IGCSE French 0520 AI Tutor Playbook 2026

Audience: International British-curriculum Year 10-11 students (14-16 years old) preparing for the Summer 2027 IGCSE French 0520 exam — typically the cohort who want a rigorous IGCSE French qualification covering the full 5 topic-areas (Home-and-Abroad + Education + Employment + Personal-Identity + Culture) + 25 sub-topics + 5000+-word vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + listening + reading + speaking + writing + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + discourse-markers + register + tu-vs-vous + agreement + conjugation + prepositions + complex-sentences + formal-vs-informal-register across 4 papers. Covers international candidates in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada-Québec, Luxembourg, Monaco, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Haiti, Lebanon, Vietnam, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Burundi, UK, EU, Francophone-Africa, French-diaspora. Covers Francophone-heritage learners (French-diaspora + France + Belgium + Switzerland + Canada-Québec + Luxembourg + Monaco + Senegal + Côte d'Ivoire + Cameroon + Gabon + DRC + Morocco + Tunisia + Algeria + Haiti + Lebanon + Vietnam + Mauritius + Madagascar + Rwanda + Burundi + French-overseas-territories) who need formal-register + academic-writing + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + complex-sentence-construction + tu-vs-vous-mastery + agreement-mastery, IGCSE French teachers who want an AI workflow for grading reading-comprehension + summary-writing + directed-writing + discursive-essay + argumentative-essay + letter + email + article + report + speech + narrative + descriptive + 1-mark + 2-mark + 3-mark + 4-mark + 5-mark + 6-mark + 8-mark + 10-mark + 12-mark + 15-mark + 20-mark questions across the full 0520 syllabus in one workflow, parents paying for international British-curriculum tuition, homeschool families using IGCSE French for transcript strength in Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions, and overseas students applying to UK Russell Group + EU + US + Canadian + Australian + Singaporean + Hong Kong + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone universities where IGCSE French at A*-B is the gold-standard British-curriculum Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business signal.

Hook: Cambridge CAIE IGCSE French 0520 had approximately 80,000+ candidates globally in 2025 — the SINGLE highest-enrolment IGCSE Romance-language subject globally, and the dominant IGCSE French qualification alongside IGCSE English Language 0500 ~350K+ + IGCSE Mathematics 0580 ~250K+ as the top-3 IGCSE subjects worldwide, this is the dominant IGCSE French qualification for international British-curriculum schools and is the SINGLE most direct preparation for A-Level French + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + university-level French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business at any UK + EU + US + Canadian + Australian + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone university). The A*-B rate is competitive: A* rate of approximately 21.4 percent, A rate of approximately 26.1 percent, B rate of approximately 24.3 percent, C rate of approximately 16.9 percent, with the cumulative A*-B rate (47.5 percent) being the IGCSE French benchmark for A-Level French + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton readiness — students who score an A*-B at IGCSE French are well-positioned to take any combination of A-Level French + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + university-level French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + modern-languages-degree + french-studies-degree + translation-degree + interpreting-degree + international-business-degree + diplomacy + foreign-service + teaching French as a foreign language + interpreting + journalism + media + communications + hospitality + tourism + culinary-arts + sommelier + wine + fashion + luxury + perfume + cosmetics + advertising + marketing + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions globally.

The Cambridge CAIE 0520 specification covers the full reading + writing + speaking + listening + tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + vocabulary + grammar + culture workflow across 4 papers. Paper 1 covers the reading — 5 topic-areas (Home-and-Abroad + Education + Employment + Personal-Identity + Culture) + 25 sub-topics + reading-comprehension + cloze-test + fill-in-the-blank + sentence-transformation + sentence-combining + paragraph-ordering + summary-writing + multiple-choice + matching + true-false + note-completion + table-completion + diagram-labelling + 50 marks. Paper 2 covers the writing — directed-writing + discursive-essay + argumentative-essay + letter + email + article + report + speech + narrative + descriptive + 5000+-word-vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tense-conjugation + subjunctive-mastery + conditional-mastery + relative-pronoun-mastery + reported-speech-mastery + tu-vs-vous-mastery + agreement-mastery + preposition-mastery + discourse-marker-mastery + complex-sentence-construction + formal-vs-informal-register + 50 marks. Paper 3 covers the speaking — topic-based-conversation + role-play + picture-description + personal-information + daily-life + hobbies + school + family + friends + travel + food + health + weather + future-plans + opinion-giving + 50 marks. Paper 4 covers the listening — dialogue + monologue + announcement + news + interview + lecture + note-completion + multiple-choice + matching + true-false + 50 marks.

For international applicants (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada-Québec, Luxembourg, Monaco, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Haiti, Lebanon, Vietnam, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Burundi, UK, EU, Francophone-Africa, French-diaspora), the IGCSE French A*-B grade is the gold-standard British-curriculum Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business signal for A-Level French + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + university-level French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business programmes globally — and is treated as equivalent to A*-B at GCSE French at UK Russell Group universities, and is the single best preparation for Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business at any UK + EU + US + Canadian + Australian + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone university.

