Back in the UK

The title says it all ...

Disneyland

Well we are all here and fun is very much underway. 

There is a group of children and teachers in each park - later on, we will all join together before we head off for another Christmas market and the long journey home. 

It is LOADS warmer here today and the sky is beautifully clear -just admire our photo :-)

We hope you aren't missing us too much ...

All up

We've had a well-deserved night of sleep im a fab, comfortable hotel. The showers are fantastic and everyone was out like a light. 

Breakfast soon and then we are off to explore Dismeyland. 

Yesterday's weather was not as bad over here as it was in the UK,but the winds did mean that we departed England a little late and that our journey speed was restricted over here- as a result we bypassed Arras and went straight for Paris. The children enjoyed their Champs-Élysées McDo experiene and we were incredibly good tourists around some of the big sites. We wtimed the arrival at the Eiffel Tower perfectly and saw a stunning light show. Photos of the Eiffel Tower are in abundance and several of the children made ickle purchase sat the Christmas Market by the Tocadéro :-) 

And we are just boarding the train

We have passed through passport control and are just queuing to board the train - all perfectly to time :-)

The children have been great and there have only been a few "are we nearly there?" queries!!

Trips update 2013-14

So the following trips are DEFINITELY available for next academic year:

1. 5th and 6th December 2013
   Christmas Markets and DisneyLand Resort Paris - overnight trip - leaving at about 11.30pm on Wednesday 4th December; getting the Eurostar at about 7.20am on Thursday 5th December; driving down to the markets in Arras and then Amiens, before heading to our hotel - Comfort Inn, Lagny-sur-Marne..  On Friday 6th December, we will get up early and head to DisneyLand before coming home on the 8pm train and heading back to school in the very early hours.  All for £132.
2. 25th-29th June 2014
   A 5 day, 4 night trip to Normandy.  Visits to include: Pointe du Hoc, Mont St Michel, the city of Rouen, the city of Caen, guided tour around Juno Beach, Arromanches 360 cinema (where the film reel of the D-Day landing happens literally around you, hence the 360!), a bakery, a goats cheese farm (where YOU will make cheese), probably a cider and apply juice farm, a visit to the city of Bayeux.  If you came to Normandy in 2011, then you will see that there are only 2 things that are the same (we have got to go to a couple of places again, but otherwise, you'll visit loads of new places - it'll be great).  Exact cost depends on final numbers, but we are looking at between 380 and 410 for the trip - the more students travel, the more reduction there will be to the cost.

Letters should have been given out already, but in case they haven't been, then come and get one from me!

Trips 2013-2014

A quick update on the planning for next academic year. We are planning on running 3 trips next year. 1 is already well on the way to being sorted, the other two are very much in the early stages of planning. We have asked for quotes for a Christmas Markets visit again - I have asked for quotes for both a one day trip (like we did last year), and an overnight one as well - if I can get the overnight version under £100, then I will promote that very soon! The summer trip will be to France, to Normandy and will bring all the sights for D-Day into the fold - this year marks the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, but also the centenary of the start of World War 1 - so there will be some WW1 stop offs as well. Of course, the February/March trip to Berlin is well underway - 22 students are already signed up to come along. We're so excited!!!!

Some photos - in a slideshow thingy

Hi guys,

I've put a load of the photos I took here below for you to look at.  Can we share photos please this time?

Miss M

Paris2013 Photos

Just a few photos to remind you of our week

Back in the UK

Hi all - we have been through the tunnel and turned our clocks backwards, so are on our way north.  The plan is to stop for dinner in a couple of hours. We will let you all know our ETA later on. All parents will be called by either the children or by us. See you all later. 

Service break

Ŵe are on the way home - kids currently feeding the ducks at the services (very "Tebay") and admiring the ducks. Harding to the beach and hoping for a break in the weather. We will keep you all updated as the day goes on. 

Disney update

Wow what a day!

The children have all had an absolute ball. From parades to rides, excitement through disappointment (some queued for 2 hours, only to find that space mountain was closed!), and start of the day to fireworks at the end, the day was amazing. 

We have seen many exciting hats upon the heads of e children, from Mickey ears to Goofy additions!  

The children's behaviour has been superb - what great ambassadors for our school, county and country!

Ca y est - on est à Disneyland Paris

We arrived at Disneyland Paris earlier today

The children are off enjoying themselves (as are the staff, in shifts!). We are playing "spot the children" while we wandered round. All seem to be having much fun and there are several carrier bags with soft toys and key rings. 

