Paper 4 — Writing (25% of GCSE)
Three main task types: short structured writing, longer structured response, and translation from English into French.
Format
| Foundation | Higher | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 1 hr 10 min | 1 hr 15 min |
| Marks | 50 | 50 |
Tasks at Foundation
- ~40-word task — write 5 short sentences answering 5 bullet points (10 marks).
- ~90-word task — three bullet points, more variety (15 marks).
- Translation EN→FR — 35 words (10 marks).
- 150-word essay (15 marks).
Tasks at Higher
- 90-word task on a familiar topic (15 marks).
- 150-word task with a wider perspective (25 marks).
- Translation EN→FR — 50 words (10 marks).
Foundation 40-word grid
| Bullet | Marks |
|---|---|
| Address all 5 bullets clearly | 4 |
| Range of vocabulary | 3 |
| Accuracy | 3 |
Tip: Write one short sentence per bullet — examiners just want each bullet ticked off. No extra credit for going long here.
90-word task
Three bullet points. Examiners want:
- All three covered.
- At least two tenses (e.g. present + past).
- One opinion + reason.
- Reasonable accuracy.
150-word essay (Higher)
Three bullet points; the third is more open / debate-style. Examiners reward:
- All three bullets developed.
- Three tenses minimum (present, past, future / conditional).
- Two opinions with justifications.
- A range of structures (relative clauses, si-clauses, modal verbs, subjunctive).
- Sophisticated connectives (par contre, bien que, en revanche).
Translation EN→FR
Higher gets 50 words; Foundation 35. Marked chunk-by-chunk. Translate the meaning, but stay close to the original — don't add ideas.
"Bricks" — phrases that work in any essay
- À mon avis, / Je pense que / Je trouve que…
- D'un côté… de l'autre…
- Selon moi, le plus grand avantage est…
- Il faut souligner que…
- Cela dit, on ne peut pas nier que…
- Si je pouvais changer une chose, ce serait…
- En conclusion, …
A 150-word skeleton
[Bullet 1 — present]: J'habite à… / Je m'appelle… / Au lycée, je… (≈40 words)
[Bullet 2 — past]: L'année dernière, j'ai / je suis… (≈40 words)
[Bullet 3 — future / conditional]: À l'avenir, j'aimerais… Si j'avais le choix, je… (≈70 words; develop with 2 opinions)
Translation discipline
- Read the English carefully — note tense markers ("yesterday", "next week").
- Identify tricky bits — phrasal verbs ("look forward to" = avoir hâte de), negation, comparative.
- Keep agreements — adjectives, past participles, possessives.
- Re-read your French — does it parse?
⚠Common mistakes
- Going over word count — don't write 200 when 90 is asked. Examiners can stop reading.
- One-tense answers — kills your range mark.
- Translating idioms literally — "I'm fed up" is j'en ai marre, not je suis nourri.
- Forgetting agreements — Mes parents sont content should be contents.
- Not re-reading — silly slips lose accuracy marks.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-french