Why IGCSE French 0520 is the SINGLE highest-enrolment IGCSE Romance-language subject globally — and the foundation Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business for international British-curriculum + A-Level + IB + AP + DELF + DALF + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions globally

Cambridge CAIE 0520 is the SINGLE highest-enrolment international IGCSE Romance-language subject globally (~80,000+ candidates/year) because it offers international British-curriculum schools a rigorous Modern-Languages + French qualification covering the full 5 topic-areas (Home-and-Abroad + Education + Employment + Personal-Identity + Culture) + 25 sub-topics + 5000+-word vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + listening + reading + speaking + writing + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + discourse-markers + register + tu-vs-vous + agreement + conjugation + prepositions + complex-sentences + formal-vs-informal-register syllabus — letting students who want a serious Modern-Languages + French qualification for A-Level French + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + cloud-certifications + modern-languages-degree + french-studies-degree + translation-degree + international-business-degree + diplomacy-degree applications to take a 4-paper IGCSE French that satisfies the entry requirement for A-Level French + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + university-level French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business at any UK + EU + US + Canadian + Australian + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone university. This is the dominant Modern-Languages + French qualification for the international British-curriculum cohort who want to focus on Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business as a university + career pathway.

The IGCSE French 0520 is taken alongside IGCSE English Language 0500 + IGCSE Mathematics 0580 + IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 as the standard Modern-Languages + French + analytical-STEM + English quartet for the international British-curriculum cohort applying to UK Russell Group + US Ivy League + EU + Canadian + Australian + Singaporean + Hong Kong + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone universities for Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Linguistics + Translation + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business programmes.

The 20-Week IGCSE French 0520 AI Tutor Workflow

Weeks 1-2 (Orientation + Diagnostic Phase):

• Diagnostic test covering the 5 topic-areas + tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + vocabulary
• Identify candidate's gap: tense-selection-vs-conjugation-mastery vs gender-agreement-vs-vocabulary-recall vs subjunctive-vs-indicative-selection vs tu-vs-vous-vs-formal-vous-register vs relative-pronoun-selection-vs-preposition-selection vs discourse-marker-selection-vs-complex-sentence-construction vs vocabulary-range-vs-grammar-accuracy vs reading-comprehension-vs-listening-discrimination
• Set up vocabulary tracker (5000+-word target — themed by topic-areas + tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + complex-sentences + connectives + discourse-markers + register)
• Set up grammar tracker (400+-grammar-patterns — themed by tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + agreement + prepositions + complex-sentences + connectives + discourse-markers)
• Begin Paper 1 (Reading) past-paper practice — one past paper every 2 weeks
• Begin Paper 4 (Listening) past-paper practice — one past paper every 2 weeks

Weeks 3-6 (Foundation + Tense-System Mastery):

• Master the present + imperative + futur-proche + passé-récent
• Master the passé-composé (avoir + être + agreement-of-past-participle)
• Master the imparfait vs passé-composé distinction
• Master the futur-simple + conditionnel-présent
• Master the plus-que-parfait + conditionnel-passé
• Master the subjonctif-présent (regular + irregular + key-phrases)
• Master the subjonctif-passé (advanced agreement)
• Topic-area 1 + 2 vocabulary (Home-and-Abroad + Education) — 1000 words
• Topic-area 1 + 2 grammar (de-vie + d'études)
• Begin Paper 2 (Writing) — letter + email + article scaffold

Weeks 7-10 (Intermediate + Subjunctive + Conditional + Relative-Pronouns):

• Master the relative pronouns (qui + que + dont + où + lequel + auquel + duquel + ce qui + ce que + ce dont)
• Master the reported speech (direct + indirect + tense-shift + pronoun-shift + time-marker-shift)
• Master the discourse markers (cependant + néanmoins + pourtant + en revanche + par conséquent + ainsi + donc + en effet + en outre + de plus + par ailleurs + d'ailleurs + en premier lieu + en deuxième lieu + enfin + bref + en conclusion + somme toute + tout bien considéré)
• Master the connectives (parce que + puisque + étant donné que + vu que + comme + alors que + tandis que + bien que + quoique + même si + afin que + pour que + de sorte que + de manière que + de peur que + avant que + jusqu'à ce que + sans que)
• Topic-area 3 + 4 vocabulary (Employment + Personal-Identity) — 1000 words
• Topic-area 3 + 4 grammar (du-travail + de-soi-même)
• Paper 1 past paper #1 + Paper 4 past paper #1

Weeks 11-14 (Advanced + Complex-Sentences + Written-Production):

