This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Travel and tourism for GCSE French. Revise Travel and tourism in Theme 3: Communication and the World Around Us for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 17 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.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- In the writing exam, show off tense range: perfect (past trip), present (what you generally do), future or conditional (dream holiday). This directly targets AO2 marks.
- Don't just list activities — add parce que, car, or ce qui / ce que to explain opinions. A bare list scores low on AO2.
- For accommodation, use the full noun phrase: une chambre double avec douche — this shows lexical range.
- In speaking, pause fillers like alors, eh bien, en fait are fine — they give you thinking time without dropping into English.
- Remember: l'auberge de jeunesse is feminine — une auberge not un auberge.
❌ Common error: Je suis allé(e) à Espagne.
✓ Correct: Je suis allé(e) en Espagne.
Why it costs marks: Feminine countries and regions use en, not à. This is tested directly in AQA 8652 grammar questions and penalised in writing (AO2 accuracy). The rule: feminine country → en; masculine country → au; plural country → aux; city → à.
❌ Common error: J'ai voyagé par avion.
✓ Correct: J'ai voyagé en avion. (or: en voiture / en train)
Why it costs marks: English speakers often use "by" → par, but French uses en for most modes of transport. Par avion exists in formal/postal contexts only.
Practice questions for Travel and tourism
What does 'les vacances' mean in English?
A student writes: 'Je veux rester après le voyage.' What does 'rester' actually mean?