This introduction covers The 150-Word Task — Higher Section C within The 150-word task for GCSE French. Revise The 150-word task in Writing: 50, 90 and 150 Words + Translation into French for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
✍️ The 150-Word Task — Higher Section C
Higher Paper 4 Section C is the highest-stakes writing task on the entire paper — typically 20 marks. You write around 150 words in response to one or two bullet points. At this level AQA expects sophisticated vocabulary, complex grammatical structures, consistent accuracy, and a minimum of three tenses. Band 4 is reserved for students who demonstrate all four. Everything in this topic is Higher tier.
Practice questions for The 150-word task
In the AQA Higher Paper 4 (Writing), how many marks in total is the 150-word task worth?
Which sentence uses 'bien que' correctly to mean 'Although it is tiring, it is rewarding'?
Quick recall flashcards
malgré + noun
Despite / In spite of.
'Malgré la pluie, nous sommes sortis.' = Despite the rain, we went out.
'Malgré les difficultés, je continue.' = Despite the difficulties, I carry on.
Followed by a NOUN (not a verb) — simpler than 'bien que' + subjunctive.
afin de + infinitive
In order to.
'J'étudie afin de réussir mes examens.' = I study in order to pass my exams.
More sophisticated than 'pour' — shows range.
'pour' is acceptable but 'afin de' scores higher for quality of language.