Why is "Missing or half-answering a bullet point" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: Candidates focus on writing fluent French and forget the bullets are a checklist, or they answer the 'what' but skip the 'why'. How to avoid it: Number the bullets, write one French idea against each before starting, and tick them off. If a bullet asks for a reason, include *parce que…*; if it says 'ask a question', write a real question with a ?. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), Communication

Why is "Writing the whole 130-140 word task in the present tense only" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: Beginners feel safest in the present and avoid past and future forms they find harder. How to avoid it: Map each bullet to a time-frame: 'usually' = present, 'last year' = passé composé, 'next year' = futur proche (aller + infinitive). Signal each with a time-phrase (*hier*, *demain*). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), Language range

Why is "Using the wrong helper in the passé composé (j'ai allé instead of je suis allé)" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: English uses one helper ('have') for the past, so learners default to *avoir* for every verb. How to avoid it: Learn that movement/'house' verbs (aller, venir, arriver, partir, rester) and reflexive verbs take *être*, and the participle then agrees: *elle est allée*, *ils sont partis*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Putting the adjective before the noun, as in English (une bleue voiture)" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: English word order places adjectives before nouns, so learners transfer that order to French. How to avoid it: Most French adjectives go *after* the noun and must agree: *une voiture bleue* (a blue car), *un grand musée* (a big museum). Check agreement and position in your final scan. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Leaving accents off (cafe for café, a for à, ou for où)" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: English has no accents, so beginners treat them as optional decoration. How to avoid it: Treat accents as part of the spelling. Scan specifically for high-frequency words: café, préféré, père, très, français, à (to/at) vs a (has), où (where) vs ou (or). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Dumping a memorised passage that doesn't answer the bullets" a common mistake in Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures?

Why it happens: Candidates prepare full paragraphs in advance and reproduce them regardless of the actual task. How to avoid it: Memorise short, flexible building blocks (openers, opinions, connectives) and adapt them to the real bullets. Irrelevant pre-learned material cannot earn Communication marks. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), relevance

Exam-Skill SectionsCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

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Paper 4 Writing — the 80-90 word and 130-140 word task structures, Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

A step-by-step beginner's plan for the two Paper 4 writing tasks: how to cover every bullet point, hit the word count, vary your tenses and earn the full Communication and Language marks. Reusable French sentence starters included so you walk into the exam with a ready-made structure.

At a glance

Paper 4 (Writing) is 1 hour and worth 30 marks, split into two tasks: a shorter 80-90 word task and a longer 130-140 word task.
Question 1 (the 80-90 word task) gives you four bullet points to respond to — usually an informal message, email or blog post. It is marked out of 10 (all for Communication).
Question 2 (the 130-140 word task) gives you three bullet points and is marked out of 20: roughly half for Communication (covering the points and being understood) and half for Language (range and accuracy of grammar and vocabulary).
Cover every bullet point — a missed bullet is the single most common reason candidates lose Communication marks.
Show a range of tenses. The longer task expects present, past (passé composé / imparfait) and future to access the top Language band. Plan one bullet for each time-frame.
Stay near the word count. Going far under loses content marks; padding far over wastes time and adds errors. Aim for the middle of the range (about 85 and 135 words).
Accuracy matters in Question 2. Watch verb endings, adjective agreement, and accents — these are exactly what the Language mark rewards.
A simple plan wins: opening line, one short paragraph per bullet, a closing line. Use connectives (et, mais, parce que) and opinions (je pense que) to lift the level.

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 syllabus (2025-2027).

Describe the format, timing and mark allocation of both Paper 4 writing tasks.
Read a writing task and identify every bullet point that must be addressed.
Plan an answer that covers all bullets and lands inside the target word count.
Deploy present, past and future tenses appropriately to access the top Language band in the longer task.
Use reusable French sentence starters, opinions and connectives to structure a coherent response.
Apply accuracy checks for verb endings, adjective agreement and accents before finishing.
Distinguish the Communication mark from the Language mark and what each one rewards.

What Paper 4 actually looks like

One hour, two tasks, 30 marks: a short 80-90 word task and a longer 130-140 word task.

Paper 4 is the Writing paper of Cambridge IGCSE French 0520. You have 1 hour and the paper is worth 30 marks in total. It is written entirely in French, and you write your answers in French too.

