- Always use les réseaux sociaux (plural) — writing "le réseau social" for social media generally sounds wrong. The plural form is the standard.
- For writing tasks, structure your answer: use → benefits → drawbacks → personal opinion with justification. This maps directly onto AO2 communication marks.
- The imperfect vs perfect contrast is tested here: use imperfect for past habits ("avant, on regardait la télé") and perfect for specific completed past events ("j'ai regardé un film hier soir").
- Include both avantages and inconvénients for higher-level answers — one-sided responses limit your AO2 mark ceiling.
- Don't confuse envoyer un mail (to send an email) with envoyer un message (to send a text/message). Both are useful but distinct.
❌ Common error: J'ai perdu mon mobile.
✓ Correct: J'ai perdu mon portable.
Why it costs marks: English-speaking students write le mobile because "mobile" exists in English. In standard French, the correct everyday word for a mobile phone is un portable. While un mobile technically exists in French, it is rarely used for a phone and can confuse a French reader (it more often means "motive" or "mobile art"). Using le portable demonstrates authentic lexical knowledge.
❌ Common error: Je regarde les informations dans internet.
✓ Correct: Je regarde les informations sur internet.
Why it costs marks: The correct preposition with internet is sur (on/over): sur internet, surfer sur internet, trouver quelque chose sur internet. Using dans (in) is an anglicism based on "on the internet".
This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Media and technology for GCSE French. Revise Media and technology in Theme 3: Communication and the World Around Us for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. 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.
Practice questions for Media and technology
What does 'le portable' mean in French?
A student reads: 'Je lis le journal chaque matin.' What does 'le journal' mean here?