How many papers are in AQA GCSE French?

Four papers, one per skill. Paper 1 (Listening) is 25%. Paper 2 (Speaking) is 25%. Paper 3 (Reading, including translation from French) is 25%. Paper 4 (Writing, including translation into French) is 25%. All sat at the end of Year 11.

Foundation or Higher?

Two tiers. Foundation covers grades 5-1; Higher covers grades 9-4 with a safety net grade 3. All 4 papers must be sat at the same tier, no mixing. Your school picks based on your predicted grade.

What's the defined vocabulary list?

From 2024, AQA publishes a defined vocabulary list per tier: 1200 words Foundation, 1700 Higher (the Higher list is the Foundation list plus 500 further items). Learn the list systematically. Higher and overlapping-tier reading texts in Paper 3 may contain a small number of words from outside the list - no more than 2% glossed with English meanings, plus up to 2% cognates.

How does the speaking exam work?

Speaking is a non-exam assessment: teacher-conducted 1-to-1 and audio-recorded, with 15 minutes' supervised preparation time before the assessment. Three tasks: role-play (1-1.5 min, 10 marks), reading aloud with a short follow-up conversation (2-2.5 min Foundation, 3-3.5 min Higher, 15 marks) and photo card discussion (4-5 min Foundation, 6-7 min Higher, 25 marks). Total 7-9 mins Foundation, 10-12 mins Higher. Marked by an AQA examiner.

How does AQA differ from Edexcel?

Both are 4 papers at 25% each covering the 4 skills. AQA introduced a defined vocabulary and grammar list from 2024 (Edexcel has similar). AQA's themes are 3 broad areas. Edexcel uses similar thematic structure. Content depth is comparable, your school picks based on preference.

Does Cognito cover AQA GCSE French?

Cognito has past papers and mark schemes for AQA GCSE French (8652). Use them for timed practice and check your answers against the official mark schemes as you go.

AQA GCSE French (8652) Specification

AQA GCSE French (8652) is a two-tier linear qualification (Foundation and Higher) with four externally-marked papers covering listening, speaking, reading and writing across three defined themes. Each skill is worth 25% of the qualification and all four papers are sat at the end of Year 11.

Download the official spec (PDF)

specification overview

1. People and lifestyle
All papers
- Identity and relationships with others
- Healthy living and lifestyle
- Education and work
2. Popular culture
All papers
- Free-time activities (music, sport, film, TV)
- Customs, festivals and celebrations
- Celebrity culture
3. Communication and the world around us
All papers
- Travel and tourism (including French-speaking countries)
- Media and technology
- The environment and where people live
4. Grammar
All papers
- Foundation grammar list: present, perfect, imperfect, near future, conditional (basic)
- Higher additional grammar: inflectional future, conditional of regular -er verbs, present participle, present passive, venir de and etre en train de constructions, perfect tense of modal verbs
5. Vocabulary
All papers
- AQA-defined vocabulary list per tier (~1200 words Foundation, ~1700 Higher)
- Both receptive and productive use expected

subject content

Paper	What's assessed	Length	Marks	Weight	Question types
Paper 1 (Listening)	Listening comprehension across 3 themes	35m F / 45m H	40 F / 50 H	25%	Section A: comprehension questions in English, answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks Foundation / 40 marks Higher). Section B: dictation - transcribing short spoken French (8 marks Foundation / 10 marks Higher)
Paper 2 (Speaking, NEA)	Speaking across 3 themes	7-9m F / 10-12m H (plus 15 min preparation time)	50	25%	Role-play (1-1.5 min, 10 marks), reading aloud task with short conversation (2-2.5 min Foundation, 3-3.5 min Higher, 15 marks), photo card discussion (4-5 min Foundation, 6-7 min Higher, 25 marks). Teacher-conducted and audio-recorded, marked by an AQA examiner
Paper 3 (Reading)	Reading comprehension + translation into English across 3 themes	45m F / 1h H	50	25%	Multiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions in English and French. Translation from French to English (~35 words F, ~50 words H)
Paper 4 (Writing)	Written production across 3 themes + translation into French	1h 10m F / 1h 15m H	50	25%	Foundation: photo description, short passage, message response, structured writing task, translation. Higher: message response, structured writing task, extended-response task, translation

PaperPaper 1 (Listening)