There are two questions, and you must do both:

Question	Word count	Bullet points	Marks	Typical text type
Question 1	80-90 words	4 bullets	10 (Communication only)	Informal message, email or short blog post
Question 2	130-140 words	3 bullets	20 (Communication + Language)	Longer email, blog or article giving opinions

The big difference between the two tasks is what is being marked:

In Question 1, all 10 marks are for Communication — did you get your message across and respond to the four bullets? Grammar is not separately rewarded, though it must be clear enough to understand.
In Question 2, the 20 marks are split: about half for Communication (covering the three bullets, being relevant and clear) and about half for Language (the range of structures and vocabulary you use, and how accurate they are).

This tells you your strategy. Question 1 is about content — answer every bullet simply and correctly. Question 2 is about content plus showing off your French — variety of tenses, opinions, connectives and accurate verbs.

Timing plan. Spend roughly 20 minutes on Question 1 and 35-40 minutes on Question 2, leaving 5 minutes to check for verb endings, agreements and accents at the end. Do not over-run on Question 1 — it is only worth a third of the marks.

1 hour, 30 marks, two compulsory tasks, all in French.
Q1: 80-90 words, 4 bullets, 10 marks — Communication only.
Q2: 130-140 words, 3 bullets, 20 marks — Communication + Language.
Plan: ~20 min on Q1, ~35-40 min on Q2, ~5 min to check.

Step 1 — cover every bullet point

Each bullet is a content target. Address all of them, in order, and you secure the Communication marks.

The most reliable way to score is brutally simple: answer every bullet point. Examiner reports for 0520 repeatedly note that candidates lose Communication marks not because their French is poor, but because they forget a bullet or only half-answer one.

Treat the bullets as a checklist. Before you write a word, number them and jot one French idea against each.

Worked mini-example (Question 1, 4 bullets). Imagine the task is an email to a French friend about your school. The bullets might be:

how you travel to school
your favourite subject and why
what you did at school last week
ask your friend a question about their school

A safe plan is one or two sentences per bullet, in order:

Je vais à l'école en bus. (I go to school by bus.) — bullet 1
Ma matière préférée, c'est l'anglais, parce que c'est utile. (My favourite subject is English, because it's useful.) — bullet 2
La semaine dernière, j'ai passé un examen de maths. (Last week, I took a maths exam.) — bullet 3 (past)
Et toi, comment est ton école ? (And you, what is your school like?) — bullet 4 (question)

That is roughly 35-40 words already; a couple of extra details brings you to 85. Every bullet is covered, in order, and the examiner can tick each one.

Notice bullet 4 is an instruction to ask a question. "Ask your friend…" means you must write a question with a question mark — a statement does not count.

Each bullet is a content target — answer all of them to secure Communication marks.
Number the bullets and jot one French idea against each before writing.
Write one or two sentences per bullet, in order, so the examiner can tick each.
If a bullet says 'ask a question', you must actually write a question (with a ?).

Step 2 — a paragraph plan that always works

Opening line, one short paragraph per bullet, closing line. The structure does the thinking for you.

A reusable plan for any Paper 4 task: opening, one paragraph per bullet (varying tense in the longer task), closing, then check.

Use the same skeleton every time so you never freeze in the exam:

Opening line. A greeting suited to the text type. For an informal email: Salut ! (Hi!) or Cher Pierre, (Dear Pierre,). For a blog/article you can simply start with your topic.
One short paragraph per bullet, in the order they appear. Two or three sentences each.
Closing line. À bientôt ! (See you soon!), Écris-moi vite (Write back soon) or Amicalement (Kind regards) for a letter; for a blog you might end with a question to readers.
Check for the last 5 minutes.

For the 130-140 word task, deliberately assign a different time-frame to different bullets so you naturally produce a range of tenses (see the next section). This is the cleanest way to access the top Language band without trying to be clever.

Worked mini-example (mapping bullets to tenses). If a Question 2 task on holidays gives bullets "where you usually go", "a holiday you enjoyed last year", and "your plans for next summer", you map them straight onto tenses:

usually go → present: Normalement, je vais en Espagne. (Normally, I go to Spain.)
last year → past: L'année dernière, j'ai visité Paris et c'était magnifique. (Last year, I visited Paris and it was wonderful.)
next summer → future: L'été prochain, je vais aller en Italie. (Next summer, I'm going to go to Italy.)

