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The Environment and Global Issues

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise The Environment and Global Issues for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Theme 3 Topic 3 covers environmental problems, recycling and protecting the planet.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Environmental vocabulary is essential for Higher tier reading and writing, and it supports strong opinion work.

The core nouns are l'environnement, la pollution, le réchauffement climatique for global warming, les déchets for waste, and le recyclage. Useful verbs are recycler, gaspiller to waste, protéger to protect, and polluer.

Solutions give the best material: on devrait recycler plus, il faut économiser l'eau, on pourrait utiliser les transports en commun. Using il faut and on devrait raises the register above a simple statement, and both take a direct infinitive with no preposition — which makes them straightforward to deploy accurately.

Revision notes

Core vocabulary

L'environnement, la pollution, le réchauffement climatique, les déchets, le recyclage.

Les transports en commun — public transport. L'effet de serre — the greenhouse effect. Une énergie renouvelable — renewable energy.

Useful verbs

Recycler, gaspiller — to waste, protéger — to protect, polluer, économiser — to save.

Détruire — to destroy. Sauver — to save. These allow specific claims rather than vague statements about the environment being important.

Proposing solutions

On devrait recycler plus. Il faut économiser l'eau. On pourrait utiliser les transports en commun.

Il faut and on devrait both take a direct infinitive with no preposition, which makes them easy to use accurately while raising the register.

Key points

  • L'environnement means the environment.
  • Le réchauffement climatique means global warming.
  • Les déchets means waste.
  • Gaspiller means to waste.
  • Il faut takes a direct infinitive.
  • On devrait raises the register.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: we should recycle more. [2 marks]

Working

On devrait recycler plususe on devrait with the infinitive
No preposition comes between devrait and recyclerexplain the structure

Example 2

Translate: we must save water. [2 marks]

Working

Il faut économiser l'eauuse il faut with the infinitive
L'eau takes the definite article as a general statementexplain the article

Example 3

Translate: pollution destroys the environment. [2 marks]

Working

La pollution détruit l'environnementuse the verb détruire
Both nouns take the definite article as general statementsexplain the articles

Common mistakes

  • Adding a preposition after il faut.

    It takes a direct infinitive.

  • Omitting articles in general statements.

    La pollution, not just pollution.

  • Using only vocabulary with no solutions.

    Proposing solutions earns more credit.

  • Confusing gaspiller and dépenser.

    Gaspiller is to waste; dépenser is to spend.

Exam tips

  • Use il faut and on devrait for solutions.
  • Include the article in general statements.
  • Propose solutions rather than listing problems.
  • Learn specific verbs for precise claims.

Key terms

Le réchauffement climatique
Global warming.
Les déchets
Waste or rubbish.
Gaspiller
To waste.
On devrait
We should, taking a direct infinitive.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.