Exam Tips & Common Errors

Part of The 90-word task: three time frames, every bullet · Section 4 of 4

Exam TipsUnit: Writing and Translation into GermanGCSE

This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within The 90-word task: three time frames, every bullet for GCSE German. Revise The 90-word task: three time frames, every bullet in Writing and Translation into German for GCSE German with 10 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

  • Read all the bullets before you write anything — plan one sentence per bullet first
  • Deliberately include one past, one present, and one future sentence — do not leave any frame out
  • Signal each frame with a time marker: letztes Wochenende / normalerweise / nächstes Jahr
  • Use weil to give a reason — it shows grammatical awareness and lifts your accuracy mark
  • Check your past participle endings: gespielt, gemacht, gegessen — the ge- prefix and the correct ending must both be present

❌ Common error: Writing the entire response in the present tense — Ich spiele Tennis. Ich schwimme. Ich mache Sport.

✓ Correct: Include a past sentence (Letztes Wochenende habe ich Tennis gespielt.) and a future sentence (Nächste Woche werde ich schwimmen.) alongside the present.

Why it costs marks: The 90-word task explicitly rewards three time frames. Writing only in the present tense means you cannot access the higher accuracy mark bands — you must show you can handle past and future forms as well.

Practice questions for The 90-word task: three time frames, every bullet

How many different time frames must you include in the AQA 90-word writing task to access the full range of marks?

  • A. One — focus on the present tense only.
  • B. Two — past and present.
  • C. Three — past, present, and future.
  • D. Four — past, present, future, and conditional.
1 markfoundation

Which sentence correctly describes something you did in the past for the 90-word task?

  • A. Letzte Woche habe ich Fußball gespielt.
  • B. Letzte Woche ich habe Fußball gespielt.
  • C. Letzte Woche spielte ich Fußball.
  • D. Letzte Woche ich spielte Fußball.
1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

weil... / denn...
Both mean because — but they work differently: weil = subordinating conjunction → verb goes to the END: • Ich mag Sport, weil er gesund ist. (I like sport because it is healthy.) denn = coordinating conjunction → verb stays SECOND (like und/aber): • Ich mag Sport, denn er ist gesund. (I like sport because it is healthy.) Tip: use weil when you want to show you can handle subordinate-clause word order (more marks for accuracy); use denn if you are unsure.
deshalb...
Therefore / That is why... deshalb is an adverb that starts the second clause — it triggers V2, so the verb comes immediately after it: • Ich liebe Musik. Deshalb spiele ich Gitarre. (I love music. That is why I play guitar.) • Das Wetter war schlecht. Deshalb sind wir zu Hause geblieben. (The weather was bad. That is why we stayed at home.) Use deshalb to show cause and effect — it adds variety to your connectives.

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