Reuse one skeleton: opening line, one paragraph per bullet, closing line, then check.
Two or three sentences per bullet is plenty.
In the long task, give each bullet a different time-frame to force a range of tenses.
Map bullets to tenses: 'usually' = present, 'last year' = past, 'next summer' = future.

Step 3 — show a range of tenses (the longer task)

Present, past and future together unlock the top Language band in Question 2.

In the 130-140 word task, the Language mark rewards a range of structures. The single most effective way to show range as a beginner is to use three tenses: present, past and future. You do not need anything exotic.

Present tense — what you usually do / facts / opinions.

J'habite à Londres. (I live in London.)
J'aime le sport parce que c'est amusant. (I like sport because it's fun.)

Past — the passé composé for completed actions. Most beginners use the passé composé: present tense of avoir (to have) or être (to be) + past participle.

J'ai mangé une pizza. (I ate a pizza.) — avoir + mangé.
Je suis allé(e) au cinéma. (I went to the cinema.) — être + allé; add -e if you are female (allée).
A few "house" verbs of movement take être: aller (to go), venir (to come), arriver (to arrive), partir (to leave). With être, the participle agrees: elle est partie (she left).

Imperfect (imparfait) — handy for descriptions in the past. You can lift your level with one imparfait phrase for "was/were" or "it was":

C'était génial. (It was great.) — the all-purpose past description.
Il faisait beau. (The weather was nice.)

Future — the near future (futur proche) is easiest. Use aller (to go) in the present + an infinitive: "going to do".

Je vais visiter Paris. (I'm going to visit Paris.)
Nous allons jouer au foot. (We are going to play football.)
To say "I would like to", use the conditional je voudrais + infinitive: Je voudrais voyager. (I'd like to travel.)

Time-frame	Easiest structure	Example	English
Present	present tense	Je joue au tennis.	I play tennis.
Past (action)	passé composé	J'ai joué au tennis.	I played tennis.
Past (description)	imparfait	C'était super.	It was great.
Future	aller + infinitive	Je vais jouer au tennis.	I'm going to play tennis.
Wish/plan	je voudrais + infinitive	Je voudrais jouer.	I'd like to play.

Worked mini-example (one sentence per tense). Normalement je joue au foot, mais hier j'ai joué au tennis et c'était fatigant ; demain je vais nager. (Normally I play football, but yesterday I played tennis and it was tiring; tomorrow I'm going to swim.) That single linked sentence already shows present, passé composé, imparfait and futur proche — exactly the range the Language mark rewards.

Q2 Language mark rewards a range — show present + past + future.
Past = passé composé (avoir/être + participle); add agreement after être.
Lift it with one imparfait description: c'était génial (it was great).
Future = aller + infinitive (je vais visiter); wish = je voudrais + infinitive.

Step 4 — reusable sentence starters and connectives

Memorise a toolkit of openers, opinions and joining words you can drop into any task.

You should walk into the exam with a memorised toolkit of phrases that fit almost any topic. They add words, signal your tenses and lift your Language mark — and you can prepare them in advance.

Openers and closings (informal email/letter):

French	English
Salut !	Hi!
Cher Marc, / Chère Marie,	Dear Marc, / Dear Marie, (m / f)
Merci de ton message.	Thanks for your message.
À bientôt !	See you soon!
Écris-moi vite.	Write back soon.
Amicalement / Amitiés	Kind regards / Best wishes

Opinions (great for the longer task):

French	English
Je pense que…	I think that…
À mon avis…	In my opinion…
Je trouve que…	I find that…
J'adore… / Je déteste…	I love… / I hate…
Le plus important, c'est…	The most important thing is…

Connectives (joining words — they raise your level):

French	English
et	and
mais	but
parce que / car	because
aussi	also
donc	so / therefore
par contre	on the other hand
d'abord… puis… enfin	first… then… finally

Time-phrases to signal tense: normalement (normally), d'habitude (usually), hier (yesterday), la semaine dernière (last week), l'année dernière (last year), demain (tomorrow), le week-end prochain (next weekend), l'été prochain (next summer).

