French IGCSE EDEXCEL help

(Original post by vjk07)


Hi. First of all, I will say that I am not completely familiar with the Edexcel iGCSE spec (I'm studying AQA GCSE), but hopefully these tips are transferrable.

The first thing is to plan your revision. See how long you have until your exams/mocks and plan ahead. What I usually do is read through the spec and see what I need to prioritise. Which topics am I least confident on? Are there grammatical devices that I don't quite understand? Revise those first and the most. Then, gradually work your way through based on confidence (maybe just skim through textbook/revision notes for ones you're most confident with).

Another thing I do, especially for languages, is to practise speaking in front of a mirror. My GCSE involves a speaking exam and is marked on fluency and pronunciation as well as answering the question and making sense etc. Just try to really hear yourself saying the words. If you want, you can watch a bit of French TV to really nail the accent.

Finally, something I do a lot for languages I'm learning is to impregnate it in your daily life. What I mean is, maybe write your timetable in French instead of English; watch French news networks; when you see a word in English, think 'Oh, comment dit-on ce mot en français?' (how do we say that word in French?). It's small things like these that help you to get more used to the language and more comfortable when speaking it. This has especially worked for me.

Hope this helps!