The staff are currently sat in a café on Main Street, checking the children off as they collect their evening meal vouchers.

Much fun still to be had. We are here until they close the park today :-)

Part II today

If you read our earlier st, you will know we only told you about part of the day! You'll see from how busy we've been, quite why it is at we haven't managed to blog during the day today!!

The underground trains and RER double decker trains took us all the way to the SEWERS - they were smelly, they were gross; there were rats and there was a lot of toilet waste. It was fascinating, but perhaps (hopefully) a once in a lifetime experience. The guides knew so so much about the sewers!!  The fresh air on exit was well received. 

A long walk later, we arrived at the coach, saw the Opéra and went on our quest to find the Hard Rcok Café. Food was obviously well liked (except for one student who told us that the meat didn't taste real!). There were empty plates all round. 

We were late arriving for our boat tour, but that proved to be a real advantage - we caught the 9.30pm cruise and went one way in daylight and the other way in darkness, only to return, finding the Eiffel Tower alight - beautiful :-)

Haydn kindly dropped us to take nocturnal photos at the Trocadéro of the tower in all its nocturnal glory before safely bringing us home. 

In the morning we have got to pack - the joys!

See you all soon. 

Long day!!

Well .. This has been a phenomenally long day - there has been quite simply NO opportunity to let you know about our escapades so far!

Where do we start?  We were up early for room inspections (Denzil evidently couldn't fit everything in his case neatly, so stuffed it in his rucksack, then carried it around ALL day ... Only telling us a few moments ago!). After a battle to breakfast, we got on the road and went to the Pigalle area. We went to the Moulin Rouge (the outside!) and then on to the underground station.  After a practice on the underground, we took the Funicular up to the Sacré Coeur and had our delicious picnic.  After a wander around the tertre de Montmartre with the artists, we took a slow meander down to the underground station. The closed station put a spanner in the works and the children were absolutely superb, as we trekked through thousands of stations and on many many trains.

More info will have to follow, as it is now 7.30, we've finished our Hard Rock Café meals and are just awaiting our ice cream's arrival and will very soon be heading off to the river for our cruise. 

We will fill you in on the rest of the day later on. 

Hope that's whet your appetite for the next phase of information. 

And to sleep

... Wow - what a long day! We are all very tired and enjoying the prospect of sleeping!

This evening, since our last update, we have explored the Arc de Triomphe and are now all very knowledgeable! The flame lighting ceremony is an age-old tradition and after that, we climbed all 275 steps to the top of the monument. 

Free time, shops, palaces ...

We've walked for miles and Vicky R feels like her legs are going to drop off!

We have seen the arc de triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Madeleine church, the president's palace (there was something going on there ... A police lady even helped us to cross the road), walked up the champs élysées, seen the obelisk, ate dinner in Tuileries gardens (we can see why Paris is the city of lurve), seen the Louvre and the Bastille ... Oh and been up the very tall tour Montparnasse.

Weather is beautiful and very warm (and we can even see the sun ... Although George has warned us about the perils of looking at the sun).

We're off to see the flame lighting ceremony, then we are going to climb many steps up the arc de triomphe ... Then we will probably not only ache, but also DESERVE our dinner :-)

So far today

We have been to the top of the Tour Montparnasse (well, except Mr T and Chloe B!) and seen for miles, playing I-spy. 

After a short coach journey, we have now arrived at the Louvre and have got a little free time before we go for a picnic in the gardens outside. 

We have seen SO much of Paris today already - unbelievable. 

We want to wish Miss D'Arcy a happy birthday today as well - joyeux anniversaire :-)

Morning all

We have all reaped the benefits of a good night of zzzzzzzzs!

Up and raring to go (well, most of us!) and we are soon off to the Tour Montparnasse and for our day visiting the real centre of the city.

Weather should be warm once it is a better hour! We are hoping that the sun will burn the clouds away and that we shall see it today.

Breakfast is basic, but absolutely fine, and very fresh. We will catch up throughout the day.

Both mobile numbers available today.

Speak soooooooon.

We are off to explore :-)

All now in rooms

With our first day now complete, the children (and staff alike) are all shattered - clearly there are several who think that it is possible to power on against the odds though!