Worked mini-example (toolkit in action). À mon avis, le sport est important parce que c'est bon pour la santé. Normalement, je joue au foot, mais hier j'ai nagé. Donc, demain je vais me reposer ! (In my opinion, sport is important because it's good for your health. Normally I play football, but yesterday I swam. So tomorrow I'm going to rest!) Notice the opinion (à mon avis), the reason (parce que), three time-phrases, and three tenses — all from the toolkit.

Memorise openers/closings, opinions, connectives and time-phrases in advance.
Opinions: je pense que, à mon avis, je trouve que — strong for Q2.
Connectives lift your level: parce que, mais, donc, par contre.
Time-phrases (normalement, hier, demain) signal your tenses for free.

Step 5 — the 5-minute accuracy check

Verbs, agreements and accents are where the Language mark is won or lost — check them last.

In the 130-140 word task, accuracy is half the Language mark, so the last 5 minutes are valuable. Run a quick, ordered check rather than vaguely re-reading.

1. Verbs — do the endings match the subject?

je → usually -e / -s (je joue, je finis); tu → -s; il/elle → -e / -t; nous → -ons; vous → -ez; ils/elles → -ent (silent).
In the passé composé, did you pick the right helper? Movement/"house" verbs and reflexives take être; most others take avoir.
After être, does the participle agree? Elle est allée (she went), ils sont partis (they left).

2. Adjective agreement — does it match its noun?

Add -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for feminine plural.
un grand jardin (a big garden) → une grande maison (a big house) → des grandes maisons (big houses).
Most adjectives go after the noun in French: une voiture rouge (a red car), not une rouge voiture.

3. Accents — they are part of the spelling.

é (café, préféré), è (père, très), à (to/at, not a = has), où (where, not ou = or), ç (français, garçon).
A missing or wrong accent counts as a spelling error and can change meaning.

4. Gender — le/la, un/une.

Check articles match their noun: le problème (the problem, m), la maison (the house, f).

Worked mini-example (spot the errors). A draft reads: Je suis allé a Paris avec ma frere et nous a visité une grand musée. Three fixes:

a Paris → à Paris (accent grave on the preposition).
ma frere → mon frère (frère is masculine → mon; add the grave accent).
nous a visité → nous avons visité (the helper must agree with nous: avons).
une grand musée → un grand musée (musée is masculine → un; adjective then masculine grand). Corrected: Je suis allé à Paris avec mon frère et nous avons visité un grand musée. (I went to Paris with my brother and we visited a big museum.)

Leave 5 minutes to check verbs, agreements, accents and gender — in that order.
Verb endings must match the subject; after être, the participle agrees.
Adjectives agree (-e fem, -s plural) and usually come after the noun.
Accents are spelling: é, è, à, où, ç — a missing accent loses accuracy.

Quick recap

Paper 4 is 1 hour, 30 marks: Q1 (80-90 words, 4 bullets, 10 marks, Communication) and Q2 (130-140 words, 3 bullets, 20 marks, Communication + Language).
Cover every bullet, in order — a missed or half-answered bullet is the top cause of lost Communication marks.
Use one reusable skeleton: opening line, one short paragraph per bullet, closing line, then a final check.
In Q2, map bullets to time-frames so you naturally show present + past + future — the surest route to the top Language band.
Past = passé composé (avoir/être + participle, with agreement after être); future = aller + infinitive; lift with c'était and je voudrais.
Memorise a toolkit of openers, opinions (à mon avis, je pense que), connectives (parce que, mais, donc) and time-phrases.
Spend the last 5 minutes checking verb endings, adjective agreement, accents (é/è/à/où/ç) and gender.

Memorise this

Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.

