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 Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
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Reading and writing about a French literary work
For the Unit 2 NEA learners study a graphic novel, short story, film script or novel in French, then answer a task set in Cymraeg or English by writing in French. They are not expected to understand every word but must give their understanding, ideas and opinions, with no dictionary or reference materials.
Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read a short French comic strip together and write three French sentences about their favourite character using 'il est' or 'elle est' and 'j'aime'.
- Year 8
- Pupils read a short graded French story over several lessons and write a French paragraph saying what happens and what they think of the ending, with a reason.
- Year 9
- Pupils study an extract from a French graphic novel or film script and answer an English-language question in French in 30 minutes, using only the vocabulary they know.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2 Reading and Writing, Areas of content, page 15
“for learners to engage with a French work and write about it in French.”
Progression step 3
I can read complex texts independently for sustained periods.
I can read to build my vocabulary and develop sentence structures, and use these in my own communication.
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.
Progression step 4
I can read, with concentration, printed and digital texts that are new to me and update, broaden and deepen my understanding of information, ideas and issues.
I can read to build my vocabulary and develop sentence structures, and use these effectively in my own communication.
I can organise and construct my writing effectively, connecting and developing my ideas for a range of different contexts.
Progression step 5
I can read closely, analysing the content, language and impact of texts to deepen my understanding.
I can write with maturity about my thoughts, feelings and opinions in increasingly challenging and contentious contexts.
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Writing in French for different purposes
The Unit 4 writing task asks learners to write in French in response to a stimulus, communicating information, describing, narrating and justifying opinions in formal and informal contexts, using more complex structures and past, present and future time frames.
Literacy: Connectives and syntax, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write a five-sentence French description of their family and pets, each sentence including an opinion joined with 'parce que'.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a French postcard from a holiday using the perfect tense for three things they did and one sentence about a future plan.
- Year 9
- Pupils write 80 to 100 words in French replying to an advert for a summer job, using three time frames and justified opinions, then check it against a success checklist.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 4 Reading and Writing, Areas of content, page 19
“communicate clearly and effectively in writing for a variety of purposes, including communicating information, describing, narrating, expressing and justifying opinions”
Progression step 3
I can use an increasing range of connectives to organise my ideas in sentences, paragraphs and whole texts.
I can use the standard form of a variety of words, e.g. present, past and negative forms.
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.
I can use a range of connectives specifically when organising my ideas in whole texts for different purposes.
I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.
Progression step 5
I can vary sentence structures to engage and sustain the reader’s interest and write with grammatical accuracy.
I can organise writing in an appropriate form, ensuring content is detailed within and between paragraphs or sections, developing and sustaining ideas coherently.
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Planning, redrafting and delivering a presentation
Learners prepare a presentation in French on their own interest in advance, then take part in an unprepared discussion about it. Only their own notes are allowed in the room, so they must plan, redraft and reduce their talk to brief notes.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Proofreading, editing and improving, Purpose, Questioning, Clarity and vocabulary
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils plan a 30-second French talk about a hobby on a cue card of five key words, then give it from the card rather than a script.
- Year 8
- Pupils draft a one-minute French presentation on a favourite film or sport, redraft it after peer feedback on tenses and opinions, and predict three questions they might be asked.
- Year 9
- Pupils prepare a French presentation on a personal interest, cut it down to brief notes, deliver it, and then answer two unprepared follow-up questions in French.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1 Oracy, Areas of content, page 13
“give a presentation, prepared in advance, based on their own interest and take part in a short unprepared discussion relating to the presentation”
Progression step 3
I can explore different ways to plan, draft and present my work appropriately.
I can reflect on, edit and redraft to improve the quality of my expression, and use a range of strategies to ensure greater clarity.
I can organise talk so that different audiences in different contexts can follow what is being said, including using formal language.
Progression step 4
I can select and use appropriate strategies to plan and develop my writing for different purposes and audiences.
I can improve writing through independent review and redrafting.
I can sustain a convincing point of view, anticipating and responding to other perspectives.
Progression step 5
I can present ideas and issues to meet the demands of different audiences.
I can select and use appropriate strategies to plan and develop my writing for a challenging range of different purposes and audiences.
I can improve the content, structure and accuracy of my writing through critical reflection, review and editing, responding constructively to feedback.
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.