Post-16 Education, Careers and Job Ambitions
Post-16 education, careers and job ambitions is the GCSE writing task looking ahead to life after GCSEs: choices about sixth form, college or apprenticeships, part-time or future jobs, and longer-term career ambitions. Examiners test whether a student can talk about current part-time work or study choices in the present tense, describe past work experience in the perfect tense, and set out post-16 and career plans using the near future, simple future and conditional, while giving a justified opinion on a career path, using a subordinate clause, connectives and an impersonal structure, and keeping verb endings, agreement and accents accurate.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Underline what each bullet requires (a current job or study choice, past work experience, a career opinion, a post-16 plan) before planning sentences.
- Assign a tense per bullet: present tense for a current part-time job or subject choice (je travaille, j'étudie), perfect tense for past work experience (j'ai fait un stage, j'ai travaillé), and near future, simple future or conditional for post-16 and career plans (je vais aller, j'irai, j'aimerais devenir).
- Give an opinion on a career or study path with je pense que or à mon avis plus parce que, e.g. 'à mon avis, un apprentissage est une bonne option parce qu'on gagne de l'argent tout en apprenant un métier.'
- Add a subordinate clause with qui, que or où, e.g. 'je voudrais travailler dans une entreprise où je pourrais voyager.'
- Vary connectives (mais, donc, par contre, de plus, car) and avoid repeating the same verb for wanting something (vouloir, aimer, espérer, avoir l'intention de).
- Include an impersonal structure such as il est important de plus an infinitive or il vaut mieux plus an infinitive to comment on career choices in general.
- Check verb endings on irregular verbs like vouloir and pouvoir, agreement of any adjectives describing jobs (bien payé/bien payée), and accents on words like métier, carrière and salaire before the final draft.
Worked example
Write about your future studies and career in French. Mention: what you plan to do after your GCSEs; any work experience or a part-time job you have had; what career you would like to have and why; an advantage or disadvantage of the career you have chosen. Write approximately 40 words.
- Plan: bullet 1 = near future/simple future; bullet 2 = perfect tense; bullet 3 = conditional plus justification; bullet 4 = present tense to state an advantage/disadvantage.
- Build bullet 1: 'Après mes examens, je vais continuer mes études au lycée, où je choisirai des matières scientifiques.' - near future, subordinate clause with où.
- Build bullet 2: 'L'été dernier, j'ai fait un stage dans un cabinet vétérinaire.' - perfect tense with a specific detail.
- Build bullet 3: 'Plus tard, j'aimerais devenir vétérinaire parce que j'adore les animaux et je veux les aider.' - conditional, double justification with et.
- Build bullet 4: 'Cependant, c'est un métier qui demande de longues études, ce qui peut être difficile.' - contrast connective, subordinate clause, second subordinate clause with ce qui.
- Check accuracy: choisirai keeps its correct future ending, vétérinaire is spelled consistently, and métier and cependant have their accents in place before the final write-up.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Give the simple future tense of 'aller' for 'je'.Show answer
Answer: j'irai.
Q2Translate into French: 'I did work experience in a shop.'Show answer
Answer: J'ai fait un stage dans un magasin.
Q3Give one French word for 'an apprenticeship'.Show answer
Answer: un apprentissage.
Q4Fill the gap: 'Plus tard, je ___ (vouloir) devenir ingénieur(e).'Show answer
Answer: voudrais - the conditional tense of vouloir.
Q5Give a connective meaning 'because' that is slightly more formal than 'parce que'.Show answer
Answer: car.
Q6Correct the error: 'Je veux etre un docteur.'Show answer
Answer: Je veux être médecin - etre needs its accent, and no article is used before an unmodified profession in French.
Q7Write one sentence giving your opinion on choosing a career for the salary rather than for enjoyment.Show answer
Answer: Je pense qu'il ne faut pas choisir un métier seulement pour le salaire, car il est important d'aimer ce qu'on fait.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Write about your future in French. Mention: your plans for after your GCSEs; any work experience you have done; the career you would like to have and why; one advantage or disadvantage of this career. Write approximately 40 words in French.
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Write a personal statement in French for a college application. Mention: your current subjects and which you enjoy most, with reasons; any work experience or part-time job and what you learned from it; your plans for study or training after your GCSEs; the career you are aiming for and why it appeals to you; your opinion on what matters more when choosing a career, money or job satisfaction. Write approximately 90 words in French.
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Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the post-16 education, careers and job ambitions worksheet pack - 8 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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