Theme 1.2: Technology in Everyday Life
Technology in everyday life, Theme 1.2 of GCSE French reading, covers texts about smartphones, social media, screen time and online safety. Examiners are testing whether a student can tell a personal habit apart from a general opinion or piece of advice about technology, interpret the restrictive structure ne...que (only) correctly, and read past a contrast connective such as cependant or par contre to see how the writer's own view differs from a reported opinion belonging to friends or parents.
Before you start
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Method
- Identify whether the text is describing personal technology habits (present tense, first person) or giving general opinions or advice about technology (on devrait, il faut, les jeunes doivent).
- Underline restriction language such as ne...que (only) - 'je n'utilise mon portable que le soir' means the phone is used only in the evening, not that it is banned.
- Note contrast connectives (cependant, mais, par contre) that separate the benefits of technology from its dangers within the same paragraph.
- Watch for online safety vocabulary (le harcèlement en ligne, protéger sa vie privée, les fausses informations) and match each danger precisely to the advice given about it.
- Distinguish a stated personal opinion (à mon avis, je trouve que) from a reported opinion about other people (beaucoup de gens pensent que, mes parents disent que) - questions often ask specifically whose opinion is being given.
- Track numbers and time expressions about screen use (deux heures par jour, plus de la moitié des ados) since these exact figures are commonly tested.
Worked example
Lis la phrase et réponds. 'Beaucoup de mes amis pensent que les réseaux sociaux sont une perte de temps, cependant, moi, je trouve qu'ils sont utiles pour rester en contact avec ma famille à l'étranger.' Quelle est l'opinion personnelle de la personne qui parle ?
- Identify the reported opinion first: beaucoup de mes amis pensent que les réseaux sociaux sont une perte de temps (this is other people's opinion, not the speaker's).
- Spot the connective cependant, which signals the speaker is about to give a different, personal view.
- Read the speaker's own opinion after moi, je trouve que: they are useful for staying in touch with family abroad.
- The speaker's own opinion is positive: social media is useful, unlike what their friends think.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Translate: 'Je passe environ trois heures par jour sur mon portable.'Show answer
Answer: I spend about three hours a day on my phone.
Q2What does 'je n'utilise les réseaux sociaux que le week-end' mean?Show answer
Answer: I only use social media at the weekend.
Q3Give the English meaning of 'le harcèlement en ligne'.Show answer
Answer: Online bullying/harassment.
Q4True or false: 'il faut protéger sa vie privée en ligne' is advice, not a fact about what someone already does.Show answer
Answer: True - it is advice/an instruction (il faut), not a description of an existing habit.
Q5Translate: 'Plus de la moitié des ados possèdent un smartphone avant l'âge de onze ans.'Show answer
Answer: More than half of teenagers own a smartphone before the age of eleven.
Q6Explain the danger mentioned: 'les fausses informations se répandent très vite sur internet.'Show answer
Answer: It refers to fake news/misinformation, which spreads very quickly on the internet.
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. Aujourd'hui, presque tous les jeunes ont un smartphone, et beaucoup passent plus de quatre heures par jour dessus. Mes parents pensent que c'est trop, et honnêtement, je suis un peu d'accord avec eux. Cependant, je trouve que les réseaux sociaux ont aussi des avantages : grâce à eux, je peux communiquer facilement avec mes amis à l'étranger et je découvre des informations intéressantes. Le vrai danger, à mon avis, c'est le harcèlement en ligne, qui touche de plus en plus d'adolescents. Je pense qu'il faudrait apprendre aux jeunes à mieux se protéger en ligne dès le collège. (a) According to the text, how much time do many young people spend on their phones daily? (b) True, false or not mentioned: the writer completely disagrees with their parents about screen time. (c) Give one advantage of social media mentioned by the writer. (d) What does the writer identify as the real danger? (e) What does the writer think should happen from secondary school onwards?
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Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Chez nous, mes parents ont établi une règle assez stricte : pas de portable à table pendant les repas. Au début, je trouvais ça injuste, mais maintenant je comprends pourquoi ; ça nous permet de vraiment discuter en famille sans être distraits. En dehors des repas, j'utilise mon ordinateur presque tous les jours pour mes devoirs, surtout pour faire des recherches. Il y a aussi une application que toute ma classe utilise pour partager les devoirs et poser des questions au professeur. Sans la technologie, je pense que ce serait beaucoup plus difficile de rester organisé au lycée. (a) What rule have the writer's parents set about phones? (b) True, false or not mentioned: the writer always agreed with this rule. (c) According to the writer, why is the rule actually a good thing? (d) What does the writer mainly use their computer for? (e) What does the writer think life would be like without technology, in terms of organisation?
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 theme 1.2: technology in everyday life worksheet pack - 7 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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