GCSE French

The GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams provide students with qualifications to prepare them for further education or a career. They are typically taken by students aged 14-16 in the UK at the end of compulsory education, after two years of studying for the exams and coursework. Most students will take between seven and ten GCSEs

Alongside the core subjects, English, Maths and the sciences, students are required to take additional subjects. Usually students will be given the option to choose these, depending on what their school offers and prioritises. There are over 60 subjects, and different exam boards provide different qualifications for each subject. Depending on the exam board, the content of the GCSE and the structure of the exams will change.

The French GCSE is offered by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. The differences between the courses range from the vocabulary students are expected to learn to the topics likely to be covered in the exams, so students should have a clear understanding of what they need to learn for their exams and which resources will be useful for them.

The IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) is offered to students in countries outside the UK who wish to receive a GCSE qualification. It typically follows the same structure as the GCSE, but there are occasional differences, depending on the subject and the exam board. For instance, the IGCSE for science subjects may require less practical course work than the GCSE as schools in some countries do not have the requisite access to laboratory equipment.

Alexa’s GCSE exam preparation course is designed to help students get the best grades they can on all the GCSE exams. It follows the AQA syllabus and provides extensive resources across six sections in the form of 103 extensive video lessons, as well as support guides, quizzes, gap fill exercises and much more.

The six sections include

Reading - Dozens of demo videos and worksheets, including gap fills, 'true or false' tests and testimonials, designed to improve and perfect students' reading comprehension

Writing - Translation worksheets, audio dictations and support guides to help writing in French become second nature for students

Speaking - 70 photocard and general conversation videos, categorised by theme and topic, to help students perfect their pronunciation. The content in this section will reinforce the material learned in the other sections, with a focus on speaking confidently and fluently

Listening - Over 30 audio quizzes and other helpful resources to get students used to hearing spoken French

Vocabulary - Over 60 vocabulary lists organised by theme, with each word available in both written and audio form

Conjugations - Conjugation tables for 34 of the most common verbs, conjugated into 6 tenses and available in both written and audio form

Find out more about the structure of the GCSE Preparation Course here.

Alexa also provides additional free resources on YouTube to help students get to grips with the French GCSE exams. From learning how to talk about yourself to describing your house, Alexa walks you through the essentials.

View the full playlist here.

The AQA French GCSE is divided into three themes:

Theme 1: Identity and culture

This theme encompasses four topics:

1. Me, my family and friends

2. Technology in everyday life

3. Free-time activities

4. Customs and festivals in French-speaking countries/communities

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

This theme encompasses four topics:

1. Home, town, neighbourhood and region

2. Social issues

3. Global issues

4. Travel and tourism

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

This theme encompasses four topics:

1. My studies

2. Life at school/college

3. Education post-16

4. Jobs, career choices and ambitions

The reading, writing and listening units are each assessed by a written exam. The speaking unit is assessed by a conversation assessment. Each assessment is worth 60 marks, or 25% of the overall GCSE.

• Read through the whole paper before you start answering the questions
• Try to spend a proportionate amount of time on each section
• Show off the full range of your vocabulary. Avoid repeating words when you can use an appropriate synonym
• If you don't understand a word or phrase, look for clues in the rest of the sentence

Alexa's GCSE Preparation Course includes numerous tips for how to ace the exams.

For even more tips, check out our blog on GCSE French exam tips.