Children are all settled in their rooms and seem quite content with the arrangements. The 'ensuites' are more like pods! The rooms are small, but definitely very clean and tidy and they are very safe.

We've had to deviate slightly from the planned itinerary today and haven't made it to the war memorial near to Arras, as Hayden, our fantastic driver, was tight on hours to get us to the hotel; however, our bakery experience was phenomenal and we have explored the local area, visited some shops and had our tea, before a (quite competitive - thanks to Mrs Verow) rounders game. The children and staff ALL ordered their own dinner this evening in French. It may only have been a 'McDo', as it is known in France, but at least that gave many children a confidence boost about the ordering process.

Shortly after tea our whole party was united as Mrs Verow and Jake finally joined us (fresh faced and not nearly as tired as those of us who has travelled by coach!) at the hotel shortly before 9pm.

With the excitement of the first day over, we look forward to hitting Paris with a bang tomorrow and exploring some of the highs of the city before we get on the public transport on Wednesday and take on Paris 'for real'.

We hope you're missing us all terribly, but rest assured we are all having a fantastic time :-). Catch up tomorrow again.

Paris 2013 team

All now in rooms

With our first day now complete, the children (and staff alike) are all shattered - clearly there are several who think that it is possible to power on against the odds though!

Children are all settled in their rooms and seem quite content with the arrangements. The 'ensuites' are more like pods! The rooms are small, but definitely very clean and tidy and they are very safe.

We've had to deviate slightly from the planned itinerary today and haven't made it to the war memorial near to Arras, as Hayden, our fantastic driver, was tight on hours to get us to the hotel; however, our bakery experience was phenomenal and we have explored the local area, visited some shops and had our tea, before a (quite competitive - thanks to Mrs Verow) rounders game. The children and staff ALL ordered their own dinner this evening in French. It may only have been a 'McDo', as it is known in France, but at least that gave many children a confidence boost about the ordering process.

Shortly after tea our whole party was united as Mrs Verow and Jake finally joined us (fresh faced and not nearly as tired as those of us who has travelled by coach!) at the hotel shortly before 9pm.

With the excitement of the first day over, we look forward to hitting Paris with a bang tomorrow and exploring some of the highs of the city before we get on the public transport on Wednesday and take on Paris 'for real'.

We hope you're missing us all terribly, but rest assured we are all having a fantastic time :-). Catch up tomorrow again.

Paris 2013 team

The journey has started ...

Well, we are just a few metres from our train and the journey south has gone really well so far. 

Some children have slept; others haven't! 

We should be travelling on an earlier train, departing on the 6.47 instead. 

There have clearly been too many E numbers consumed by the younger proportion of the coach; but they are all beginning to think that sleep would be a good idea. 

We are all aware that many of you are just waking up as we bid au revoir to England and bonjour to la France. 

We all want to wish Jake lots of luck in his GCSE Statistics exam - and we hope that Mrs Verow and him have a lovely flight out to join us later today (we will save you a pain au chocolat). 

See you all soon. 

Are you excited?

So, it's the BIG DAY. There'll be a fantastic buzz of excitement at 11.30 tonight outside Clough Hall Technology School, as parents hand their children over to teachers for the week.  The languages trip has become an institution for some of the children in school - they come every year and can't bring themselves to miss one. For other children, they will only be allowed to one once, and they have DEFINITELY chosen a fantastic trip to enjoy! We will be updating the blog as we travel to Paris and at the end of the day each day. There'll be photos of the exciting things we do, there'll be tales of the things thy we have done, and there'll be snippets of things that have happened throughout the days. 

Lundi ...

On va partir en autobus dimanche soir.  Nous allons prendre le train pour aller en France. 

Lundi, nous allons visiter une boulangerie.  Nous allons visiter une cimitière et un centre commercial.  Ca sera super !  Nous allons trouver notre hôtel, où nous nous installerons dans nos chambres.

