- Home
- Lessons
- GCSE & IGCSE French
- Exam skills: Paper 2 Reading
Exam skills: Paper 2 Reading
๐ฌ The doodle video for this lesson is coming soon. Subscribe on YouTube to see it first.
Section A of Paper 2 is reading. It shares the paper with writing, so manage your time.
The paper
Reading strategies
Read the questions first, then scan for key words.
Use cognates (words like English): la nature, important, la population.
Watch for false friends: la librairie (bookshop), actuellement (currently), sensible (sensitive).
Use word families: la boulangerie โ le pain โ le boulanger.
Use cognates (words like English): la nature, important, la population.
Watch for false friends: la librairie (bookshop), actuellement (currently), sensible (sensitive).
Use word families: la boulangerie โ le pain โ le boulanger.
Short answers
Answer in French, briefly. You may often lift words from the text, but make sure they answer the exact question.
Spelling is not assessed in Section A if the meaning is clear.
Spelling is not assessed in Section A if the meaning is clear.
A text says "Actuellement, Marc travaille dans une librairie." Where does Marc work now?
- Actuellement = currently, not actually.
- Une librairie = a bookshop, not a library.
- So he works in a bookshop now.
Answer: In a bookshop (dans une librairie).
Paper 2 Section A: 40 marks of reading in a 1 hour 45 minute paper shared with writing. Read questions first, use cognates, avoid false friends, answer briefly in French.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
Check you have got it
Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.