Cambridge IGCSE French as a Foreign Language (0520): syllabus, papers and marking

Reading and Writing are marked on task completion, tense and verb endings, with the missing detail named. Listening and Speaking stay at the centre.

Syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (2028–2030 published: Reading and Writing become 40 marks each and Reading is all multiple choice) · June and November series · grades A*–G

French as a Foreign Language 0520: where the marks go

French 0520 is four equally weighted papers: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, 25% each. Writing has a form-filling task, a directed task and a longer email, letter or article. Marks go on completing each task in the right tense with the verb endings spelt correctly.

We can set and mark Reading and Writing. Listening and Speaking stay at the centre. Writing is marked on task completion and accuracy, with the tense and verb-ending errors named.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — ListeningAbout 50 min4025%Recordings with multiple-choice and matching questions (sat at the centre)
Paper 2 — Reading1 h4525%Texts with multiple-choice and matching questions and short-answer questions
Paper 3 — SpeakingAbout 10 min4025%One role play and conversations on two topics; internally assessed, externally moderated
Paper 4 — Writing1 h4525%One form-filling task, one directed writing task and one email/letter or article/blog

Syllabus outline

  1. Topic areas A–E: everyday activities, personal and social life, the world around us, the world of work, the international world
  2. Paper 1 Listening
  3. Paper 2 Reading: multiple choice, matching and short answers
  4. Paper 3 Speaking
  5. Paper 4 Writing: form-filling, directed writing, email, letter or article
  6. From 2028: Reading and Writing become 40 marks each and Reading is all multiple choice

How each paper is marked here

Where French as a Foreign Language 0520 candidates lose marks

  1. Wrong tense for the task — A task is only complete if it is in the tense asked and the verb ending is spelt correctly.
  2. Over-long answers — Writing over 200 words tends to lose focus and add errors.
  3. Form-filling with a vague or reused answer — A town name was too vague; examples should not be reused.
  4. Illegible or overwritten drafts — Several answers were hard to read.
  5. Choosing the Question 3 option that hides what you know — The better option is the one that shows range.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0520

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Does it mark speaking?
No. It is internally assessed at the centre.
What changes in 2028?
Reading and Writing are 40 marks each and Reading is all multiple choice.
Which sessions?
June and November.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0520. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 0520 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (2028–2030 published: reading and writing become 40 marks each and reading is all multiple choice), in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades A*–G.

Other Cambridge IGCSE courses

Start marking French as a Foreign Language scripts · See a real marked script