Places we are visiting in Paris during #Paris2013

Want to get finding out about our trip?  Have a goosey-gander at the following places:

Monday

1. Boulangerie Berquier - they have no website; but, do you know how to say: butter, water, flour and salt in French?  If not, I wholeheartedly recommend finding out!
2. Australian Memorial - this website will show you about the memorial and the cemetery and what it all means.
3. Usines Center - this is an outlet mall - it is quite big and will appeal to some more than others(!).
4. Our hotel

Tuesday

1. Tour Montparnasse - the website for this tower is AMAZING and looks phenomenal - the views are fab.
2. View the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries
3. Just look at this website about the Champs-Elysées
4. Visit to the Arc de Triomphe and to see the flame lighting ceremony
5. This is the restaurant in which we will be dining on Tuesday evening

Wednesday

1. Today, we will mainly be travelling by underground
2. We will visit the Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, the Sacre Coeur, before jumping back on the underground to head to ...
3. The Pompidou Centre and then for a short walk to catch a double decker RER train (!) to get to ...
4. The Parisian Sewers!
5. Quick stop at the Eiffel Tower before we head for our evening meal at the Hard Rock Café
6. The we are back towards the Eiffel Tower to meet our boat for our evening river cruise

Thursday

1. Today, we will mainly be enjoying our day at Disneyland 

 Friday 

1. Before we get the the Tunnel, we will spend some time at the beach in Boulogne-sur-Mer

Wow! What a week - do explore our week so you know what to expect :-)

Information for Parents following trip meeting

If you want to see our twitter feed, but aren't a tweeter or a follower of our account, please just follow this link to our twitter page 

The emergency details form can be found below:

France trip emergency details

The PowerPoint presentation shared at our meeting is now found below:

Meeting presentation (Paris)

Linguascope fundraising - £250 challenge

Don't forget - our challenge is to raise as close to £250 as possible by November 2013!  We've talked to all Key Stage 4 classes about it this week and have started the fundraising efforts.  We really want to raise the money, as otherwise we won't be able to afford the subscription cost for the website this year :-(

Bake sales and things will be common place soon we hopee - make sure you try and support us as much as you possibly can.  If you have any loose change that you want to put in the linguascope pot, then just come and see one of us.

We have dictionaries for sale at £1.50 each towards the linguascope pot as well.

 In the meantime, don't forget you can all access linguascope to help suport your learning at home.  Check the display in the classrooms for the password.  Username is chts. Visit the website: www.linguascope.co.uk

Any other ideas - come along and see us.

Some websites for GCSE German revision

#3sleepstogo

You've had loads of app suggestions - now here are some websites for you to exploit:

1. Bitesize - there are loads of listening tasks here as well as reading bits and bobs
2. S-cool - here divided by topic (at this stage, ignore the 'grammar' section - the others will be more use now)
3. Gut - so long as you want to use this after 4pm, it is free!  Use the Year 10 and Year 11 stuff
4. Linguascope - you should know our username and password, if not email Miss Milne
5. Languages online - loads of games for vocab and structures practice
6. Languages online (2nd link) - just vocab games, no structures
7. Revision World - broken down by topic
8. GCSE German Revision - lots of reading in English, but some good ideas nonetheless for you here

Give them a go, and remember to let us know which you prefer.

Revising using the text books

If you log into Moodle and subscribe to the correct courses, then you can access the text books and the listening activities to help with your revision:

• GCSE French: EXPO
• GCSE German: ECHO
• GCSE Spanish: ML101

The ones which start with an F are foundation and those which start with an H are higher.

When you choose your "pages", you will be faced with a link to click:

Click on the link which you see above (or similar) and then your text book page will open.  In order to practise your listening skills, you need to make sure that there is a tick in the hotspot button:

Then, whenever you see this symbol:

you will be able to do a listening activtiy.  Read the instructions and try hard to answer the questions.  There are no answers available, but you can access the transcript by clickin on page resources and downloading the linked file:

Any transcript that you open will open in Word (or another word processing package).

Email if you have trouble still accessing the resources.

Year 9 writing reflections

Last week Year 9 did their first writing examination towards their GCSEs. For some, it was an eye-opening experience which gave students an insight into the challenge that is writing in a foreign language.

After the exam, 9-1 sat down to reflect on what they had done in the exam and their preparations. Students shared their own ideas about how they prepared for the exam and  the strategies that they used. Some found that some strategies were more useful than others.

Here is a sample of some of the Year 9 students’ reflections and some examples of their

work.

•  "At the beginning of Year 9 I wouldn't have been able to write 152 words."
•  "I couldn't remember the small words like 'and'."
•  "Next time I will revise earlier."
•  "I didn't use my 40 words and still managed to write around 250 words."
•  "Learn more vocabulary."
•  "Remember key phrases, not everything!"
•  "Keep it simple."