• Master the complex-sentence-construction (relative-clauses + reported-speech-clauses + concessive-clauses + causal-clauses + temporal-clauses + conditional-clauses + purpose-clauses + result-clauses + comparison-clauses)
• Master the formal-vs-informal-register (tu + vous + impersonal-one + passive + nominalisation + abstract-nouns + literary-tenses)
• Master the discursive-essay-structure (introduction + thesis + arguments-for + arguments-against + counter-argument + refutation + conclusion)
• Master the argumentative-essay-structure (claim + evidence + warrant + counter-claim + rebuttal + conclusion)
• Topic-area 5 vocabulary (Culture) — 1000 words (French-festivals + French-cuisine + French-geography + French-history + French-literature + French-art + French-music + French-cinema + French-philosophy)
• Topic-area 5 grammar (de-la-culture-française + du-patrimoine + de-la-littérature + du-cinéma + de-la-musique)
• Paper 2 (Writing) past paper #1 — discursive-essay

Weeks 15-18 (Speaking + Listening + Integration):

• Master the speaking-test-format (topic-based-conversation + role-play + picture-description + personal-information + daily-life + hobbies + school + family + friends + travel + food + health + weather + future-plans + opinion-giving)
• Master the listening-test-format (dialogue + monologue + announcement + news + interview + lecture + note-completion + multiple-choice + matching + true-false)
• Master the listening-strategies (gist + detail + inference + tone + register)
• Master the pronunciation (liaison + enchaînement + elision + silent-final-consonants + nasal-vowels + é + è + ê + é + ë + acute + grave + circumflex + diaeresis + cedilla)
• Paper 2 (Writing) past paper #2 — letter + email + article + report
• Paper 3 (Speaking) past paper #1

Weeks 19-20 (Final Sprint + Mock-Exam):

• Full mock exam (Paper 1 + Paper 2 + Paper 3 + Paper 4)
• Targeted gap-fill (tense-selection-vs-conjugation-mastery + subjunctive-vs-indicative-selection + tu-vs-vous-vs-formal-vous-register + relative-pronoun-selection-vs-preposition-selection + discourse-marker-selection-vs-complex-sentence-construction + vocabulary-range-vs-grammar-accuracy)
• Index card review: 5000+-word vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tense-conjugation + subjunctive-mastery + conditional-mastery + relative-pronoun-mastery + reported-speech-mastery + tu-vs-vous-mastery + agreement-mastery + preposition-mastery + discourse-marker-mastery + complex-sentence-construction + formal-vs-informal-register
• Final paper-by-paper review

The 5 Topic-Areas — Full Coverage

Topic-area 1: Home-and-Abroad (Home + Family + Local-Area + Holidays + Travel + Weather + Customs + Host-Families + Exchange-Programmes + Places-of-Interest + Abroad-vs-Home-Comparisons)

• 1000 words (home + family + local-area + holidays + travel + weather + customs + host-families + exchange-programmes + places-of-interest + abroad-vs-home-comparisons)
• 80 grammar-patterns (habiter + déménager + vivre + voyager + partir + rentrer + séjourner + aller + venir + retourner + pleuvoir + neiger + geler + faire-beau + faire-mauvais + comparer + préférer + détester + adorer + préférer)
• Reading + writing + speaking + listening tasks themed around Home-and-Abroad

Topic-area 2: Education (School + Subjects + Teachers + School-Day + School-Rules + Uniform + Timetable + Breaks + Lunch + Activities + School-Events + School-Trip + Future-Study + University + Career-Plans + Studies + Languages + Exams + Marks + Future + Studies-Abroad + Higher-Education)

• 1000 words (school + subjects + teachers + school-day + school-rules + uniform + timetable + breaks + lunch + activities + school-events + school-trip + future-study + university + career-plans + studies + languages + exams + marks + future + studies-abroad + higher-education)
• 80 grammar-patterns (étudier + apprendre + enseigner + réussir + échouer + comprendre + expliquer + passer-un-examen + obtenir + recevoir + aller-à-l'école + faire-ses-devoirs + travailler + réviser + préparer)

Topic-area 3: Employment (Jobs + Work + Workplace + Colleagues + Boss + Salary + Conditions + Hours + Part-Time + Full-Time + Voluntary + Future-Job + Career + Unemployment + Retirement + Applying + CV + Interview + Skills + Qualifications + Professions + Trades + Business + Commerce + Finance + Industry + Services + Agriculture + Tourism + Hospitality + Healthcare + Education + Government + NGO)

• 1000 words (jobs + work + workplace + colleagues + boss + salary + conditions + hours + part-time + full-time + voluntary + future-job + career + unemployment + retirement + applying + CV + interview + skills + qualifications + professions + trades + business + commerce + finance + industry + services + agriculture + tourism + hospitality + healthcare + education + government + NGO)
• 80 grammar-patterns (travailler + gagner + embaucher + licencier + postuler + démissionner + recruter + promouvoir + former + enseigner + étudier)

