GCSE French
GCSE French is almost entirely a literacy qualification: learners listen to and read French, answer in English or Welsh, translate into English or Welsh, write in French about a studied work and to a stimulus, and speak for 7 to 10 minutes, with 20.5% of marks for grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling accuracy and no dictionary in any unit. Numeracy is light and incidental: numbers 1 to 100, simple fractions, the 12 and 24 hour clock, dates, and graphs among the reading texts. The biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is secure, dictionary-free recall of core vocabulary and grammar, used every week in short translations and independent writing and speaking.
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
- Unit 1: Oracy: Non-examination assessment, speaking test 7 to 10 minutes plus 10 minutes preparation, 60 marks, 30%
- Unit 2: Reading and Writing: Non-examination assessment 1 hour, 45 marks, 15%
- Unit 3: Listening: Written examination 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time, 45 marks, 20%
- Unit 4: Reading and Writing: Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks, 35%
Skills that use Collaborative talk
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Read aloud, role play and unprepared conversation
The Unit 1 oracy NEA (30%) is a 7 to 10 minute test: a read aloud and role play, a presentation and discussion, and a conversation. Learners respond in settings such as stations, shops and cafés, ask and answer questions, complain, report problems and give reasons, with generally accurate pronunciation and intonation.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Questioning, Purpose, Collaborative talk
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils act out a café role play in pairs from a prompt card, ordering food and drink in French and asking one question of their own.
- Year 8
- Pupils perform a train station role play in French in which they buy a ticket and report a problem, swapping cards each round so they cannot learn a script.
- Year 9
- Pupils hold a two-minute unprepared French conversation with the teacher about school and free time, answering each follow-up question with a reason.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Unit 1 Oracy, page 22
“The assessment will consist of three tasks: a read aloud and role play, a presentation and discussion, and a conversation.”
Progression step 3
I can make appropriate choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency and clarity.
I can ask and answer questions, building on and developing the ideas of others in group discussions.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions using a range of techniques to show impact.
Progression step 4
I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.
I can make informed choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency, accuracy and clarity.
I have experienced speaking with different people in a variety of authentic contexts.
Progression step 5
I can speak fluently and confidently, using a range of techniques, expressions and gestures.
I can speak from a range of convincing perspectives to meet the demands of different situations, contexts and purposes.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions in increasingly challenging and contentious contexts.
Good to know
- Dictionaries are banned in every unit: "Learners are not permitted to use a dictionary in any part of the assessment." (Summary of assessment, page 5).
- Unit 1 oracy allows only the learner's own notes: "or any other reference materials excluding the learner's own notes." (Section 3.2, Unit 1, page 21). Presentation preparation is time-limited: "The preparation period for the presentation may begin two weeks prior to the first timetabled assessment." (page 22).
- Unit 2 reading and writing NEA allows no reference materials at all: "Learners are not permitted to use dictionaries in any part of the assessment, or any other reference materials." (Section 3.2, Unit 2, page 22).
- Accuracy of language is assessed directly through AO3, "Demonstrate knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling correspondence.", weighted 8% in Unit 1, 5% in Unit 2 and 7.5% in Unit 4, 20.5% overall (Section 3.1, page 21). There is no separate SPaG mark for English or Welsh answers.
- Productive vocabulary is tied to the Appendix B lists: "Equal but no additional credit will be given for learners who use vocabulary outside the specified list in productive tasks." (Section 2, page 10).
- Unit 3 and Unit 4 questions are answered in English or Welsh, so learners' English or Welsh must be clear enough to show understanding: "respond to a range of questions in Cymraeg/English." (Unit 3, page 17).
- Unit 3 includes reading time before listening: "Written examination: 45 minutes (including 5 minutes' reading time)" (Unit 3, page 16).
- Number knowledge is limited to a stated range: learners "are expected to know the numbers" 1 to 100 (Appendix B, Numbers, page 40). The spec sets no calculation, mentions no calculator, and states no word limits for the writing tasks or whether responses are handwritten or typed.
Links with other GCSEs
WJEC's Appendix C ticks literacy listening for Units 1 and 3, reading and writing for Units 2 and 4, and speaking for Unit 1 (page 94), and ticks only the number system strand of numeracy, for all four units (page 95).
Source: WJEC GCSE French specification, Teaching from 2025, For award from 2027, Version 3, June 2026.