TEC-CTechnology and Invention

Writing on Technology: Games, Machines and Responsible Use

Idée directrice

Module 3 interviews creative minds behind interactive machines such as the PlayStation and lists skills of inventors (passion, perseverance, dedication). Writing tasks ask for a clear situation, addressee and balanced view of technology: entertainment value versus addiction and lost study time.

Signature de reconnaissance — l'énoncé se trahit ainsi

technology

video games

digital

machine

internet

addiction

Sujet principal

Writing: video games and modern technology

1 questionCorrigé masqué

Writing — one paragraph (12–15 lines).

Situation: Your cousin Omar plays video games on a modern console every evening after school. His parents think this technology wastes time; Omar says interactive games train problem-solving and can even teach through digital simulation.

Task: Write a short message to Omar’s parents. Explain two possible benefits of well-chosen games or educational machines, two risks (addiction, less sport, less face-to-face talk…), and give one practical rule for healthier use of technology and the internet at home. Tone: polite and balanced. Use at least three linkers.

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Model paragraph

Dear Mr and Mrs Trabelsi, I understand your worries about Omar’s long evenings on the console. On the one hand, interactive games are a form of modern technology that can improve problem-solving and visual attention; some digital learning machines also turn revision into a challenge rather than a chore. Moreover, when friends play together online with clear netiquette, the internet can support teamwork. On the other hand, addiction is real: a teenager may skip meals, avoid sport, and forget homework when every free minute goes to a machine screen. In addition, violent games can give a false picture of real life. Therefore, I suggest a simple rule: one hour of games only after homework, with a full day offline each week. Used this way, invention and entertainment stay tools, not masters of the house.

What the examiner rewards
- Full task: two benefits + two risks + one concrete rule.
- Balanced tone (not pure attack, not pure praise).
- Unit vocabulary: technology, digital, machine, internet, invention.
- Cohesion: On the one hand / Moreover / On the other hand / Therefore.

Trap: Do not write a film summary of a game. Stay on parents’ decision about time and technology at home.

Exercices d'entraînement — une nuance à la fois

Entraînement 01 / 02

Language: technology pros and cons collocations

5 questionsCorrigé masqué

Language. Choose the best word for each blank (technology context).

`improve · addiction · interactive · machine · invention · internet`

Educational games are more __________ when the player must solve a real problem.
A household __________ such as a washing device saves time but uses electricity.
Too many hours online can lead to __________ and poor sleep.
Scientists work hard to __________ older tools rather than throw them away.
Without the __________, many digital libraries would be harder to reach.

Then rewrite: This game is so addictive that he cannot stop. → Use too + adjective + to.

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Gap answers: 1. interactive · 2. machine · 3. addiction · 4. improve · 5. internet · (extra: invention)

Rewrite: This game is too addictive (for him) to stop.

How to work: Match collocations: interactive games, household machine, lead to addiction, improve tools, reach via the internet. For too…to, package cause and result without so…that.

Trap: Addiction is a noun; the adjective form is addictive.

Entraînement 02 / 02

Reading: when an invention leaves the laboratory

3 questionsCorrigé masqué

Reading. Read and answer.

Alfred Nobel was a scientist, an inventor and an entrepreneur. He created explosives that industry used widely, then later founded famous prizes in recognition of outstanding achievement. His story reminds students that an invention can help and harm at the same time. Today the same double face appears in everyday technology: the internet connects families across continents, yet false news spreads in seconds; a medical machine can save a life, while careless digital systems can leak private data.

Engineers therefore talk about responsible design. Before a company launches a new product, testers ask not only “Does the machine work?” but also “Who could be hurt if it fails?” Invention without ethics is only half of the module’s lesson about creative minds.

Questions

True or false? Nobel is presented only as a businessman, never as a scientist. Justify.
Give two modern examples from the text of technology’s double face.
What two questions do responsible testers ask before a launch?

Voir la correction commentéeAprès avoir posé votre démarche

1. F — He was a scientist, an inventor and an entrepreneur.
2. Internet connects families but spreads false news; a medical machine can save a life while careless digital systems can leak private data.
3. “Does the machine work?” and “Who could be hurt if it fails?”

Method: Double-face questions need both sides. Do not answer with only one example.

Méthode / Automatismes

Plan four moves before you write: benefits → risks → rule → polite closing idea. One dense paragraph is enough if every bullet of the task is visible.

Pièges classiques

Students often give only risks (to please parents) or only benefits (to please Omar). The paper marks balance and a practical rule, not slogans.