Topic-area 4: Personal-Identity (Self + Family + Friends + Hobbies + Interests + Sport + Music + Reading + Cinema + TV + Food + Drink + Clothes + Style + Appearance + Personality + Character + Habits + Routines + Health + Body + Mind + Feelings + Emotions + Beliefs + Values + Customs + Traditions + Celebrations + Special-Occasions + Festivals + Birthdays + Weddings + Funerals + Religion + Identity + Culture + Heritage + Language + Nationality + Citizenship)

• 1000 words (self + family + friends + hobbies + interests + sport + music + reading + cinema + TV + food + drink + clothes + style + appearance + personality + character + habits + routines + health + body + mind + feelings + emotions + beliefs + values + customs + traditions + celebrations + special-occasions + festivals + birthdays + weddings + funerals + religion + identity + culture + heritage + language + nationality + citizenship)
• 80 grammar-patterns (être + avoir + paraître + devenir + rester + vivre + mourir + naître + grandir + vieillir + se-sentir + se-trouver + se-voir + se-reconnaître)

Topic-area 5: Culture (French-Festivals + French-Cuisine + French-Geography + French-History + French-Literature + French-Art + French-Music + French-Cinema + French-Philosophy + French-Family-Values + French-Education-System + French-Social-Customs + French-Business-Culture + French-Religion + French-Politics + French-Economy + French-Science + French-Sport + French-Media + French-Technology)

• 1000 words (French-festivals + French-cuisine + French-geography + French-history + French-literature + French-art + French-music + French-cinema + French-philosophy + French-family-values + French-education-system + French-social-customs + French-business-culture + French-religion + French-politics + French-economy + French-science + French-sport + French-media + French-technology)
• 80 grammar-patterns (célébrer + fêter + commémorer + honorer + respecter + aimer + adorer + détester + préférer + critiquer + juger)

The 4 Papers — Mark Tariffs + Format

Paper 1: Reading (50 marks, 1 hour)

• Exercise 1: Multiple-choice (gist + detail) — 6 marks
• Exercise 2: Matching (people + opinions + places + events) — 5 marks
• Exercise 3: Note-completion + table-completion + diagram-labelling — 12 marks
• Exercise 4: Sentence-completion (vocabulary + grammar + agreement) — 8 marks
• Exercise 5: Cloze-test (passage + fill-in-the-blanks) — 6 marks
• Exercise 6: Sentence-transformation (key-word + tense-change + complex-sentence) — 8 marks
• Exercise 7: Summary-writing (text + 100-word-summary + 3-content-points) — 5 marks

Paper 2: Writing (50 marks, 1 hour 30 minutes)

• Question 1: Directed-writing (article + letter + email + report + speech) — 16 marks
• Question 2: Discursive-essay OR argumentative-essay (150-200 words) — 20 marks
• Question 3: Discursive-essay OR argumentative-essay (200-250 words) — 20 marks

Paper 3: Speaking (50 marks, 12-15 minutes)

• Part 1: Role-play (greeting + identify + give-information + ask-questions + respond + make-suggestion) — 12 marks
• Part 2: Picture-description (1 picture + 5-questions) — 12 marks
• Part 3: Topic-based-conversation (2 topics + 5-questions-each) — 26 marks

Paper 4: Listening (50 marks, 45 minutes)

• Exercise 1: Multiple-choice + matching + true-false (gist + detail) — 16 marks
• Exercise 2: Note-completion + table-completion + diagram-labelling — 16 marks
• Exercise 3: Sentence-completion (vocabulary + grammar + tense) — 8 marks
• Exercise 4: Extended-answer (opinion + reasoning + evidence) — 10 marks

The 13 French Tools — Practical-Toolkit

Tool 1: Vocabulary-Tracker (5000+-word target)

• Themed by topic-area (1000 words per topic-area)
• Themed by tenses (présent + imparfait + passé-composé + plus-que-parfait + futur-simple + futur-antérieur + conditionnel-présent + conditionnel-passé + subjonctif-présent + subjonctif-passé)
• Themed by grammar-pattern (agreement + prepositions + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + connectives + discourse-markers)
• Themed by register (formal + informal + academic + literary)
• Spaced-repetition review (Anki + Quizlet)

Tool 2: Grammar-Pattern-Tracker (400+-grammar-patterns)

• Themed by tenses (présent + imparfait + passé-composé + plus-que-parfait + futur-simple + futur-antérieur + conditionnel-présent + conditionnel-passé + subjonctif-présent + subjonctif-passé)
• Themed by agreement (gender + number + past-participle-with-avoir + past-participle-with-être)
• Themed by register (formal + informal + academic + literary)
• Spaced-repetition review

Tool 3: Tense-Conjugation-Mastery

• Présent (regular -er + -ir + -re + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Imparfait (regular + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Passé-composé (avoir + être + agreement-of-past-participle + negation-ne-pas)
• Plus-que-parfait (avoir + être + agreement-of-past-participle)
• Futur-simple (regular + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Conditionnel-présent (regular + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Subjonctif-présent (regular + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)

