How to get top marks in the French GCSE

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To get the best marks in your French GCSE exams, a few things are essential:

• You need to have a deep knowledge of the syllabus
• You need to be confident expressing ideas and delivering information in French
• You need to practise answering exam-style questions

Alexa’s GCSE Preparation Course focuses on each of these points to ensure that students are in a position to get the best grades they can on each section of the GCSE. This comprehensive video-based course covers in detail the four sections of the GCSE French exam - Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking - complete with extensive additional materials, from worksheets and support guides to vocabulary and conjugation audio lists. The course is also full of useful tips, both for revision and for when it comes to exam day.

Below we've compiled some helpful revision tips.

Understand the exam format

The French GCSE exam is split into four parts: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Each of the parts is worth 25% of your overall mark.

The format can change slightly depending on the exam board. Below is the general structure for each section of the AQA GCSE French exam:

Listening:

Topics include everyday scenarios, such as shopping, holidays and school life. You will be asked to listen to two recordings of French speakers, and will answer questions in both English and French.

Length: 35 minutes (Foundation); 45 minutes (Higher)
40 marks (Foundation); 50 marks (Higher)

Speaking:

This will take the form of a one-to-one conversation with your teacher. There will be a role-play, during which you are expected to answer questions about a given situation; a photo card exercise; and a general conversation on two topics, which you will be allowed to choose in advance.

Length: 7-9 minutes (Foundation); 10-12 minutes (Higher)
60 marks (Foundation and Higher)

Reading:

For this section, you'll read a variety of texts in different formats, including emails, adverts, messages and short articles. You'll be expected to answer questions in both English and French, as well as translate a passage from French to English.

Length: 45 minutes (Foundation); 1 hour (Higher)
60 marks (Foundation and Higher)

Writing:

For this section you will need to write an extended answer to questions in French, as well as conduct a translation from English to French.

Length: 1 hour (Foundation); 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher)
50 marks (Foundation); 60 marks (Higher)

Check past papers

Past papers provide a useful insight into what kinds of questions have appeared in exams in the past. It's likely your teacher will get you to answer some of these papers as homework, but you can also find the full range of AQA past papers on the AQA website.

Bear in mind however that the criteria for the exams changes from year to year. For the academic year starting 2025, a number of changes have been made to the GCSE French exams, so the exam you'll be sitting may be slightly different in format and length from what you see in past papers. You can find the new specs on the AQA website.

Practise speaking

It might seem difficult to find ways to practise speaking French outside of class, but at Learn French With Alexa we have a range of resources aimed at helping students build confidence and fluency in speaking French.

A great place to start is Alexa's 'Speak French With Me' playlist on YouTube. In these videos, Alexa walks you through example French conversations, with advice on pronunciation and vocabulary.

The Speaking part of our GCSE Preparation Course includes a helpful 'Test yourself' section, which includes role-plays, photo card and 'read aloud' exercises with audio and support guides.

Make sure to check out our guide on 'How to practise speaking French' for additional tips and tricks!