Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) Past Papers, Mark Schemes & Examiner Tips
Prepare confidently for Cambridge IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520) with past papers, official mark schemes, listening audio, speaking materials, grade thresholds and practical examiner tips. Find question papers for the March, May/June and October/November exam series, clearly organised by year, paper and variant. Jump to the examiner tips or read the frequently asked questions for further revision and exam guidance.
March 2026 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2026 Cambridge IGCSE French – Foreign Language | Downloads | |
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – February/March 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – February/March 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – February/March 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – February/March 2026 |
June 2026 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2026 Cambridge IGCSE French – Foreign Language | Downloads | |
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 1 Listening (0520/11) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 1 Listening (0520/13) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 2 Reading (0520/21) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 2 Reading (0520/23) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 4 Writing (0520/41) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – May/June 2026 | ||
Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 4 Writing (0520/43) – May/June 2026 |
2025 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2025 Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) | Downloads | |
Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – February/March 2025 | ||
Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – February/March 2025 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – February/March 2025 | ||
Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – February/March 2025 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – May/June 2025 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – May/June 2025 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – May/June 2025 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – May/June 2025 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – October/November 2025 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – October/November 2025 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – October/November 2025 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – October/November 2025 |
2024 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2024 Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) | Downloads | |
Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – February/March 2024 | ||
Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – February/March 2024 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – February/March 2024 | ||
Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – February/March 2024 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – May/June 2024 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – May/June 2024 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – May/June 2024 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – May/June 2024 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – October/November 2024 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – October/November 2024 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – October/November 2024 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – October/November 2024 |
2023 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2023 Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) | Downloads | |
Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – February/March 2023 | ||
Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – February/March 2023 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – February/March 2023 | ||
Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – February/March 2023 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – May/June 2023 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – May/June 2023 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – May/June 2023 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – May/June 2023 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – October/November 2023 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – October/November 2023 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – October/November 2023 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – October/November 2023 |
2022 Cambridge IGCSE French Past Papers
2022 Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) | Downloads | |
Paper 1 Listening (0520/12) – February/March 2022 | ||
Paper 2 Reading (0520/22) – February/March 2022 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – February/March 2022 | ||
Paper 4 Writing (0520/42) – February/March 2022 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – May/June 2022 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – May/June 2022 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – May/June 2022 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – May/June 2022 | ||
Paper 1 Listening – October/November 2022 | ||
Paper 2 Reading – October/November 2022 | ||
Paper 3 Speaking (0520/03) – October/November 2022 | ||
Paper 4 Writing – October/November 2022 |
Six Examiner Tips for Cambridge IGCSE French (0520)
1. Match your tense to the time frame in the question
Before answering, identify time markers such as la semaine dernière, récemment, normalement, demain or à l’avenir. These tell you whether the response requires a past, present or future time frame. When describing a past experience, write c’était amusant rather than c’est amusant. For future wishes or intentions, structures such as je voudrais and j’aimerais followed by an infinitive are particularly useful.
2. Keep Reading answers short and precise
Do not copy an entire sentence from the passage when only a few words are needed. Extra material can introduce incorrect information and invalidate an otherwise correct answer. Where necessary, change first-person forms from the text into the appropriate third-person forms—for example, je to il or elle, and mon to son. Include only the information requested by the question.
3. Listen for the whole meaning, not one familiar word
Listening questions often contain distractors. Do not select an answer immediately after hearing a familiar noun because the idea may later be negated, qualified or attributed to another speaker. Pay particular attention to expressions such as ne…pas, ne…jamais, sauf and ce serait bien si. In both Listening and Reading, revise common false friends such as magasin (shop), internat (boarding school) and inconvénient (disadvantage).
4. Process the complete question before answering
Focus first on the question word: où asks for a place, quand asks for a time, qui asks for a person, pourquoi asks for a reason and combien asks for a quantity. Then listen to the rest of the sentence before responding. Also notice phrases that limit the required context, such as à l’école, pendant la fête or chez toi.
