This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Time markers: spotting past, present and future for GCSE French. Revise Time markers: spotting past, present and future in Time Markers and the Three Time Frames 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
- For the 90-word task: one time marker per paragraph locks in all three frames — the examiner will spot them immediately.
- In the photo card (speaking), use time markers to add unprompted detail: D'habitude je fais du sport, mais hier j'ai regardé la télé.
- In reading and listening, time markers are your first clue to what tense the passage uses — spot them before looking at the verb.
- normalement and d'habitude both signal present habit — equally valid for the present time frame.
❌ Common error: Writing the entire 90-word task in the present tense and using maintenant for everything.
✓ Correct: Use at least one past marker (e.g. hier / la semaine dernière) and one future marker (e.g. demain / la semaine prochaine) across the task.
Why it costs marks: Using only the present tense with present-only markers caps AO3 (grammatical knowledge) at band 2 (6/10 for the 90-word task). You need all three time frames to reach band 3 and above.
Practice questions for Time markers: spotting past, present and future
What does the French word 'hier' mean in English?
Which tense does the time marker 'demain' signal?