Success at writing: GCSE French – 2024 specification

Designed for the AQA GCSE French exam (but also relevant to the Edexcel and Eduqas specifications), this pack will equip students with the language and skills they need to tackle the writing paper.

It comprises:

• retrieval practice of vocabulary for key topics
• tips and activities on exam technique
• exam-style practice questions

for each of the Foundation tier and Higher tier questions in the AQA writing exam.

The pack has been updated for the 2024 specification and now includes a grammar section to prepare students for the new AQA Foundation tier grammar task. It also includes activities that practise language relevant to the new topic of 'Celebrity culture'.

Other changes have been made to the pack to reflect:

• the amended order of the questions in the AQA exam
• the fact that the rubrics and prompts are now in English
• the change from a passage to separate sentences in the Higher tier English to French translation task
• the change to the number of words included in the translation sentences and the number of words required in the Foundation tier writing task
• the new assessment objectives
• the revised mark allocations and mark schemes
• the most significant changes in the revised vocabulary list.

What's included?

This GCSE French writing pack includes:

• activities for each of the question types for Foundation and Higher tiers, including describing a photo; the 50, 90 and 150-word tasks; the Foundation tier grammar task; and translation
• revision of key language, pair work and peer assessment as well as exam practice
• top tips to help students maximise their marks.

About the writer

The tasks in Success at writing: GCSE French have been written and updated by Carol Bennell, an experienced examiner for AQA's GCSE writing exam.

What's inside?

Introduction

Teaching notes

Foundation tier

Describing a photo (Foundation question 1)

• Getting started
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review
• Answers

50-word task (Foundation question 2)

• Getting started
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review
• Answers

Grammar task (Foundation question 3)

• Getting started
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review
• Answers

Translation sentences (Foundation question 4)

• Getting started 
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice 
• Reflect and review
• Answers

Foundation and Higher tiers

90-word task (Foundation question 5 and Higher question 2)

• Getting started 
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review 
• Answers 

Higher tier

Translation sentences (Higher question 1)

• Getting started 
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review

150-word task (Higher question 3)

• Getting started 
• Tackling the question
• Exam practice
• Reflect and review
• Answers