Writing · task 3120 to 180 wordsLevel B2

Video Games: Benefits or Dangers?

The task

120 to 180 words

Vous avez lu deux documents qui présentent des points de vue opposés sur les jeux vidéo : le premier souligne leurs effets positifs sur le cerveau, le second met en avant leurs dangers pour les enfants. Rédigez un texte de 120 à 180 mots dans lequel vous confrontez ces deux positions, puis vous donnez votre propre opinion sur la question, en la justifiant.

Document 1 — Les bienfaits cognitifs des jeux vidéo

Plusieurs recherches scientifiques indiquent que la pratique des jeux vidéo peut stimuler certaines régions du cerveau chez l'adulte. Jouer régulièrement contribuerait ainsi à renforcer la capacité d'analyse, la prise de décision rapide et les réflexes. Cette découverte est plutôt encourageante, car les statistiques montrent que la grande majorité des joueurs, soit environ 83 %, sont des personnes adultes et non des enfants. Les jeux vidéo pourraient donc représenter un outil intéressant pour entraîner certaines fonctions cognitives, à condition d'être pratiqués avec modération et par un public averti.

Document 2 — Les risques pour les enfants

D'autres études, en revanche, mettent en garde contre un usage excessif des jeux vidéo chez les plus jeunes. Une enquête menée pendant trois ans auprès d'enfants et d'adolescents âgés de 8 à 17 ans a révélé que ceux qui passent beaucoup de temps devant les écrans deviennent souvent plus agressifs, plus tendus et plus anxieux que les autres. Leurs résultats scolaires seraient également moins bons. Ces conclusions incitent les spécialistes à recommander aux parents de surveiller de près le temps que leurs enfants consacrent à ce loisir.

TCF Canada — expression écrite — tâche 3

Translation of the prompt

You have read two documents presenting opposing viewpoints on video games: the first highlights their positive effects on the brain, the second emphasizes their dangers for children. Write a text of 120 to 180 words in which you compare these two positions, then give your own opinion on the question, justifying it. Document 1 — The cognitive benefits of video games Several scientific studies indicate that playing video games can stimulate certain regions of the brain in adults. Playing regularly is thought to strengthen analytical ability, quick decision-making, and reflexes. This finding is rather encouraging, since statistics show that the vast majority of players, about 83%, are adults rather than children. Video games could therefore represent an interesting tool for training certain cognitive functions, provided they are used in moderation and by an informed audience. Document 2 — The risks for children Other studies, however, warn against excessive use of video games among younger people. A survey conducted over three years among children and teenagers aged 8 to 17 found that those who spend a lot of time in front of screens often become more aggressive, more tense, and more anxious than others. Their school results were also reported to be worse. These findings lead specialists to recommend that parents closely monitor the amount of time their children spend on this activity.

How to structure your answer

  1. Introduce the debate in one sentence to set up the topic of video games

  2. Present the favorable viewpoint: cognitive benefits and the profile of adult players

  3. Present the unfavorable viewpoint: the study's findings on children (aggression, stress, poor school results)

  4. Give a nuanced personal opinion that links the player's age to the effects observed - this is where you build your own argument, not just restate the documents

  5. Conclude with a concrete recommendation, for example about the role of parents

Model answer

about 172 words

Les jeux vidéo divisent l'opinion. D'une part, des recherches montrent qu'ils peuvent stimuler certaines zones du cerveau liées à l'analyse, à la prise de décision et à la rapidité de réaction. Ce résultat est rassurant, puisque la grande majorité des joueurs, environ 83 %, sont des adultes. D'autre part, une étude menée durant trois ans auprès de jeunes de 8 à 17 ans révèle des effets bien plus inquiétants : les enfants qui jouent beaucoup deviennent plus agressifs, plus nerveux, et obtiennent de moins bons résultats scolaires que les autres.

À mon avis, ces deux positions ne s'opposent pas réellement : tout dépend de l'âge du joueur et de la modération dont il fait preuve. Un adulte responsable peut sans doute tirer profit des jeux vidéo, alors qu'un enfant, dont le cerveau est encore en formation, risque davantage d'en subir les effets négatifs. Je pense donc que les parents devraient surveiller le temps de jeu de leurs enfants et privilégier des jeux adaptés à leur âge, afin de profiter des bienfaits de cette activité sans en subir les inconvénients.

Show the translation

Video games divide opinion. On one hand, research shows that they can stimulate certain areas of the brain linked to analysis, decision-making, and reaction speed. This result is reassuring, since the vast majority of players, about 83%, are adults. On the other hand, a three-year study of young people aged 8 to 17 reveals far more worrying effects: children who play a lot become more aggressive, more nervous, and achieve worse school results than others.

In my opinion, these two positions are not really contradictory: everything depends on the player's age and the moderation they show. A responsible adult can probably benefit from video games, whereas a child, whose brain is still developing, is more likely to suffer their negative effects. I therefore think that parents should monitor how much time their children spend playing and favor games suited to their age, in order to enjoy the benefits of this activity without suffering its drawbacks.

