Paper 3 — Reading (25% of GCSE)
Two main components: comprehension of French texts (questions and answers in English / non-verbal) and a translation from French into English.
Format
| Foundation | Higher | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 45 min | 60 min |
| Marks | 50 | 50 |
| Components | comprehension + translation FR→EN | same |
Section A — Comprehension
You read short to medium French texts (adverts, articles, blogs, social-media posts) and answer in English. Question types:
- Multiple choice
- True / false / not given
- Short-answer (1-3 words in English)
- Match-up tasks (people to opinions)
Higher texts include:
- Literary or journalistic register.
- Less common vocabulary from the spec list.
- Inferential questions ("How does the writer feel?")
Section B — Translation
A short French passage to translate into English. Foundation: 35 words; Higher: 50 words. Marked chunk-by-chunk for accuracy.
Translation principles
- Translate ideas, not words. Il y a → "there is/are", not "it has there".
- Keep tenses true. Je vivais = "I was living / I used to live", not "I live".
- Keep register. A blog post stays casual; a news article stays formal.
- Don't omit small words. Aussi, même, encore carry meaning.
- Cognates can betray you. Sympathique = nice/likeable, NOT "sympathetic".
False friends to memorise
| French | NOT English | Means |
|---|---|---|
| sensible | sensible | sensitive |
| la lecture | lecture | reading |
| une librairie | library | bookshop |
| la nourriture | nourishment | food |
| une caméra | camera | video camera (still: appareil photo) |
| actuellement | actually | currently |
| une journée | journey | day (length-of) |
| passer un examen | pass an exam | sit an exam |
Strategy — comprehension
- Skim the text first for gist.
- Read the questions before re-reading.
- Underline keywords in the text that match the question.
- For T/F/NG: if it's not stated explicitly, it's NG, even if "obvious".
- For "How does the writer feel?", look for adjectives, intensifiers, exclamation marks.
Strategy — translation
- Read the whole passage twice before writing anything.
- Mark unfamiliar words but don't dwell — context will help.
- Translate sentence-by-sentence, not word-by-word.
- Re-read your English at the end. Does it sound natural?
✦Worked example— Worked example — translation FR→EN
French: "Quand j'étais petite, je passais mes vacances chez mes grands-parents en Bretagne. On allait à la plage tous les jours et on mangeait des galettes le soir."
Step 1 — chunk: Quand j'étais petite / je passais mes vacances / chez mes grands-parents / en Bretagne. On allait à la plage / tous les jours / et on mangeait / des galettes / le soir.
Step 2 — translate: When I was little / I used to spend my holidays / at my grandparents' / in Brittany. We used to go to the beach / every day / and we ate / galettes (savoury crêpes) / in the evening.
⚠Common mistakes
- Word-for-word translation. Je me lave les cheveux → "I wash myself the hair" — should be "I wash my hair".
- Confusing imperfect with perfect. Je faisais = was doing / used to do; J'ai fait = I did.
- Missing the negative. Je ne suis jamais allé(e) — drop jamais and the meaning flips.
- Adding things not in the text. Don't editorialise.
- Leaving translation gaps. A blank chunk = 0 for that bit. Always write a best guess.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-french