•  "Don't forget opinions."
•  "Simple, but effective."
•  "Remember the little words, learn them properly."

We now know that next time we do a writing exam what we need to do to ensure we get even better marks! 

Revision Plan for this week

You're so close to the exams now that it is really even more important that you knuckle down to revision.

This week, focus on opinions - that includes:

• adjectives which express someone's opinion
• boring, interesting, exciting, difficult, easy, expensive, busy, useful etc
• verbs to express opinions
• I like, I love, I hate, I don't like, I prefer
• expressing favourites
• my favourite
• structures which introduce a point of view
• I think, I am of the opinion, in my opinion

Think about revising.  How are you doing it?  Is it bringing rewards?  Do you find that you can remember everything, or are you just staring at stuff and then forgetting it?  There is little point trying to just stare at vocabulary.  Use apps, revision guides, linguascope (get the password at school).  Try making some flashcards, posters, using post-it notes etc.  Ask your teacher for more advice if you still struggle after trying loads of things out.  Try evernote peek.

Learning adjectives can be really difficult if you struggle to remember vocabulary out of context.  What trying to learn them in pairs? - opposites are often easy to try and work with.

More advice will come later this week - we will try to help you to structure your revision over these last few weeks.

Last minute preparations for the writing exam

So, the exam is now tomorrow!  Wow, it comes round ever so quickly, doesn't it!  

Remember that there are keys to success and you need to make sure that you apply them no matter which language you study.  I remind you about the blog entry I wrote about the mark scheme.  

Content

 Notice that you need to make sure you give more than simple opinions (I like, I hate) if you want to get more than 6/15 in this section.  It is in this section that it is probably easier for you to get loads of extra marks.  You need to be using 'points of view' in your writing if you want to be able to access more than 7 marks for content - no matter HOW good your writing is.  Explain your points of view and try to give loads and loads of information.

Range

Some of you will be able to access the higher band marks, but if you are aiming to get a C grade, make sure you link sentences together (but, because, although, however etc), that you don't always use the same adjectives to describe everything and that you answer the question.  Don't always use 'in my opinion' for your point of view phrases, but use 'I think' or 'I believe' as well.  The clue is in the word 'range'.  A range of flavours for ice-cream would be weak if it only offered vanilla and strawberry - your writing is very similar!

Accuracy

 This is pretty self explanatory - the more accurate the work, the higher the mark; however, notice here that you need to have accurately formed verbs for 3 or more marks here.

GO FOR IT AND GOOD LUCK!

Revision apps (free or under £2)

Well, revision for the exams really should be at the top of your 'to do' list at the moment (in with washing up after dinner, cleaning out the rabbits, going to football practice, having a bit of time out, going to visit nan and grandad etc), but in all seriousness, it is pretty important for you now.  You only get this chance once and think about all the help that you've been given.  You were handed timetables and seat numbers etc the other day and now it is all beginning to seem very real.  Languages are easy, right ... there's only two half hour exams and they're mostly multiple choice ... WRONG - those examiners are out to get your brains working for those to half hours - they want to find out what you know (and what you don't!).  The exam papers are designed to test you and to challenge your ability in French / German / Spanish - they know what they're looking for ... and we know how to show them that you know your stuff.

But, we also know that 'revision' as a concept is quite challenging.  Your lives are exciting and you know about keeping at the cutting edge of technology - post it notes are great, but you had a new tablet for Christmas and your phone is vibrating ... well, put those two bits of kit to good use.

Here's the first few apps that I'm going to share with you ... keep revisiting this webpage because I'll put more and more up over the next few weeks, but there's no point telling you everything all at once - you won't use them all at the same time, will you.

I know that these are all available on Apple, but you'll have to let me know (@CHTSMFL) if they are available on other platforms too and I'll update this blog to let others know.  Likewise, if you come across others (Apple, Android, Google etc), then tweet them to us (@CHTSMFL) and we'll be able to include them in the next list:

Spanish Phrases
In many ways this is more phrase-book-like, than GCSE, but it has loads of good structures which tend to come up in the listening paper (I say that, but it doesn't mean that they won't come up in the reading!).  Completely free. 
Link to itunes to get the app

German Phrases
In many ways this is more phrase-book-like, than GCSE, but it has loads of good structures which tend to come up in the listening paper (I say that, but it doesn't mean that they won't come up in the reading!).  Completely free. 
Link to itunes to get the app 

