Part 2 – Try these activities to practise your French over the summer and create a habit for September which will improve your French whilst having fun. To get the full list to your inbox, pop your email below. 📱 Play & Explore 🦉Play a language app for 10 minutes a day – like Duolingo, Gus on the Go, or Studycat. 📲Change your phone or … Continue reading Fun Summer French Activities Pt 2
Part 1 – No matter where you are on your French journey, one thing’s certain: the key to success is practice, practice, practice. This is the first in a series of fun activities – including books, music, podcasts and more – that I will be posting over the coming days. To get the full list to your inbox, pop your email below. 🎧 Listen & … Continue reading 🎉 Fun Summer French Activities
A strong vocabulary is one of the most powerful tools a French student can have — especially when preparing for GCSE or IGCSE exams. Whether you’re aiming for top marks or just want to feel more confident expressing yourself, expanding your word bank is key to success in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Here are some smart, manageable strategies to help you build vocabulary that … Continue reading Building a Robust French Vocabulary for GCSE & IGCSE Success
If you’ve ever struggled with understanding spoken or written French, paying attention to accents might just be the key to unlocking meaning. While accents in French can seem like an extra challenge, they often carry hidden clues about a word’s history, pronunciation, and even its English equivalent. One of the most fascinating accent-related patterns in French is how the circumflex accent (ˆ) replaces an “s” … Continue reading How French Accents Can Help You Recognise Words in Reading and Listening Tasks
I spent many Christmases in France when my son was young. We would always spend Christmas Eve to Boxing Day (the latter doesn’t exist in France – it is just a normal day) with my son’s French grandparents. So what are the differences between Christmas in France and the U.K? Read below in English or scroll down for the French version. As in the U.K, … Continue reading Noël en France
This week’s blog continues with the mnemonic CROISSANT, a simple tool to remember what to include in your answers to the longer writing questions: C: Connectives R: Reasons O: Opinions I: Intensifiers S S: Sophisticated structures/subordinate clauses A: Adverbs N: Negative phrases T: Tenses This post is going to concentrate on reasons, which are relevant for the 80-90 and 130-150 question (Edexcel and IGCSE) and … Continue reading Strengthen Your French Writing: How to Back Up Your Opinions
I have blogged before about the mnemonic CROISSANT. It is a simple tool to remember what to include in your answers to the longer writing questions: C: Connectives R: Reasons O: Opinions I: Intensifiers S S: Sophisticated structures/subordinate clauses A: Adverbs N: Negative phrases T: Tenses This post is going to concentrate on opinions, which are relevant for the 80-90 and 130-150 question (Edexcel and … Continue reading Ace your GCSE or IGCSE writing exam
Scroll down to read this post in French. Of all the things that we may envy the French for (food, weather, fashion…) the most important to me is their lifestyle. French employees have a 35-hour week and a minimum of 5 weeks holiday AND they have more public holidays than us. But what about school holidays? Typically, the school year is divided into similar holiday … Continue reading Do the French have more holidays than us?
Ever had one of those moments when you’re breezing through your day, feeling invincible, and then suddenly, BAM! It feels like someone just pulled the plug on your energy reserves. Congratulations, you’ve just experienced a classic French phenomenon known as a “coup de barre.” Literally translating to “a blow from a bar,” this delightful idiom perfectly captures that sudden wave of fatigue that crashes over … Continue reading When a “Coup de Barre” Hits Harder Than Your Morning Coffee
As the GCSE French writing exam approaches, it’s natural to feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. To help you channel your preparation into success, here are some last-minute tips to ensure you’re ready to excel: 1. Revise Key Vocabulary and Phrases Themes and Topics: Focus on vocabulary related to common themes such as family, school, holidays, hobbies, and technology. You can find study sets … Continue reading GCSE French Writing Exam: Last-Minute Tips for Success
