How many papers are in Edexcel GCSE French?

Four papers, one per skill, each worth 50 marks and 25%. Paper 1 (Speaking) is internally conducted and externally assessed. Paper 2 (Listening + dictation) is written. Paper 3 (Reading + translation from French into English) and Paper 4 (Writing + translation into French) are both written. 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. Your school picks based on your predicted grade.

What's the dictation?

New in the 2024 spec, Paper 2 (Listening) Section B is a dictation worth 10 marks. You listen to short sentences in French and transcribe them into written French accurately, including accents. Practise weekly. It's a small chunk of Paper 2 but easy marks if you drill it.

What's the defined vocabulary list?

From 2024, Pearson publishes a defined vocab list per tier: ~1200 words Foundation, ~1700 Higher. Every word in the exam is drawn from these lists. Learn the list systematically. You can still produce vocabulary outside the list in writing/speaking for extra credit.

How does Edexcel differ from AQA?

Both are 4 papers at 25% each with defined vocab and grammar lists from 2024, and both listening papers include a dictation section (Edexcel Paper 2 Section B, 10 marks; AQA Paper 1 Section B, 8 marks Foundation / 10 marks Higher). Content is broadly comparable. Your school picks based on preference.

Does Cognito cover Edexcel GCSE French?

Cognito has past papers and mark schemes for Edexcel GCSE French (1FR1). Use them for timed practice and check your answers against the official mark schemes as you go.

Edexcel GCSE French (1FR1) Specification

Edexcel GCSE (9-1) French (1FR1, 2024 spec) is a two-tier linear qualification (Foundation and Higher) with four papers testing speaking, listening, reading and writing across six thematic contexts. Each paper is worth 50 marks and 25%, and all papers are sat at the end of Year 11.

Download the official spec (PDF)

specification overview

1. My personal world
All papers
- Family and friends
- Interests and free time
- Daily routines
2. Lifestyle and wellbeing
All papers
- Health, food and diet
- Sport and exercise
- Environment and sustainability
3. My neighbourhood
All papers
- Local area, home region, French-speaking countries
- Travel, tourism, transport
- Global cultures and celebrations
4. Media and technology
All papers
- Social media, mobile devices, technology in daily life
- Music, film, TV, celebrity culture
5. Studying and my future
All papers
- School life, subjects, education systems
- Careers, jobs, future plans
6. Travel and tourism
All papers
- Holidays and travel
- Accommodation
- Tourist attractions and regions

subject content

Paper	What's assessed	Length	Marks	Weight	Question types
Paper 1 (Speaking)	Speaking across the six thematic contexts	7-9m F / 10-12m H (+ 15m prep)	50	25%	Task 1: read aloud + short unprepared interaction (12 marks). Task 2: transactional role play (10 marks). Task 3: picture task (12 marks) with conversation (16 marks). Internally conducted, externally assessed
Paper 2 (Listening and understanding)	Listening comprehension + dictation across themes	45m F / 60m H (incl. 5m reading time)	50	25%	Section A: Listening comprehension (40 marks) - multiple-choice, multiple-response, short-answer, all in English. Section B: Dictation from French (10 marks)
Paper 3 (Reading and understanding)	Reading comprehension + translation from French to English	45m F / 60m H	50	25%	Section A: Reading comprehension (40 marks) - multiple-choice, multiple-response, short-answer, all in English. Section B: Translation into English (10 marks)
Paper 4 (Writing)	Written production + translation from English to French	1h 15m F / 1h 20m H	50	25%	Foundation: picture-based task, formal open-response, informal open-response, translation into French. Higher: informal open-response, formal open-response, translation into French

PaperPaper 1 (Speaking)

What's assessedSpeaking across the six thematic contexts

Length7-9m F / 10-12m H (+ 15m prep)

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesTask 1: read aloud + short unprepared interaction (12 marks). Task 2: transactional role play (10 marks). Task 3: picture task (12 marks) with conversation (16 marks). Internally conducted, externally assessed

PaperPaper 2 (Listening and understanding)

What's assessedListening comprehension + dictation across themes

Length45m F / 60m H (incl. 5m reading time)

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesSection A: Listening comprehension (40 marks) - multiple-choice, multiple-response, short-answer, all in English. Section B: Dictation from French (10 marks)

PaperPaper 3 (Reading and understanding)

What's assessedReading comprehension + translation from French to English

Length45m F / 60m H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesSection A: Reading comprehension (40 marks) - multiple-choice, multiple-response, short-answer, all in English. Section B: Translation into English (10 marks)

PaperPaper 4 (Writing)

What's assessedWritten production + translation from English to French

Length1h 15m F / 1h 20m H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesFoundation: picture-based task, formal open-response, informal open-response, translation into French. Higher: informal open-response, formal open-response, translation into French

All four papers must be sat at the same tier. Paper 2 Section B is a new dictation task (introduced in the 2024 spec), worth 10 marks. Paper 1 Speaking is conducted internally by the teacher and externally assessed by Pearson.

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 knowledge 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 knowledge 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, near future, imperfect	Full range: pluperfect, conditional, subjunctive, more complex sentence structures
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, near future, imperfect

Higher tierFull range: pluperfect, conditional, subjunctive, more complex sentence structures

AspectSpeaking length

Foundation tier7-9 mins total

Higher tier10-12 mins total

higher vs foundation

Practise dictation
New in 2024: Paper 2 (Listening) Section B is a dictation worth 10 marks. Practise weekly, listen and write down what you hear accurately, including accents and silent letters.
Learn the defined vocab list
Pearson publishes a defined vocab list per tier (~1200 F, ~1700 H). Every exam word is drawn from this list. Drill systematically.
Master the tenses on your tier
Foundation: present, perfect, imperfect, near future. Higher adds pluperfect, conditional, subjunctive. Learn -er, -ir, -re regular endings plus key irregulars.
Practise speaking every day
Speaking is 25%. Do 10 minutes daily: photo/picture descriptions, role-plays, general conversation. Record yourself for pronunciation.
Practise translation both ways
Papers 3 and 4 include translation. Practise weekly, focus on tense accuracy, gender, adjective agreement and word order.
Learn opinion phrases
Higher writing rewards opinions with justification. Learn phrases: à mon avis, je pense que, je trouve que, en ce qui me concerne.

key tips for success

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GCSE French (Edexcel)

Free past papers

GCSE French (Edexcel) grade boundaries

Where to next

GCSE French (1FR1) Specification

Frequently asked questions

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