Key vocabulary

Word or phraseMeaning
stimuler une zone du cerveauto activate or develop a region of the brain through exercise
capacité d'analysethe ability to examine a situation and understand its components
prise de décisionthe act of choosing between several options
réflexesquick, automatic reactions to a situation
usage excessifexcessive or prolonged use of something
être en formation (le cerveau)to still be developing, not yet mature
nuisibleharmful, having a negative effect
encadrement parentalparental supervision and guidance of children
résultats scolairesgrades and performance at school
avec modérationwithout excess, in a reasonable way

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up the agreement: writing 'les jeux vidéos' instead of 'les jeux vidéo' - in standard usage 'vidéo' stays invariable here because it functions as an adjective/noun complement, not a regular plural noun.

    Wrongles jeux vidéos

    Rightles jeux vidéo

  • Translating 'on one hand... on the other hand' too literally from English or Arabic produces awkward French. Use the natural French connectors instead.

    WrongD'un côté... et de l'autre côté que

    RightD'une part... d'autre part

  • Staying purely descriptive in the opinion paragraph and forgetting to justify your point of view with a personal argument - the examiner expects real reasoning, not just a summary of the two documents.

  • Misusing percentages: forgetting the article 'des' before the noun after a percentage.

    Wrong83% de joueurs

    Right83 % des joueurs

  • Confusing 'moins bon' (less good) and 'pire' (worse) by calquing another language's comparative structure - 'plus pire' is redundant and incorrect since 'pire' already means 'more bad'.

    Wrongplus pire

    Rightpire

  • Repeating 'jeux vidéo' constantly instead of using synonyms like 'cette activité', 'ce loisir numérique', or 'les écrans' to make the text more fluent and varied.

The grammar this task needs

Use of 'd'une part... d'autre part' to contrast two viewpoints

This topic requires you to clearly separate two opposing positions before giving your own opinion, and this structure signals that contrast cleanly without sounding clumsy

  • D'une part, des recherches montrent qu'ils peuvent stimuler certaines zones du cerveau.
  • D'autre part, une étude menée durant trois ans révèle des effets bien plus inquiétants.

The conditional mood to express results that are probable but not fully certain

Scientific findings reported in the documents are often nuanced, not absolute facts, so the conditional lets you report them with appropriate caution

  • Jouer régulièrement contribuerait à renforcer la capacité d'analyse.
  • Leurs résultats scolaires seraient également moins bons.

Invariable adjective agreement in 'jeux vidéo'

This exact phrase appears repeatedly throughout the text, so getting the agreement wrong will be noticed immediately by the examiner

  • Les jeux vidéo divisent l'opinion.
  • les bienfaits cognitifs des jeux vidéo

Concession structures with 'à mon avis' followed by a nuanced connector

The task explicitly asks for a personal opinion that is justified, not just descriptive, so you need language that signals genuine reasoning

  • À mon avis, ces deux positions ne s'opposent pas réellement.
  • Un adulte responsable peut sans doute tirer profit des jeux vidéo, alors qu'un enfant... risque davantage d'en subir les effets négatifs.

Phrases to reuse

PhraseWhen to use it
D'une part..., d'autre part...to present two opposing viewpoints from the two documents in a balanced way
Plusieurs recherches indiquent que...to introduce findings from document 1 without claiming absolute certainty
D'autres études, en revanche, mettent en garde contre...to pivot to the opposing document's warning tone
Ce résultat est rassurant, puisque...to link a fact to its implication when summarizing document 1
Ces conclusions incitent les spécialistes à recommander...to report a recommendation drawn from a study
À mon avis,...to clearly signal the start of your personal opinion paragraph
Tout dépend de...to introduce a nuanced position that depends on a specific factor like age
Je pense donc que...to draw a personal conclusion and justify it before finishing
afin de profiter de X sans en subir les inconvénientsto close with a balanced, practical recommendation
environ 83 % des joueursto cite a statistic correctly with 'des' plus a plural noun

Ideas bank

PositionArgumentExample
forVideo games can train cognitive skills like analysis, decision-making, and reflexes in adultsA responsible adult who plays moderately may genuinely improve reaction time and strategic thinking.
againstExcessive gaming in children is linked to aggression, anxiety, and poorer school performanceA study following 8-17 year-olds for three years found heavy players became more tense and got worse grades.
nuanceThe effect of video games depends heavily on the player's age and the amount of time spent playingThe same activity that trains an adult's brain can overwhelm a child's still-developing brain.
nuanceParental supervision and age-appropriate game choices can allow the benefits without the risksParents limiting screen time and picking suitable games let children enjoy gaming safely.

What the examiner looks for

The examiner checks that you accurately summarize both documents without simply copying their sentences, using your own words and appropriate reporting structures. They look for a clear organizational marker separating the two viewpoints, followed by a personal opinion paragraph that is genuinely justified with reasoning, not just a restatement of facts. Vocabulary variety (avoiding repeating 'jeux vidéo' constantly) and correct agreement/statistics usage are closely watched. Finally, they expect a coherent conclusion, ideally with a concrete recommendation, within the 120-180 word range.