relation (f),relationship, connection
      Correct Answer:l'exemple (m),example
      Correct Answer:handicap (m),disability
      Correct Answer:santé (f),health

      Q3.
      What does the following sentence mean? C'est une bonne solution.

      It's a bad idea.
      It is a good direction.
      That's a bad solution.
      Correct answer: It's a good solution.
      They are a good solution.

      Q4.
      Choose one way of translating: 'Il parle mal.'

      Correct Answer: he speaks badly, he is speaking badly

      Q5.
      Put the words in the correct order for the sentence: She supports her friend.

      1 - elle
      2 - soutient
      3 - son
      4 - amie

      To help you plan your 11 French lesson on: Contrôle écrit: photo description, essay and translation practice (Edexcel), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...