GCSE French - foundation (Revision buddies)

This is a good app - there are free elements to it (you can revise travel and holidays for free), but you can buy access to the whole thing for £1.99 , or to each of the sections individually for 69p each.  There are past papers for AQA (and other boards, but not WJEC, sorry Year 11) which are available on the app and there are loads of questions related to each topic which are multiple choice as well.  Quite good if you want to focus on a section of the specification at a time. 
Link to itunes to get the app

iGerman GCSE
This is a fab app - it has games and is loads of fun.  It is £1.49 but I think most of you will probably quite like it - they don't have one for French and Spanish, but it seems that there are Maths, Business Studies, English Lit and PE ones as well - I quite like this.  You can choose which topic you want to revise and you can keep scores and try to improve on previous scores as you go - there are whack a monkey and flickball games ... the sort many of you quite enjoy.  If you're interested (or if the bank of mum/dad is paying, then you can even get reports with your marks on them).
Link to itunes to get the app

Cramit GCSE French - AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app
 

Cramit GCSE German - AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app

Cramit GCSE Spanish- AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app

Collins French Grammar in Practice
This one has free bits and then you can opt to buy more - the free stuff gives you a bit of a practice at loads of stuff, then the appendices (also free) are really quite good if you need to check out numbers, months etc.  I like this one, but it is more helpful for the writing paper and the higher tier reading paper than it is for anything else.
Link to itunes to get the app

Collins Spanish Grammar in Practice
This one has free bits and then you can opt to buy more - the free stuff gives you a bit of a practice at loads of stuff, then the appendices (also free) are really quite good if you need to check out numbers, months etc.  I like this one, but it is more helpful for the writing paper and the higher tier reading paper than it is for anything else.
Link to itunes to get the app

Revision strategies and hints

Thinking about the writing exam which is now just one week away, you need to remember how to make sure that you get the best marks possible.

Remember there is no point in just putting down a load of words in French, German or Spanish - you must remember to put as much information as possible, and you need, need, need, need, need to share opinions as often as possible!  Opinions and justifications of your opinions are fundamental to success in the writing exam - so long as you do it well.
 
Never underestimate the value of an "I think that", of an "in my opinion", of an "I find" or or a "I am of the opinion that" structure - so long as it is almost always followed by "because"!

Writing preparation and revision - a walk through the mark scheme

So, the writing exam is around the corner.  You've got the question and you've been working hard in lessons.  You need to make sure that you remember to produce French/German/Spanish which is designed to help you to access your grade of best fit.  Remember that it is important to use the mark scheme to help you.  If you need it, it is on pages 14-15 of the specification (it doesn't matter whether you study French, German or Spanish - the mark scheme is the same for all languages) - the specification can be found by clicking here.

Remember that the marks are awarded for the following reasons:

• Content
• Range of Language
• Accuracy

The whole thing is marked out of 30.  Half of the marks available are for 'content'.  You need to think about what you are trying to say, and the message that you give across.  Your answer needs to be relevant - that means that it needs to answer the question/scenario set out in the task.  You need to give lots of information.  Anyone who forgets to include opinions and points of view will be throwing away marks.  Remember that ideas such as 'My house is big' is information, that 'I like my house, because it is modern' is an opinion, and that 'I am of the opinion that mu ideal house would be better than my current house, because it would have ...' is a point of view.  Remember that, just as you PEE in English, you need to POJ - Point, Opinion, Justification, in MFL - this will secure you at least more than the minimum marks.

You need to remember that the range of language is important - if you can use a wider range of vocabulary, do!  There is no point using interesting to describe everything that you talk about, because you are not demonstrating a broad range of vocabulary.  When I was younger, my primary school teacher told us that we couldn't use 'said' - we had to use a range of vocabulary (and I was only 7!) - we were told to use more interesting verbs, such as: told, described, demanded, explained, shared, asked, spoke, shouted, whispered, mentioned etc.  If you're aiming for higher grades, I would suggest that you ban yourselves from using the adjectives kind, nice, interesting, great - use more challenging, more exciting vocabulary ... and try to use any adjective only once - that way you will demonstrate that you 'know stuff'.

Accuracy is exactly what it says ... it is about being accurate with your language - note how this is worth 5/30 - it is far more important to share your message than it is to do it in perfect French, German, or Spanish.  You need to be accurate with verbs to access at least 3/5 of the marks available to you here.