How to Revise GCSE French

Revising French effectively means practising all four skills — listening, reading, writing, and speaking — not just the ones you find easiest. Many students focus on reading and writing because they are easier to do alone, but listening and speaking skills deteriorate quickly without regular practice. Build all four into your weekly revision schedule.

Vocabulary acquisition is the foundation of everything in French. Use spaced repetition — either with physical flashcards or a digital tool — to learn and retain vocabulary systematically. Aim to learn vocabulary in context rather than as isolated words, and always learn the gender of nouns and any irregular verb forms at the same time.

For the writing and speaking components, learn a set of high-quality phrases and structures that you can adapt to any topic. Examiners reward accuracy and complexity, so having a repertoire of subordinate clauses, opinion phrases, and connectives that you can use confidently is more valuable than trying to be creative with language you have not fully mastered. Practise writing and speaking responses under timed conditions to build fluency.