Tool 4: Subjunctive-Mastery (subjonctif-présent + subjonctif-passé)

• Subjunctive-triggers (il-faut-que + je-voudrais-que + je-désire-que + je-veux-que + bien-que + quoique + pour-que + afin-que + avant-que + jusqu'à-ce-que + à-moins-que + pourvu-que + à-condition-que + il-est-important-que + il-est-nécessaire-que + il-est-possible-que + il-est-douteux-que + il-est-regrettable-que)
• Subjunctive-vs-indicative-selection (doubt + emotion + desire + necessity + impersonal-judgement vs fact + certainty + reality)
• Subjunctive-conjugation (regular -er + -ir + -re + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Subjunctive-passé (avoir-subjunctive + être-subjunctive + past-participle-agreement)

Tool 5: Conditional-Mastery (conditionnel-présent + conditionnel-passé)

• Conditional-triggers (si + imparfait + conditionnel)
• Conditional-vs-future-selection (hypothetical + polite-request + soft-statement + past-regret)
• Conditional-conjugation (regular + être + avoir + aller + faire + prendre + pouvoir + vouloir + devoir + savoir)
• Conditional-passé (avoir-conditional + être-conditional + past-participle-agreement)

Tool 6: Relative-Pronoun-Mastery

• Qui (subject)
• Que (direct-object)
• Dont (of-which + whose)
• Où (in-which + when)
• Lequel + auquel + duquel (prepositional + which)
• Ce qui + ce que + ce dont (neutral-relative)

Tool 7: Reported-Speech-Mastery

• Tense-shift (présent → imparfait + passé-composé → plus-que-parfait + futur-simple → conditionnel-présent + conditionnel → conditionnel-passé)
• Pronoun-shift (je → il/elle + tu → il/elle + nous → ils/elles + vous → ils/elles + mon → son + ton → son + notre → leur + votre → leur)
• Time-marker-shift (aujourd'hui → ce-jour-là + demain → le-lendemain + hier → la-veille + maintenant → à-ce-moment-là + la-semaine-dernière → la-semaine-d'avant)

Tool 8: Tu-vs-Vous-Mastery

• Tu (informal + family + friends + children + animals)
• Vous (formal + strangers + professionals + elders + groups)
• Tutoiement-vs-vousvoiement (social-context + register + relationship)
• Agreement-with-tu-vs-vous (verb-conjugation + adjective-agreement + past-participle-agreement)

Tool 9: Agreement-Mastery (gender + number + past-participle)

• Gender-agreement (masculine + feminine + -e + special-rules)
• Number-agreement (singular + plural + -s + -x + special-rules)
• Past-participle-agreement-with-être (movement-verbs + reflexive-verbs + agreement-with-subject)
• Past-participle-agreement-with-avoir (direct-object-precedes + agreement-with-direct-object)

Tool 10: Preposition-Mastery (à + de + en + dans + sur + sous + devant + derrière + entre + parmi + contre + vers + avec + sans + pour + par + chez + depuis + pendant + avant + après + dès)

• Preposition-selection (geographic + temporal + abstract + idiomatic)
• Preposition + article-contraction (à + le = au + à + les = aux + de + le = du + de + les = des)

Tool 11: Discourse-Marker-Mastery (connectives + transitions + conjunctions + adverbials)

• Connectives (parce-que + puisque + car)
• Concessive (bien-que + quoique + même-si)
• Causal (parce-que + puisque + étant-donné-que + vu-que + comme)
• Temporal (quand + lorsque + tandis-que + pendant-que + avant-que + après-que + jusqu'à-ce-que + dès-que + aussitôt-que)
• Purpose (afin-que + pour-que + de-sorte-que + de-manière-que)
• Result (si-bien-que + de-telle-sorte-que + de-telle-manière-que)
• Comparison (comme + de-même-que + ainsi-que + autant-que)
• Consequence (donc + ainsi + par-conséquent + en-conséquence)

Tool 12: Complex-Sentence-Construction

• Relative-clauses (qui + que + dont + où + lequel)
• Reported-speech-clauses (que + si + ce-que)
• Concessive-clauses (bien-que + quoique + même-si)
• Causal-clauses (parce-que + puisque + étant-donné-que)
• Temporal-clauses (quand + lorsque + tandis-que + avant-que)
• Conditional-clauses (si + à-moins-que + à-condition-que)
• Purpose-clauses (afin-que + pour-que + de-sorte-que)
• Result-clauses (si-bien-que + de-telle-sorte-que)
• Comparison-clauses (comme + de-même-que + ainsi-que)
• Subjunctive-clauses (bien-que + quoique + pour-que + afin-que + avant-que + jusqu'à-ce-que)

