AQA GCSE & IGCSE French
8658
Specification 8658. "Paper" and "Mark scheme" open the exam board's official PDF directly — we don't host any files.
AQA GCSE French (8658)
AQA GCSE French (8658) is the legacy specification, replaced by GCSE French 8652. Its four papers (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) are each worth 25% and taken at the same tier (Foundation, grades 1–5, or Higher, grades 4–9) in the same series. Listening is 40/50 marks (35/45 minutes including 5 minutes' reading time); Speaking is a 60-mark non-exam assessment of 7–9 or 10–12 minutes; Reading is 60 marks (45 minutes/1 hour) with a translation into English; Writing is 50/60 marks (1 hour/1 hour 15 minutes) with a translation into French. Its three themes are identity and culture; local, national, international and global areas of interest; and current and future study and employment.
| Paper | What it covers | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8658/LF · LH Paper 1: Listening | Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language. Section A has questions in English, answered in English or non-verbally; Section B has questions in French, answered in French or non-verbally. Foundation 40 marks, Higher 50 marks. | Foundation 35m / Higher 45m (incl. 5m reading time) | 25% | |
| 8658/SF · SH Paper 2: Speaking | Non-exam assessment of communicating and interacting effectively in speech, with the same format at both tiers but different stimulus material: role-play (15 marks, 2 minutes), photo card (15 marks, 2 minutes Foundation / 3 minutes Higher) and general conversation (30 marks, 3–5 minutes Foundation / 5–7 minutes Higher), plus preparation time. 60 marks at each tier. | Foundation 7–9m / Higher 10–12m (plus preparation time) | 60 | 25% |
| 8658/RF · RH Paper 3: Reading | Understanding and responding to different types of written language. Section A has questions in English, Section B questions in French, both answered in that language or non-verbally; Section C is a translation from French into English (minimum 35 words Foundation, 50 words Higher). 60 marks at each tier. | Foundation 45m / Higher 1h | 60 | 25% |
| 8658/WF · WH Paper 4: Writing | Communicating effectively in writing. Foundation (50 marks): a four-sentence message about a photo, a short passage of about 40 words, a translation into French (minimum 35 words) and a structured task of about 90 words. Higher (60 marks): a structured task of about 90 words, an open-ended task of about 150 words and a translation into French (minimum 50 words). Extended tasks offer a choice of two questions. | Foundation 1h / Higher 1h 15m | 25% |
AQA GCSE French (8652)
AQA GCSE French (8652) is the new specification, first taught from September 2024 with first exams in June 2026; specimens only are available here. It has four papers, each worth 25% and taken at the same tier (Foundation or Higher). Listening (40/50 marks) now includes dictation; Speaking (50 marks, non-exam assessment) combines a role-play, a reading aloud task with conversation and a photo card discussion; Reading (50 marks) ends with a translation into English; Writing (50 marks) includes a translation into French. Content covers three themes: people and lifestyle, popular culture, and communication and the world around us.
| Paper | What it covers | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8652/LF · LH Paper 1: Listening | Understanding and responding to spoken extracts and dictating short spoken extracts. Section A: listening comprehension questions in English, answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks Foundation, 40 Higher). Section B: dictation of short sentences, including a small number of words from outside the prescribed vocabulary list (8 marks Foundation, 10 Higher). Foundation 40 marks, Higher 50 marks. | Foundation c. 35m / Higher c. 45m (incl. 5m reading and 2m checking time) | 25% | |
| 8652/RF · RH Paper 3: Reading | Understanding and responding to written texts, inferring plausible meanings of single words in sentences, and translating. Section A: reading comprehension questions in English, answered in English or non-verbally (40 marks). Section B: translation from French into English, minimum 35 words Foundation or 50 words Higher (10 marks). 50 marks at each tier. | Foundation 45m / Higher 1h | 50 | 25% |
| 8652/WF · WH Paper 4: Writing | Accurate writing in response to simple stimuli, plus translation into French. Foundation: five sentences about a photo, about 50 words on five bullet points, five short grammar tasks, a translation (minimum 35 words) and an overlap task of about 90 words. Higher: a translation (minimum 50 words), the overlap task of about 90 words, and an open-ended task of about 150 words. 50 marks at each tier. | Foundation 1h 10m / Higher 1h 15m | 50 | 25% |
June 20258 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SFFoundation tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SHHigher tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
June 20248 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SFFoundation tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SHHigher tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
June 20238 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SFFoundation tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SHHigher tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
June 20228 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SFFoundation tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/SHHigher tier · Paper 2 (Speaking)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
November 20216 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
November 20206 papers
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
Specimen papers12 papers
8652/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/LFFoundation tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8652/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/RFFoundation tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8652/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/WFFoundation tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8652/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8658/LHHigher tier · Paper 1 (Listening)
8652/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8658/RHHigher tier · Paper 3 (Reading)
8652/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
8658/WHHigher tier · Paper 4 (Writing)
Every link above points to a PDF published by AQA. The most recent series is usually teacher-only until the board releases it publicly. Broken link? Tell us.
Turn past papers into visible progress
Create a free Wisesprout account, pick your level, board and subject, and every paper on that line appears in your dashboard — mark each one done or flag it for a redo, and watch your coverage grow. Studying with a Wisesprout mentor? They can set papers as homework and follow your progress.