General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Modern Foreign Language (French) Syllabus

Modern Foreign Language (French) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Modern Foreign Language (French) in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Identity and Culture

   4 topics

   • Me, my family and friends
     • Relationships and describing people
     • Marriage and partnership
   • Technology in everyday life
     • Social media
     • Mobile technology
   • Free time activities
     • Sport, music and cinema
     • Food and eating out
   • Customs and festivals
     • Celebrations and traditions
2. 2

   Local, National and Global Areas of Interest

   4 topics

   • Home, town and region
     • Describing where you live
     • Comparing town and country
   • Social issues
     • Charity and voluntary work
     • Healthy living and lifestyle
   • Global issues
     • The environment
     • Poverty and homelessness
   • Travel and tourism
     • Holidays and transport
3. 3

   Current and Future Study and Employment

   3 topics

   • School and education
     • School subjects and routine
     • School rules and pressures
   • Future plans
     • Further study and training
     • Career choices and ambitions
   • Jobs and work
     • Part-time jobs
     • Applying for work
4. 4

   Grammar and Structures

   3 topics

   • Verb tenses
     • Present, perfect and imperfect
     • Future and conditional
   • Nouns, articles and adjectives
     • Gender and agreement
     • Adjective position and comparison
   • Pronouns and connectives
     • Object and reflexive pronouns
     • Conjunctions and complex sentences
5. 5

   Language Skills

   4 topics

   • Listening
     • Understanding gist and detail
     • Identifying opinions
   • Speaking
     • Role-play and photo card
     • General conversation
   • Reading
     • Authentic texts and literary extracts
     • Translation into English
   • Writing
     • Structured and open-ended responses
     • Translation into the target language

Modern Foreign Language (French) flashcards for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

19 of 50 cards from the Modern Foreign Language (French) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In French, how do you say 'I get on well with my parents'?

   « Je m'entends bien avec mes parents. » The reflexive verb 's'entendre avec' means 'to get on with'.

2. What is the French word for 'stepmother', and how does it differ from 'mother-in-law'?

   Both are « la belle-mère ». Context determines the meaning: it covers stepmother and mother-in-law. Similarly « le beau-père » = stepfather/father-in-law.

3. Give the French for the family members: brother, sister, only child.

   Brother = « le frère »; sister = « la sœur »; only child = « le fils unique » (m) / « la fille unique » (f).

4. How do you describe someone's personality as 'kind and funny' in French (about a male friend)?

   « Il est gentil et drôle. » Note 'gentil' is the masculine form; the feminine is 'gentille'.

5. In the Technology topic, how do you say 'I use my phone to download apps'?

   « J'utilise mon portable pour télécharger des applis. » 'télécharger' = to download; 'une appli' = app.

6. What are the French words for 'social media', 'a screen', and 'to chat online'?

   Social media = « les réseaux sociaux »; a screen = « un écran »; to chat online = « tchatter / bavarder en ligne ».

7. Translate: 'Technology has advantages and disadvantages.'

   « La technologie a des avantages et des inconvénients. » 'un avantage' = advantage; 'un inconvénient' = disadvantage.

8. In the Free time topic, how do you say 'I play football' versus 'I play the guitar' in French?

   « Je joue au football » (jouer à + sport) but « Je joue de la guitare » (jouer de + instrument). The preposition changes with the activity type.

9. Give three French free-time activities: reading, swimming, watching TV.

   Reading = « lire »; swimming = « nager / faire de la natation »; watching TV = « regarder la télé ».

10. How do you say 'I am a member of a sports club' in French?

    « Je suis membre d'un club de sport. » 'faire partie de' (to be part of) is also common: « Je fais partie d'un club. »

11. What is the French for Christmas, Easter, and New Year's Day?

    Christmas = « Noël »; Easter = « Pâques »; New Year's Day = « le jour de l'An / le Nouvel An ».

12. Name a major French national celebration on 14 July and say what it commemorates.

    « La Fête nationale » (Bastille Day), on 14 July, commemorates the storming of the Bastille (1789) at the start of the French Revolution. There are fireworks ('des feux d'artifice') and parades.

13. How do you wish someone 'Happy Birthday' and 'Happy New Year' in French?

    Happy Birthday = « Bon anniversaire / Joyeux anniversaire »; Happy New Year = « Bonne année ».

14. In the Home/town topic, how do you say 'I live in a house in the suburbs'?

    « J'habite dans une maison en banlieue. » 'la banlieue' = suburbs; 'le centre-ville' = town centre; 'à la campagne' = in the countryside.

15. Give the French for: a flat, a bedroom, the kitchen.

    A flat = « un appartement »; a bedroom = « une chambre »; the kitchen = « la cuisine ».

16. How do you say 'There is a park and there are shops' in French, illustrating il y a?

    « Il y a un parc et il y a des magasins. » 'Il y a' translates both 'there is' and 'there are'.

17. In Social issues, what is the French for 'homelessness' and 'unemployment'?

    Homelessness = « le sans-abrisme »; a homeless person = « un SDF / un sans-abri ». Unemployment = « le chômage »; an unemployed person = « un chômeur ».

18. Translate the social-issues sentence: 'We should help the poor.'

    « On devrait aider les pauvres. » 'devrait' (should) is the conditional of 'devoir'; 'les pauvres' = poor people.

19. What is the French for 'poverty', 'inequality', and 'discrimination'?

    Poverty = « la pauvreté »; inequality = « l'inégalité » (f); discrimination = « la discrimination ».

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