Education and work: Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension on education and work covers texts about school subjects, opinions on teachers and school rules, part-time jobs, and plans for further study or work. Examiners are testing whether a student can identify an opinion (je trouve que, à mon avis) and its exact justification after parce que or car, tell apart a current habit from a stated intention using aller + infinitive or the conditional (je voudrais devenir), and compare two subjects or options correctly (plus intéressant que, je préfère X à Y).
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify whether the text describes current school life (present tense) or future plans (aller + infinitive / futur simple) - questions often ask what someone will do, which needs a future-tense detail, not a present-tense one.
- Underline opinion verbs and adjectives about subjects or teachers (je trouve que, à mon avis, exigeant, ennuyeux, passionnant) and note exactly which subject or person each opinion attaches to.
- Track reason connectives (parce que, car, donc, c'est pourquoi) to link a stated opinion to its justification - the reason is the clause right after these words.
- Watch for comparisons between subjects (je préfère X à Y, X est plus intéressant que Y) and identify precisely which subject comes out on top.
- For questions about part-time jobs, note the type of work, the hours, and what the money is used for, since these are commonly tested details.
- Distinguish an ambition or hope (je voudrais devenir, j'espère faire) from a certainty - conditional or vouloir/espérer forms describe a wish, not a confirmed plan.
Worked example
Lis la phrase et réponds. 'Je déteste les maths parce que le prof va trop vite, mais j'adore l'histoire, surtout parce que notre professeure raconte les événements comme des histoires passionnantes.' Quelle matière préfère la personne, et pourquoi ?
- Identify the two subjects mentioned: les maths and l'histoire.
- Find the opinion verbs: déteste (hates) attached to maths, adore (loves) attached to l'histoire.
- Find the reason clauses: parce que le prof va trop vite explains the dislike of maths; parce que notre professeure raconte les événements comme des histoires passionnantes explains the love of history.
- The preferred subject is l'histoire (history), because the teacher tells events like exciting stories.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Translate: 'Je vais passer mes examens en juin.'Show answer
Answer: I am going to sit my exams in June.
Q2What is the difference in meaning between 'je voudrais devenir médecin' and 'je vais devenir médecin'?Show answer
Answer: 'Je voudrais' expresses a wish/would like to; 'je vais' states a more definite plan or intention.
Q3In 'les maths sont plus difficiles que le français', which subject is described as harder?Show answer
Answer: Maths.
Q4Give the English meaning of 'un job à temps partiel'.Show answer
Answer: A part-time job.
Q5True or false: 'je trouve ce cours ennuyeux' is a positive opinion.Show answer
Answer: False - ennuyeux means boring, so it is a negative opinion.
Q6Translate: 'J'économise l'argent de mon petit boulot pour partir en vacances.'Show answer
Answer: I am saving the money from my part-time job to go on holiday.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Au lycée, mes matières préférées sont l'anglais et l'art, parce que les professeurs sont patients et les cours sont toujours intéressants. Par contre, je n'aime pas du tout la physique, car je trouve ça trop difficile à comprendre. L'année prochaine, je vais choisir des options qui correspondent à mes points forts, et j'espère étudier le design à l'université dans quelques années. En attendant, je travaille le samedi dans une boulangerie pour gagner un peu d'argent de poche. Ce n'est pas toujours facile de combiner le travail et les devoirs, mais ça m'apprend à être plus organisé. (a) Name the writer's two favourite subjects. (b) Why does the writer dislike physics? (c) True, false or not mentioned: the writer plans to study design at university. (d) Where does the writer work on Saturdays? (e) According to the text, what has the part-time job taught the writer?
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Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Dans mon collège, le règlement est assez strict : il est interdit d'utiliser son portable pendant les cours, et nous devons porter un uniforme tous les jours. Bien que beaucoup d'élèves détestent l'uniforme, moi, je trouve que ça a des avantages, car ça évite de perdre du temps à choisir des vêtements le matin. Cependant, je pense que l'interdiction totale des portables est trop stricte ; à mon avis, on devrait pouvoir les utiliser pendant la pause déjeuner. Le proviseur, lui, affirme que cette règle améliore la concentration des élèves en classe. (a) Name two school rules mentioned in the text. (b) According to the writer, what is one advantage of the school uniform? (c) True, false or not mentioned: the writer agrees completely with the phone ban. (d) What does the writer suggest instead of a total phone ban? (e) What does the headteacher claim about the phone rule?
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the education and work: reading comprehension worksheet pack - 6 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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