French

Exam details

Exam Board: Edexcel

Students will be completing the following assessments:

1. Listening - this paper will last 35 minutes for Foundation students and 45 minutes for Higher students, and will be completed in classrooms and during lesson times. There is a range of question types in this test, including multiple choice, short answer open response questions, and some questions with questions and answers in written French. 
2. Reading - this paper will last 45 minutes for Foundation students and 1 hour for Higher students, and will be completed in classrooms and during lesson times. There are three sections to this exam - answers in English, answers in French, and the translation section.
3. Writing - this paper will last 70 minutes for Foundation students and 80 minutes for Higher students, and will be completed in the hall in assessment conditions. For Foundation students, there will be four questions (a photo description, a 40-50 word writing task, a multi-tense 80-90 word writing task, and a translation activity) and Higher students there will be three questions (a multi-tense 80-90 word writing task, a 130-150 word writing task, and an extended translation activity).
4. Speaking - this will take place after the assessment window, and will be an adapted version of the oral exam to give students an experience. Students were given speaking booklets with questions to prepare, tips and tricks, and a photo card to prepare for this exam before half term, and these materials are also available on Microsoft Teams.

Key topics

1. Identity & Culture - relationships with friends and family, hobbies, daily life, technology, sports, television, celebrations
2. Local Area - holidays and hometowns, weather, places to see, things to do
3. School - what school is like, subjects, school rules, school activities
4. Future Aspirations, Study, & Work - future studies, volunteering, jobs, careers, languages beyond the classrooms
5. International & Global Dimension - volunteering, events, and environment

Revision techniques and tips

Duolingo is also a useful resource for practicing key vocabulary

Knowledge organiser sections

See key topics list above

Home learning to prepare

Your class teacher will set you:

Seneca