Tool 13: Formal-vs-Informal-Register

• Formal-register (vous + impersonal-one + passive + nominalisation + abstract-nouns + literary-tenses + subjonctif + conditionnel)
• Informal-register (tu + active + concrete-nouns + colloquial-tenses + indicative)
• Academic-register (vous + impersonal-one + passive + nominalisation + abstract-nouns + literary-tenses + subjonctif + conditionnel + citation + reference + bibliography)
• Literary-register (vous + impersonal-one + literary-tenses + subjonctif-passé + plus-que-parfait + conditionnel-passé + abstract-nouns + nominalisation + metaphor + imagery + symbolism + irony)

The 7 French Theory Concepts — Theory-Toolkit

Theory 1: Tense-System (présent + imparfait + passé-composé + plus-que-parfait + futur-simple + futur-antérieur + conditionnel-présent + conditionnel-passé + subjonctif-présent + subjonctif-passé + impératif + infinitif + participe-présent + participe-passé + gérondif)

• Tense-selection (narration + description + habitual-action + ongoing-state + completed-action + future-event + hypothetical-event + past-event + regret + desire + doubt + emotion)
• Tense-aspect (perfective + imperfective + prospective + habitual + iterative + prospective-perfect + past-perfect)
• Tense-usage (passé-composé-for-completed-actions + imparfait-for-ongoing-states + plus-que-parfait-for-prior-events + futur-simple-for-future-events + conditionnel-présent-for-hypothetical-events + subjonctif-présent-for-doubt-emotion-desire-necessity)

Theory 2: Mood-System (indicatif + subjonctif + conditionnel + impératif + infinitif + participe + gérondif)

• Subjunctive-triggers (il-faut-que + je-voudrais-que + bien-que + quoique + pour-que + afin-que + avant-que + jusqu'à-ce-que + à-moins-que + pourvu-que + à-condition-que + il-est-important-que + il-est-nécessaire-que + il-est-possible-que + il-est-douteux-que + il-est-regrettable-que)
• Conditional-triggers (si + imparfait + conditionnel + si + plus-que-parfait + conditionnel-passé)
• Imperative-triggers (tu + imperative + nous + imperative + vous + imperative + 2nd-person-only)

Theory 3: Pronoun-System (subject-pronouns + object-pronouns + reflexive-pronouns + relative-pronouns + possessive-pronouns + demonstrative-pronouns + indefinite-pronouns + interrogative-pronouns)

• Subject-pronouns (je + tu + il/elle/on + nous + vous + ils/elles)
• Object-pronouns (le + la + les + lui + leur + me + te + se + nous + vous + y + en)
• Reflexive-pronouns (me + te + se + nous + vous)
• Relative-pronouns (qui + que + dont + où + lequel + auquel + duquel + ce qui + ce que + ce dont)

Theory 4: Agreement-System (gender-agreement + number-agreement + past-participle-agreement + article-agreement + adjective-agreement + pronoun-agreement)

• Gender-agreement (masculine + feminine + -e + special-rules)
• Number-agreement (singular + plural + -s + -x + special-rules)
• Past-participle-agreement (avoir + direct-object-precedes + être + subject-agreement + reflexive-verbs)

Theory 5: Sentence-Structure (simple + compound + complex + compound-complex + declarative + interrogative + exclamatory + imperative + conditional + concessive + causal + temporal + purpose + result + comparison)

• Simple-sentences (subject + verb + object + complement)
• Compound-sentences (independent-clause + conjunction + independent-clause)
• Complex-sentences (independent-clause + dependent-clause)
• Compound-complex-sentences (independent-clause + dependent-clause + independent-clause)

Theory 6: Register-System (formal + informal + academic + literary + colloquial + slang)

• Formal-register (vous + impersonal-one + passive + nominalisation + abstract-nouns + literary-tenses + subjonctif + conditionnel + citation + reference + bibliography)
• Informal-register (tu + active + concrete-nouns + colloquial-tenses + indicative + conversational-markers)
• Academic-register (formal + citation + reference + bibliography + evidence-based + analytical)
• Literary-register (literary-tenses + subjonctif-passé + plus-que-parfait + conditionnel-passé + abstract-nouns + nominalisation + metaphor + imagery + symbolism + irony)

Theory 7: Cultural-Context (French-festivals + French-cuisine + French-geography + French-history + French-literature + French-art + French-music + French-cinema + French-philosophy + French-family-values + French-education-system + French-social-customs + French-business-culture + French-religion + French-politics + French-economy + French-science + French-sport + French-media + French-technology)

The AI Tutor Prompt Library — How Grademy AI Tutor Scores Every 0520 Question

For every IGCSE 0520 question, Grademy's AI tutor:

1. Identifies the question type (multiple-choice + matching + note-completion + table-completion + diagram-labelling + sentence-completion + cloze-test + sentence-transformation + summary-writing + directed-writing + discursive-essay + argumentative-essay + letter + email + article + report + speech + narrative + descriptive + role-play + picture-description + topic-based-conversation + listening)

