BGCSE French 0520 common mistakes
BGCSE French 0520 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing the answer to a listening question in English, or copying the French word heard without checking it fits the question, so a reply like 'le train' is given when the question asked at what time the train leaves.
Under time pressure candidates latch onto the first recognisable word in the recording and treat hearing a familiar noun as success, without re-reading the question stem to see what type of information (time, place, person, reason) is actually required.
What to do instead
Before the recording plays, underline the question word (quand, où, qui, pourquoi, combien) and the key noun in each item. During the second listening, check that the answer you write matches that question word. Practise with short clips where you first predict the answer type, then listen to confirm.
Missing numbers, prices, times and dates in listening passages because the candidate writes nothing when a figure is said quickly, or writes the first number heard when the speaker corrects themselves ('non, plutôt à quinze heures').
Numbers are spoken fast and are often followed by a self-correction or a distractor figure; candidates also hesitate over French number forms (soixante-dix, quatre-vingt-onze) and lose the rest of the sentence while decoding.
What to do instead
Drill French numbers 60-99 and prices aloud until recognition is automatic. In practice, note every number you hear with a symbol (€, h) and cross out the first figure when a correction follows. Learn to hold the pen ready on any item whose stem implies a quantity.
Treating a word that sounds like an English word as if it means the same thing, for example assuming 'actuellement' means 'actually', 'éventuellement' means 'eventually', or 'sensible' means 'sensible'.
The brain maps an unfamiliar French word onto the nearest English word automatically, and candidates do not verify the meaning against the surrounding sentence, so a whole sentence is misread or misheard.
What to do instead
Keep a personal list of faux amis and test yourself on them in context sentences, not in isolation. Whenever a sentence seems odd after your first interpretation, re-read it substituting a different meaning for the suspicious word before committing to an answer.
Answering reading questions by matching a single shared word between the text and an option, rather than reading the whole sentence in which that word appears.
Word-matching is fast and feels reliable, and distractors are deliberately built to reuse vocabulary from the passage while reversing the meaning, the subject, or the chronology.
What to do instead
Cover the options, read the relevant paragraph, and state the answer in your own words first; only then uncover the options and choose the closest match. Justify each rejection in one phrase ('wrong person', 'wrong tense') so the choice rests on meaning, not on vocabulary overlap.
Leaving blanks or writing single words for questions that require a full sentence or a stated reason, and answering in the wrong person ('il aime' when the question asks 'et vous?').
Candidates run out of time and prioritise finishing over completing, and they underestimate how much grammatical accuracy and sentence structure carry in the marks for open-response items.
What to do instead
In mock papers, allocate a fixed time per section and practise writing a complete sentence even when unsure, using a safe frame such as 'Parce que + subject + verb'. Highlight every question containing 'vous' or 'ton/votre' and check the verb ending matches the required person.
Writing a message or short essay with no greeting, no sign-off, and no paragraphing, launching straight into content and ending abruptly.
Candidates focus entirely on getting sentences down within the time limit and are unaware that task achievement and layout are assessed separately from grammatical accuracy.
What to do instead
Memorise a small set of openers and closers matched to register (tu/vous, amical vs formel) and use them in every practice piece. Before writing, jot a three-line plan (opening, two content points, closing) and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
Relying on a handful of memorised complex phrases that do not fit the question, or writing very short sentences with only present tense, so the piece reads as a list of unrelated statements.
Candidates believe long words earn marks and are afraid of making errors with tenses, so they either bolt on an irrelevant subjunctive or avoid complexity altogether.
What to do instead
Build a bank of connectives and structures (d'abord, cependant, si + imperfect, après avoir + infinitive) and practise inserting them into answers to past-paper-style prompts about different topics. Aim for variety within the topic, and check each complex phrase actually carries the meaning you intend.
Preparing a memorised oral presentation and delivering it regardless of the question asked, then falling silent when the examiner follows up with an unexpected question.
Candidates rehearse monologues because they feel controllable, but the oral assesses interaction, and a memorised block cannot respond to a follow-up or a changed prompt.
What to do instead
Practise with a partner who asks unpredictable follow-ups and interrupts. Prepare topic vocabulary and three adaptable opinions per theme rather than a fixed script, and rehearse repair phrases ('Pardon, pouvez-vous répéter?', 'Je veux dire que...') so a stumble does not end the exchange.
Speaking in a flat monotone with English-style stress on every syllable and pronouncing final consonants that should be silent ('ils parlent' with a sounded -ent, 'petit' with a sounded -t).
Candidates read French with English phonology and have had little exposure to the rhythm of spoken French, and nerves make them rush and drop the liaison and intonation patterns that carry meaning.
What to do instead
Shadow short audio clips, imitating rhythm and melody rather than individual sounds, and record yourself to compare. Learn the rules for silent final consonants and liaison explicitly, and practise question intonation by reading question-answer pairs aloud.
Giving up or guessing randomly when a listening item is missed, instead of using the remaining context, and failing to transfer answers to the answer sheet in the correct place within the time allowed.
One missed word triggers panic, the candidate stops listening to the rest of the passage, and later answers drift out of alignment with the question numbers on the sheet.
What to do instead
Train a recovery routine: mark the missed item with a cross, move immediately to the next question, and return at the end using the topic and any words you did catch. In every mock, practise transferring answers at the end of each section and checking the numbering before moving on.