The Ultimate Guide to the GCSE French and Spanish Writing Exam: Top 10 Tips

September: New Beginnings and Academic Challenges

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Ah, September. A month that sees the leaves turn gold, the warm nights become cosy, and the sunsets appear more vibrant – and the teachers send you back to school! September is the month of second chances; getting organised, setting a positive mindset, and thinking clearly about the goals you want to achieve for the year ahead.

Everything is going great, and you’ve started strong with a newly topped-up pencil case and equipment – no borrowing a pen for you today! You’re a few weeks into the term, not hating your new teachers and loving your subjects (hopefully?!). The new topics are fresh and not as dull as you remember from last year, and you almost find yourself thinking, “I can do this. Bring it on. GCSE who?”

Until you hear those dreaded words: Writing. Assessment. Suddenly, the productive wave you’ve been riding feels like it’s about to crash into a horrendous 90-word car wreck of jumbled tenses and nonsense sentences that you feel like you need to pluck out of thin air.

Fear not, mon ami (my friend – French), I am here to help!

Building a Solid Foundation
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Over the years, I’ve seen the tears and witnessed the frustrations of past students who struggle to even know where to start with the writing exam. The truth is, writing is all about practice and revising smartly. There are a total of 12 potential topics that could come up in an exam paper, and no one can remember structures and phrases specific to every topic, no matter how good their memory is!

However, everyone can remember a few structures that will serve them well in any topic. To show you what I mean, here are my top 10 tricks and tips to help you with the writing exam or any assessment. These strategies have been tried and tested by hundreds of my ex-students, and some of these ideas are theirs, which they have kindly shared with me. This knowledge, I now pass on to you. Well, ¡vámonos pues! (let’s go, then – Spanish).

1. Recap, Recap, Recap!‍

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I cannot stress enough how important it is to seize the opportunity in September and set good habits from the get-go. Make sure you know the topics you have studied previously and complete some short answers to the summary questions. Your teacher has probably given you summary topic questions, or you may have completed them in class, but if not, I have compiled an overview list of questions to help summarise each topic. These are roughly 5-6 questions per unit, and you can rely on them in the writing exam.

If you have covered the topics of family and technology in year 9, make sure your summary answers are written and review them at least 3 times per week. Practising language skills daily is essential. Recap your answers regularly; this calm, consistent approach will yield better results than cramming it all under pressure.

2. Make the Most of Your Opinions‍

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You can guarantee that you will have to express your opinion in some way, so do this with both positive and negative opinion phrases. Remember when your teacher mentioned advantages and disadvantages? That’s because it WILL come up. The challenge is knowing what you will need to express an opinion on, so we need to think strategically about forming opinion phrases to make revision more manageable.

Elevate Your Opinions

Opinion phrases can demonstrate high-quality language. Look at the examples below:

Basic:
J’aime sortir avec mes amis parce que c’est divertissant.
Je n’aime pas lire des livres parce que c’est ennuyeux.

Improved:
Ce que j’adore c’est sortir avec mes amis parce que c’est très divertissant et j’adore prendre un verre.
Ce que je n’aime pas c’est lire des livres parce que c’est ennuyeux et ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé.

Adding idioms here can make opinions more complex, helping you achieve higher grades. Idioms like me vuele loco (it drives me crazy) or ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé (it’s not my cup of tea) work across topics and add flair to your answers.

3. Use the Clues in the Bullet Points‍

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Okay, so your opinions are epic, and you’ve remembered some high-quality structures – but how do you know what the question actually means?

Exam Basics

Foundation level includes describing a photo, a 40-word task, and choosing between two 90-word questions (answer one!). At the higher tier, you have a choice between two 90-word and two 150-word questions (again, answer one of each).

The 40-word task allows you to play it safe, as there’s no need to use additional tenses here. Use opinion phrases and vocabulary from the bullet points to score well in this section.

For longer questions, take time to study the bullet points before you begin. Understand the vocabulary and tenses you’ll need. You will ALWAYS have to answer a question in the past and future. Here’s how to recognise these time frames:

Past tense indicators:
Récemment, l’année dernière, el año pasado

Future tense indicators:
À l’avenir, en el futuro, l’année prochaine

Quick Tips for Time Frames

Knowing some core past and future verbs off by heart is a minimum. Common ones include:

Je suis allé(e), j’ai visité, je ferai, je verrai
Fui, visité, haré, verré

4. Use Mind Maps‍

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Mind maps are a great way to get your thoughts down on paper. They allow you to see language recycling across topics, making it easier to draw connections and transfer phrases between subjects.

For example, comparing topics like “Family and Relationships” with “Keeping Fit and Sports” reveals overlapping structures and vocabulary. Seeing these connections will reduce the amount you need to memorise and give you a stronger foundation for your exam.

5. Three of a Kind‍

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Verbs and time expressions in the past, present, and future are essential. Practise the ones you’re most confident with every day. These should be phrases that you can recall without hesitation, ones you’d be able to use under any circumstances!

6. Two Birds with One Stone

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Memorising idioms allows you to be more creative with your language. Examiners see the same structures repeatedly, so aim to make your answers stand out. For example:

Instead of je n’aime pas, try ça me prend la tête, or instead of no me gusta, use me vuelve loco.

Aim to memorise three transferable idioms that can be used in various answers.

7. Practise with Q&As!‍

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Use prepared answers and summary questions for a Q&A practice session. Print them out, cut them up, and see if you can match the question to the correct answer. This works well with 90-word answers, helping you piece everything together accurately.

8. Use Listening to Aid Memory‍

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Listening can be a powerful revision tool. Record yourself reading answers aloud, save them on your device, and listen regularly. This helps reinforce vocabulary and pronunciation. If you need help, ask your teacher to record the answers.

9. Use the Cover-Up Method‍

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When revising, divide your answers into chunks, perhaps by tense or bullet point. Cover them up, and see how much you remember. This technique is even more effective if you add a bit of colour coding.

For example, in a 90-word answer about the environment, you could colour-code answers for different tenses:

• Present: Do you recycle? (blue)
• Past: What did you do last week to help? (pink)
• Future: What should we do to help the environment? (green)

10. Say It Loud and Proud!‍

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Finally, reading aloud can help with memorisation. Saying phrases confidently out loud reinforces your recall far more than silent reading. Think of orators practising speeches – if it works for them, it can work for you!

Conclusion: Practice Makes Perfect

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So, there you have it. Ten tried and tested techniques to help with your writing practice.

Key Takeaways

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Start with a few strategies, experiment, and find what works for you. The basics are crucial:

• Be consistent
• Revise structures that are transferable
• Practise small, regular bursts rather than cramming

With patience and time, the writing section could become your favourite – a chance to be creative and express yourself. Bonne chance et ¡buena suerte!

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