Education and Work

Education and work is a guaranteed topic: opinions on subjects and teachers in Speaking and Writing, a Reading text about school life, and a Listening dialogue about future plans. The grammar you need is opinions with reasons, the comparative (plus... que), the near future for plans, and the ability to name jobs correctly. Master these and you can describe your school day and your ambitions with detail.

Français	English
les matières	subjects
le collège / le lycée	secondary school / sixth-form college
ma matière préférée	my favourite subject
l'emploi du temps	timetable
les devoirs	homework
un(e) prof / un professeur	teacher

A collège is for ages 11–15; a lycée is for ages 15–18. Say je suis en troisième au collège to give your year group.

Subjects keep their article inside a sentence (j'aime **le** français). Pair each with an opinion adjective to turn a list into a graded answer.

Français	English
le français / l'anglais	French / English
les maths (f)	maths
l'histoire / la géographie	history / geography
les sciences / la biologie	science / biology
l'EPS (f)	PE
le dessin / la musique	art / music
l'informatique (f)	ICT / computing
facile / difficile	easy / difficult
utile / ennuyeux(-euse)	useful / boring
intéressant(e)	interesting
fort(e) en / nul(le) en	good at / rubbish at

Example: Ma matière préférée, c'est l'histoire, parce que le prof est amusant et les cours sont intéressants. En revanche, je suis nul en maths. (My favourite subject is history, because the teacher is funny and the lessons are interesting. On the other hand, I'm rubbish at maths.)

School routine questions want vocabulary about the day, the rules and the uniform. Use il faut for what is compulsory.

Français	English
la journée scolaire	the school day
les cours	lessons
la récréation / la récré	break
la cantine	canteen
l'uniforme (m)	uniform
le règlement	school rules
le trimestre	term
commencer / finir	to start / to finish
porter un uniforme	to wear a uniform
il faut / il est interdit de	you must / it is forbidden to

Example: Les cours commencent à huit heures et demie et la journée finit à seize heures. Il faut porter un uniforme et il est interdit d'utiliser son portable en classe. (Lessons start at half past eight and the day finishes at four o'clock. You must wear a uniform and it's forbidden to use your phone in class.)

To compare two subjects, use plus / moins / aussi + adjective + que. The adjective agrees with the first thing compared.

Structure	English	Example
plus... que	more... than	Les maths sont plus difficiles que l'anglais.
moins... que	less... than	La géographie est moins utile que les sciences.
aussi... que	as... as	Le dessin est aussi intéressant que la musique.

Two comparatives are irregular:

• meilleur(e) = better (adjective): Mon prof de français est meilleur que mon prof de maths.
• mieux = better (adverb): Je travaille mieux le matin.

Don't mix them: meilleur describes a noun (a better teacher), mieux describes a verb (to work better). The opposite of bon is mauvais; the irregular "worse" is pire.

State plans with the near future (aller + infinitive). Name jobs with no article after être or devenir.

Français	English
l'avenir (m)	the future
continuer mes études	to continue my studies
aller à l'université	to go to university
trouver un emploi / un travail	to find a job
gagner sa vie / de l'argent	to earn a living / money
un médecin / un(e) infirmier(-ère)	doctor / nurse
un(e) avocat(e) / un ingénieur	lawyer / engineer
un professeur / un(e) vendeur(-euse)	teacher / shop assistant

Example: Après le lycée, je vais aller à l'université pour étudier les sciences. Plus tard, je voudrais devenir médecin parce que je veux aider les gens. (After sixth form, I'm going to go to university to study science. Later, I'd like to become a doctor because I want to help people.)

The one-word future je travaillerai (I will work) is the futur simple. > (Higher tier) — Foundation uses the near future (je vais travailler) and je voudrais for what you would like.

To develop a school-and-work answer, add how long you have studied something with depuis and link ideas with connectives.

Français	English
j'apprends le français depuis... ans	I have been learning French for... years
parce que / car	because
par contre / en revanche	on the other hand
de plus	moreover
donc / c'est pourquoi	so / that's why
à l'avenir / plus tard	in the future / later

Example: J'étudie l'espagnol depuis trois ans et je le trouve plus facile que l'allemand. De plus, je pense que les langues sont utiles, donc je vais continuer mes études. (I've been studying Spanish for three years and I find it easier than German. Moreover, I think languages are useful, so I'm going to continue my studies.)

Depuis + present tense (j'apprends... depuis) is how French says "have been doing for". > (Higher tier) — this present-with-depuis structure is a Higher-tier point, but it is worth recognising at both tiers.

1. Dropping the article before subjects

Subjects keep their article: j'aime les maths et l'histoire, not j'aime maths. The article disappears only in a title like ma matière préférée, but returns in c'est l'histoire.

2. Adding an article before a job

After être and devenir, French uses no article with a job: elle est infirmière, je voudrais devenir professeur. Writing elle est une infirmière is wrong in this context.

3. Confusing meilleur and mieux

Meilleur is the adjective (a better teacher: un meilleur prof); mieux is the adverb (to work better: travailler mieux). Using plus bon instead of meilleur also loses marks.

4. Forgetting adjective agreement in comparatives

The adjective agrees with the first subject: les maths sont plus difficiles, not plus difficile. Feminine and plural subjects change the ending.

5. Using depuis with the wrong tense

For "have been doing for", French uses depuis + present: j'apprends le français depuis cinq ans, not the perfect tense. English uses a past form here, but French keeps the present.