What's assessedListening comprehension across 3 themes

Length35m F / 45m H

Marks40 F / 50 H

Weight25%

Question typesSection A: comprehension questions in English, answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks Foundation / 40 marks Higher). Section B: dictation - transcribing short spoken French (8 marks Foundation / 10 marks Higher)

PaperPaper 2 (Speaking, NEA)

What's assessedSpeaking across 3 themes

Length7-9m F / 10-12m H (plus 15 min preparation time)

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesRole-play (1-1.5 min, 10 marks), reading aloud task with short conversation (2-2.5 min Foundation, 3-3.5 min Higher, 15 marks), photo card discussion (4-5 min Foundation, 6-7 min Higher, 25 marks). Teacher-conducted and audio-recorded, marked by an AQA examiner

PaperPaper 3 (Reading)

What's assessedReading comprehension + translation into English across 3 themes

Length45m F / 1h H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesMultiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions in English and French. Translation from French to English (~35 words F, ~50 words H)

PaperPaper 4 (Writing)

What's assessedWritten production across 3 themes + translation into French

Length1h 10m F / 1h 15m H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesFoundation: photo description, short passage, message response, structured writing task, translation. Higher: message response, structured writing task, extended-response task, translation

All four papers must be sat at the same tier (all Foundation or all Higher). AQA's post-2024 spec introduces a defined vocabulary list and grammar list per tier. Speaking is a non-exam assessment: teacher-conducted and audio-recorded (with 15 minutes' supervised preparation time), and marked by an AQA examiner.

assessment structure

AO	What it means	Overall
AO1	Understand and respond to spoken language in speaking and in writing.	35%
AO2	Understand and respond to written language in speaking and in writing.	45%
AO3	Demonstrate understanding and accurate application of the grammar and vocabulary prescribed in the specification.	20%

AOAO1

What it meansUnderstand and respond to spoken language in speaking and in writing.

Overall35%

AOAO2

What it meansUnderstand and respond to written language in speaking and in writing.

Overall45%

AOAO3

What it meansDemonstrate understanding and accurate application of the grammar and vocabulary prescribed in the specification.

Overall20%

assessment objectives

Aspect	Foundation tier	Higher tier
Grades available	5-1	9-4 (with safety net grade 3)
Vocabulary list	~1200 defined words	~1700 defined words
Grammar range	Present, perfect, imperfect, near future, basic conditional	Adds inflectional future, conditional of regular -er verbs, present participle and present passive; the subjunctive and pluperfect are not on the list
Speaking length	7-9 mins total	10-12 mins total

AspectGrades available

Foundation tier5-1

Higher tier9-4 (with safety net grade 3)

AspectVocabulary list

Foundation tier~1200 defined words

Higher tier~1700 defined words

AspectGrammar range

Foundation tierPresent, perfect, imperfect, near future, basic conditional

Higher tierAdds inflectional future, conditional of regular -er verbs, present participle and present passive; the subjunctive and pluperfect are not on the list

AspectSpeaking length

Foundation tier7-9 mins total

Higher tier10-12 mins total

higher vs foundation

Learn the defined vocabulary list
AQA publishes a defined vocab list per tier (~1200 Foundation, ~1700 Higher). Every word on the list can appear in the exam. Drill using apps like Quizlet.
Master the tenses on your tier list
Foundation: present, perfect, imperfect (limited forms), near future (aller + infinitive), imperative and the conditional of vouloir. Higher adds the inflectional future, the conditional of regular -er verbs, the present participle and the present passive - the pluperfect and subjunctive are not on the 8652 grammar list. Learn -er, -ir, -re regular endings plus key irregulars (être, avoir, aller, faire).
Practise speaking every day
Speaking is 25%. Do 10 minutes daily: photo descriptions, role-plays, general conversation. Record yourself and listen back for pronunciation.
Practise translation both ways
Papers 3 and 4 include translation (French to English on reading, English to French on writing). Practise weekly, focus on tense accuracy and word order.
Master exam techniques for listening
Listen twice on Paper 1. First pass: get gist. Second pass: fill detail. Learn to spot numbers, dates, times and negations quickly.
Learn opinion phrases
Higher writing rewards opinions with justification. Learn phrases: à mon avis, je pense que, je trouve que, ce qui m'énerve, ce qui me plaît.

key tips for success

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GCSE French (AQA)

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GCSE French (AQA) grade boundaries

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GCSE French (8652) Specification

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