This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Forming questions: est-ce que and intonation for GCSE French. Revise Forming questions: est-ce que and intonation in Question Words and Role-Play Formulas for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- In the writing tasks, always use est-ce que for questions — it is the safest and clearest method for Foundation.
- In listening and reading, practise recognising inversion: As-tu…? Peut-elle…? Ont-ils…?
- Est-ce qu' (with elision) before vowels: Est-ce qu'il y a une piscine?
- For Higher writing, a correctly formed inversion question shows grammatical range (AO2).
❌ Common error: Est-ce que tu habites-tu à Paris?
✓ Correct: Est-ce que tu habites à Paris? or Habites-tu à Paris?
Why it costs marks: Mixing est-ce que and inversion doubles the subject — the result is ungrammatical French. Choose one method only. This error signals a misunderstanding of question formation and costs AO3 accuracy marks.
Practice questions for Forming questions: est-ce que and intonation
Which of the following correctly uses 'est-ce que' to ask 'Do you like football?'
How many main ways are there to form a question in French?