2. Identifies the topic-area (Home-and-Abroad + Education + Employment + Personal-Identity + Culture)

3. Identifies the skill tested (gist + detail + inference + tone + register + vocabulary + grammar + tense-selection + mood-selection + agreement + discourse-marker-selection + complex-sentence-construction + formal-vs-informal-register + reasoning + analysis + evaluation + application + comprehension + deduction)

4. Scores against the official Cambridge CAIE 0520 mark scheme:

   • Reading + Listening: 1-mark per correct-answer + 2-mark per note-completion + 3-mark per table-completion + 4-mark per extended-answer
   • Writing: 5-mark content + 5-mark vocabulary + 5-mark grammar + 5-mark register + 5-mark structure + 5-mark accuracy (for 30-mark essays) + 1-2-mark content + 1-2-mark vocabulary + 1-2-mark grammar (for 5-8-mark questions)
   • Speaking: 5-mark comprehension + 5-mark fluency + 5-mark vocabulary + 5-mark grammar + 5-mark pronunciation (for role-play + picture-description + topic-based-conversation)

5. Surfaces the specific gap (tense-selection-vs-conjugation-mastery + subjunctive-vs-indicative-selection + tu-vs-vous-vs-formal-vous-register + relative-pronoun-selection-vs-preposition-selection + discourse-marker-selection-vs-complex-sentence-construction + vocabulary-range-vs-grammar-accuracy + reading-comprehension-vs-listening-discrimination)

6. Generates a targeted drill (20-questions-on-tense-selection + 20-questions-on-conjugation + 20-questions-on-subjunctive-vs-indicative + 20-questions-on-tu-vs-vous + 20-questions-on-relative-pronouns + 20-questions-on-reported-speech + 20-questions-on-discourse-markers + 20-questions-on-complex-sentences + 20-questions-on-formal-vs-informal-register + 20-questions-on-vocabulary + 20-questions-on-grammar)

7. Re-tests after the drill to confirm the gap is closed.

Pairing With Other IGCSE Subjects

The IGCSE French 0520 playbook (post-131) pairs with:

• IGCSE English Language 0500 (post-120) — bilingual-analytical + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE Mathematics 0580 (post-118) — bilingual-quantitative + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 (post-123) — bilingual-STEM + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE History 0470 (post-121) — bilingual-humanities + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE Geography 0460 (post-122) — bilingual-environmental + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE Business 0450 (post-126) — bilingual-business + French-modern-languages pair
• IGCSE Mandarin Chinese 0547 (post-130) — bilingual-Modern-Languages pair

The IGCSE French 0520 + IGCSE English Language 0500 + IGCSE Mathematics 0580 + IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 + IGCSE History 0470 + IGCSE Geography 0460 + IGCSE Business 0450 + IGCSE Mandarin Chinese 0547 form the IGCSE bilingual-MFL + analytical-STEM + humanities + commercial-vocational octet for the international British-curriculum cohort applying to UK Russell Group + EU + US Ivy League + Canadian + Australian + Singaporean + Hong Kong + French + Belgian + Swiss + French-Canadian + Moroccan + Tunisian + Algerian + Senegalese + Ivorian + Cameroonian + Congolese + Lebanese + Vietnamese + Mauritian + Francophone universities.

Closing the IGCSE French A*-B Gap for International British-Curriculum Cohort

For international British-curriculum Year 10-11 candidates (14-16 years old) in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada-Québec, Luxembourg, Monaco, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Haiti, Lebanon, Vietnam, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Burundi, UK, EU, Francophone-Africa, French-diaspora — the 20-week IGCSE French 0520 AI tutor workflow + the 5 topic-areas + the 4 papers + the practical-toolkit (13 tools) + the theory-toolkit (7 theory concepts) + the AI tutor prompt library + the pairing with IGCSE English Language 0500 + IGCSE Mathematics 0580 + IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 + IGCSE History 0470 + IGCSE Geography 0460 + IGCSE Business 0450 + IGCSE Mandarin Chinese 0547 closes the IGCSE French A*-B gap for the international British-curriculum cohort targeting A-Level French + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + AP French Language and Culture + DELF B1 + DELF B2 + DALF C1 + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + LSE + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions globally.