5. Develop your answers in the topic conversations
One-word answers and short statements restrict the marks available for communication and quality of language. When you hear an open prompt such as Décris… or Parle-moi de…, give several connected sentences. Add an opinion, a reason and an example, using connectives such as parce que, car, donc, cependant and pourtant. Vary your pronouns by referring to other people with il, elle, nous, on or ils instead of beginning every sentence with je.
6. Follow the exact format and proofread familiar words
In the form-filling task, give only the single word or short phrase requested in each gap. Do not provide several alternative answers or reuse an example already printed on the form. In longer writing tasks, copy words from the question paper accurately and check common spellings such as professeur, environnement, restaurant, malheureusement and parce que. Easy spelling errors can make a clear message less accurate.
Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) 2027 FAQs
1. What is the Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) exam format for 2027?
Every student takes four compulsory papers:
Paper 1: Listening – approximately 50 minutes, 40 marks and 25%.
Paper 2: Reading – 1 hour, 45 marks and 25%.
Paper 3: Speaking – approximately 10 minutes, 40 marks and 25%.
Paper 4: Writing – 1 hour, 45 marks and 25%.
Listening, reading, speaking and writing therefore contribute equally to the final qualification.
2. Is Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 divided into Core and Extended tiers?
No. Cambridge IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520) is not divided into Core and Extended papers. All candidates take the same four components and can achieve grades from A* to G.
The closely related syllabus code 7156 uses grades 9–1 but is otherwise based on the same content and assessment.
3. What topics should I revise for Cambridge IGCSE French in 2027?
The syllabus is organised into five broad topic areas:
Everyday activities
Personal and social life
The world around us
The world of work
The international world
Revision should cover vocabulary for family, health, food, travel, education, employment, technology, the environment, leisure, celebrations and French-speaking cultures. Any of these areas may appear in the listening, reading, speaking or writing papers.
4. Can I use a dictionary in the Cambridge IGCSE French exam?
No. Dictionaries are not allowed in any of the Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 examinations.
Build vocabulary gradually throughout the course and practise working out unfamiliar words from context. Learn word families, common prefixes and high-frequency expressions instead of depending entirely on direct English-to-French translation.
5. What happens in Cambridge IGCSE French Paper 1 Listening?
Paper 1 contains 37 multiple-choice and matching questions. Each recording is played twice.
The examination lasts approximately 50 minutes, including six minutes at the end for transferring answers onto the separate multiple-choice answer sheet. Only answers recorded on that answer sheet can receive marks, so use the transfer time carefully and check that each response is placed against the correct question number.
6. Do Reading Paper answers have to be written in French?
Yes. Paper 2 contains multiple-choice, matching and short-answer questions, and all written responses must be in French.
Keep short answers precise. Do not copy an entire sentence from the passage if only one detail is required, because additional incorrect information can undermine an otherwise correct response. Check whether the question asks for one point or several distinct details.
7. What happens in the Cambridge IGCSE French speaking exam?
The speaking test lasts approximately 10 minutes and includes:
A short, unassessed warm-up.
One role play lasting approximately two minutes.
Two topic conversations lasting approximately four minutes each.
Students receive 10 minutes of supervised preparation time to study the role-play card. Under the 2027 rules, candidates are not allowed to make notes during this preparation period. The two conversation topics are not prepared in advance.
8. How long should the Cambridge IGCSE French writing answers be?
Paper 4 contains three tasks:
Question 1: A form-filling task using single words or short phrases.
Question 2: A directed writing task of approximately 80–90 words.
Question 3: One chosen email, letter, article or blog task of approximately 130–140 words.
The stated word counts are recommendations rather than absolute cut-offs. However, writing too little may prevent you from developing every required point, while writing far too much often introduces irrelevant material and additional grammatical errors.
9. How many tenses should I use in Cambridge IGCSE French speaking and writing?
Cambridge does not award marks simply for forcing a fixed number of tenses into every answer. However, higher-scoring responses demonstrate a range of structures and time frames accurately.
Practise using:
The present tense for current situations and opinions.
A past tense for completed events or previous experiences.
The future or conditional for plans, ambitions and possibilities.
Use these time frames only when they answer the question naturally. Accurate and relevant language is more valuable than complicated grammar used incorrectly.
