This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within The 25 core verbs for GCSE French. Revise The 25 core verbs in The 25 Core Verbs and the Present Tense for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- These 6 irregular verbs appear in virtually every AQA Foundation task — if you know them cold, you gain marks in every single skill.
- In reading and listening, recognise the verb FORM first, then work out who is doing the action (je/il/elle/nous).
- For writing: vary your subject pronouns — don't write je…je…je — mix in on, il, elle, nous.
- In speaking (role-play or photo card), using even one of these verbs correctly in a complex sentence (e.g. je veux aller…) picks up AO2 marks.
❌ Common error: Je suis faim. / Je suis froid.
✓ Correct: J'ai faim. / J'ai froid.
Why it costs marks: In French, physical sensations — hunger, thirst, cold, hot, fear — use avoir, not être. Examiners see this error constantly. Writing je suis faim suggests you haven't understood the difference between the two most important verbs in French, which affects your AO3 (grammatical accuracy) mark.
Practice questions for The 25 core verbs
What does the French verb 'être' mean in English?
Which of the following is a correct use of the verb 'faire'?