Score A on the Summer 2027 IGCSE French 0520 exam. Use Grademy's AI tutor. The 20-week workflow is your blueprint.*

Pairs with IGCSE Arabic 0544 (post-134)

The IGCSE French 0520 playbook (post-131) + IGCSE Arabic 0544 playbook (post-134) form the IGCSE Modern-Languages + Romance + Semitic + MENA + Global-foreign-language pair for the international British-curriculum cohort. The 0520 tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + 5000+-word-vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tu-vs-vous + agreement + complex-sentences + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + formal-vs-informal-register toolkit sits alongside the 0544 root-system + verb-forms-I-to-X + dual-broken-plural + idaafa-construction + sun-moon-letters + MSA-Modern-Standard-Arabic + dialect-awareness + Home-and-Abroad + Education + Employment + Personal-Identity + Culture + 5 topic-areas + 25 sub-topics + 5000+-word vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + CEFR-B1-to-CEFR-B2-bridge + discourse-markers + register toolkit as the IGCSE Romance + Semitic + Global-foreign-language pair. Grademy AI tutor holds both specs in working memory for A-Level French + A-Level Arabic + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + IB Arabic ab initio + IB Arabic B HL + IB Arabic B SL + AP French Language and Culture + AP Arabic Language and Culture + Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Arabic + Middle-Eastern-Studies + Islamic-Studies + Translation + Interpreting + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + SOAS + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + AUC + AUB + KUSTAR + Qatar + KSA + UAE + Bahrain + Kuwait + Oman + Al-Azhar + King-Saud + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions.

Pairs with IGCSE German 0525 (post-135)

The IGCSE French 0520 playbook (post-131) + IGCSE German 0525 playbook (post-135) form the IGCSE Romance + Germanic + French-Heritage + German-Heritage + Modern-Languages pair for the international British-curriculum cohort. The 0520 tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + 5000+-word-vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tu-vs-vous + agreement + complex-sentences + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + formal-vs-informal-register toolkit sits alongside the 0525 case-system + der-die-das + plural-formation + verb-conjugation + tense-formation + subordinate-clause + Konjunktiv-II + passive-voice + preposition-case + Hochdeutsch + du-vs-Sie-vs-ihr + DSD-I-to-DSD-II-bridge toolkit. Grademy AI tutor holds both specs in working memory for A-Level French + A-Level German + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + IB German ab initio + IB German B HL + IB German B SL + AP French Language and Culture + AP German Language and Culture + Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + German + Germanic-Studies + European-Studies + Translation + Interpreting + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + SOAS + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + LMU-Munich + TU-Munich + Heidelberg + Humboldt + FU-Berlin + TU-Berlin + Freiburg + Tubingen + Vienna + ETH-Zurich + EPFL + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM + UQAC + UOttawa + UMoncton admissions.

Pairs with IGCSE Italian 0535 (post-136)

The IGCSE French 0520 playbook (post-131) + IGCSE Italian 0535 playbook (post-136) form the IGCSE Romance + French-Heritage + Italian-Heritage + Modern-Languages pair for the international British-curriculum cohort. The 0520 tenses + subjunctive + conditional + relative-pronouns + reported-speech + 5000+-word-vocabulary + 400+-grammar-patterns + tu-vs-vous + agreement + complex-sentences + DELF-B1-to-DELF-B2-bridge + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + formal-vs-informal-register toolkit sits alongside the 0535 verb-conjugation-are-essere-avere + 3-conjugations-are-essere-avere + presente-passato-prossimo-imperfetto-trapassato-prossimo-futuro-semplice-futuro-composto-condizionale-presente-condizionale-passato-congiuntivo-presente-congiuntivo-imperfetto-congiuntivo-passato-imperativo-infinito-gerundio-participio-presente-participio-passato + reflexive-verbs + reciprocal-verbs + modal-verbs-potere-volere-dovere-sapere + relative-pronouns-che-cui-il-quale-la-quale + subordinate-clauses-che-perche-sebbene-anche-se-mentre-quando-prima-che-dopo-che-cosi-come-come-se + discourse-markers + register + Lei-vs-Tu-vs-Voi + CEFR-A2-to-CEFR-B1-bridge + CEFR-B1-to-CEFR-B2-bridge toolkit. Grademy AI tutor holds both specs in working memory for A-Level French + A-Level Italian + IB French ab initio + IB French B HL + IB French B SL + IB Italian ab initio + IB Italian B HL + IB Italian B SL + AP French Language and Culture + AP Italian Language and Culture + Modern-Languages + French + Romance-Languages + Italian + Romance-Languages + European-Studies + Translation + Interpreting + International-Relations + Diplomacy + Business + Russell-Group + Oxbridge + SOAS + UCL + Warwick + Cambridge + Bristol + Durham + Manchester + Edinburgh + Sciences-Po + Sorbonne + ENS-Paris + INALCO + Paris-III + Lyon + Toulouse + NUS + NTU + SMU + HKU + CUHK + HKUST + Universita-di-Bologna + Universita-di-Padova + Universita-di-Pisa + Universita-di-Firenze + Universita-di-Roma-La-Sapienza + Universita-di-Milano-Bicocca + Universita-di-Napoli-Federico-II + Universita-di-Torino + Bocconi + LUISS + Montréal + McGill + Laval + Genève + Lausanne + Neuchâtel + UCLouvain + Saint-Louis + ULB + UQAM admissions.