Three days left and three papers to go: Listening, Reading and Writing all draw on the same closed vocabulary list, so every minute you spend now works across all three. Here's the order that gets you the most marks.
One focus per day, building to a timed run. Work it in order.
Ranked from analysed past papers. Start at the top: if you run out of time, you will have covered the most-tested ground.
Inaccurate verb formation is the single most common reason students lose writing marks, in every series and at both tiers, and these same verbs carry Listening and Reading comprehension too.
The 90-word task needs all three time frames, mainly accurate, for the full 5 AO3 marks. One memorised sentence frame per tense is the fastest way to guarantee this.
Combien, où, quand, quoi, qui and quel are flagged as widely unknown in examiner reports. Not knowing them costs marks in role-play, listening and reading simultaneously.
Dictation is worth 8-10 marks on Paper 1 and is marked on two grids: meaning (AO1) and transcription (AO3). The recording plays three times; never leave a gap.
Journée, travail, gentil, célébrer and métier/matière are the classic false-friend traps that examiner reports call out every year on the Reading paper.
Worth 15 marks on both tiers (Foundation Q5 = Higher Q2). Missing a single bullet point caps your content mark at 6 out of 10, regardless of how good the French is.
Ten marks on Reading (Fr to En) and ten on Writing (En to Fr). Each sentence is marked on whether the verb is the right tense AND the right person, so accuracy beats ambition here.
Nouns are always learned with their article (la maison, not maison) and adjective agreement is checked throughout the mark scheme. Small, fast wins in your last few days.
PrepWise has a one-page Knowledge Organiser for every topic above. In your final 3 days, use them the same way each time: cover the page, try to recall everything from memory, uncover and check what you missed, then repeat that topic again tomorrow.
Rules specific to Listening, Reading & Writing. On this paper, structure earns as many marks as knowledge.
On Listening, use the reading time to read every question and underline key words first, so you know exactly what you're listening for. Answer in the language the question is asked in: English questions need English answers, French questions need French answers.
On the 50, 90 and 150-word writing tasks, missing one bullet caps your content mark well below full marks, no matter how accurate the French is. Plan your answer against the bullets first, write, then tick each one off before you move on.
You need three time frames (past, present and future), mainly successful, for the top AO3 marks. Use your rehearsed sentence frame for each tense rather than inventing new grammar under pressure.
For both translation tasks, check the verb is the right tense AND the right person before worrying about anything else. A wrong tense or wrong person scores no mark for that sentence even if the vocabulary is right.
AQA builds in negation and contrast traps (mais, pas, finalement, ne...plus) that flip the meaning of a sentence in its final few words. Never lock in an answer from the first half of a sentence alone.
The errors examiners see most on this paper. Each one is an easy mark you already know how to keep.
Writing everything in the present tense → Use your tense toolkit: one rehearsed sentence frame each for the perfect and the near future (plus the simple future or conditional at Higher), so every writing task shows real tense range, not just the present.
Recycling the question's votre/vos without flipping it → When you reuse wording from the bullet point, change votre/vos to mon/ma/mes (and tu forms to je). Copying the question word-for-word signals you haven't understood it and loses marks.
Falling for false friends in Reading and Listening → Journée does not mean journey, travail does not mean travel, gentil does not mean gentle, and célébrer does not mean celebrities. Learn the false-friends bank so these don't cost you comprehension marks.
Leaving blanks in dictation instead of guessing → A blank is always marked as highly inaccurate. Write down something phonetically plausible for every word you're unsure of. A reasonable attempt at spelling can still pick up marks; a gap never can.
Writing far more than the word count to show off vocabulary → Writing 2-3 times the word count doesn't earn extra credit. It only creates more chances to make errors. Stick close to 50, 90 or 150 words and spend the time you save checking accuracy instead.
The 60 minutes before you walk in. Review what you know and settle your nerves.
You cannot revise a language by reading notes. Practise exam-style French questions in PrepWise, get instant marking, and check your tenses hold up before the exam does it for you.
Open the French Knowledge Organisers, quiz every priority topic and walk in ready. Free during alpha.
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