Q1 = 80-90 words, 4 bullets, 10 marks; Q2 = 130-140 words, 3 bullets, 20 marks.
Openers: Salut ! (Hi!), Cher/Chère… (Dear…), Merci de ton message. (Thanks for your message.)
Closings: À bientôt ! (See you soon!), Écris-moi vite. (Write back soon.), Amicalement (Kind regards).
Opinions: Je pense que… (I think that…), À mon avis… (In my opinion…), Je trouve que… (I find that…).
Connectives: et (and), mais (but), parce que / car (because), donc (so), par contre (on the other hand).
Time-phrases: normalement (normally), hier (yesterday), la semaine dernière (last week), demain (tomorrow), l'été prochain (next summer).
Present: Je vais à l'école. (I go to school.) Past: J'ai mangé / Je suis allé(e). (I ate / I went.)
Imperfect: C'était génial. (It was great.) Future: Je vais visiter… (I'm going to visit…); Je voudrais… (I'd like…).
Accuracy checks: à (to/at) ≠ a (has); où (where) ≠ ou (or); adjective usually after the noun (une voiture rouge).

How it’s examined

This subtopic is Paper 4 (Writing) itself, so the technique maps directly onto the mark scheme.

Question 1 (80-90 words, 4 bullets, 10 marks): All marks are for Communication — responding clearly and relevantly to each of the four bullets. Cover every bullet, write a question where instructed, and keep the language clear enough to understand. Tense range is not separately rewarded here, so prioritise content.
Question 2 (130-140 words, 3 bullets, 20 marks): Marks split between Communication (covering the three bullets, relevance, clarity, development) and Language (range of structures/vocabulary and accuracy). Show present, past and future; use opinions and connectives; then check verbs, agreements and accents.

Examiner reports for 0520 Writing repeatedly flag: missed or half-covered bullet points, single-tense answers (only present) in the longer task, adjective-agreement and verb-ending errors, and missing accents. They also warn against irrelevant pre-learned passages that do not answer the bullets. Staying near the word count matters: well under loses content; far over wastes time and breeds errors.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Paper 4 (Writing) Specimen Paper & Mark Scheme 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024 — Paper 4 (Writing). Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

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Step-by-step worked examples — Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on paper 4 - writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Plan a Question 1 answer by mapping the four bullets
Getting started
Question
A Question 1 task (80-90 words) is an email to a French friend. The bullets are: (1) how you travel to school, (2) your favourite subject and why, (3) what you did at school last week, (4) ask a question about their school. Plan one French idea for each bullet before writing.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Number the bullets and answer them in order. This is a checklist — the examiner ticks each one, so never skip or merge them.
2. Step 2
  Bullet 1 (present): Je vais à l'école en bus. (I go to school by bus.)
3. Step 3
  Bullet 2 (present + reason): the bullet asks for a subject and why, so give both: Ma matière préférée, c'est l'anglais, parce que c'est utile. (My favourite subject is English, because it's useful.)
4. Step 4
  Bullet 3 (past): 'last week' signals the passé composé. La semaine dernière, j'ai passé un examen de maths. (Last week, I took a maths exam.)
5. Step 5
  Bullet 4 (a question): 'ask a question' means you must write a real question with a question mark. Et toi, comment est ton école ? (And you, what is your school like?)
Answer
Salut ! Je vais à l'école en bus. Ma matière préférée, c'est l'anglais, parce que c'est utile. La semaine dernière, j'ai passé un examen de maths. Et toi, comment est ton école ? À bientôt ! — all four bullets covered, plus an opening and closing line, around 40-50 words (add one detail per bullet to reach 85).
Examiner tip
Question 1 is marked out of 10 for Communication only. The marks come from covering all four bullets clearly. Note bullet 4 demands an actual question — a statement would not earn it. Half-answering bullet 2 (subject but no reason) would also lose a mark.
2Build a Question 2 paragraph showing three tenses
Building confidence
Question
A Question 2 task (130-140 words) on holidays has the bullet 'describe a holiday you usually take, one you enjoyed, and your plans for next year'. Write a paragraph that shows present, past and future tenses.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  'Usually' → present tense. Open with a time-phrase to signal it: Normalement, je vais en Espagne avec ma famille. (Normally, I go to Spain with my family.)
2. Step 2
  'Enjoyed' → past (passé composé + a description in the imparfait). L'année dernière, j'ai visité Paris et c'était magnifique. (Last year, I visited Paris and it was wonderful.) Note visiter takes avoir; c'était is the imparfait.
3. Step 3
  'Next year' → future (aller + infinitive). L'année prochaine, je vais aller en Italie. (Next year, I'm going to go to Italy.)
4. Step 4
  Add an opinion to lift the Language mark. À mon avis, voyager, c'est super, parce que j'adore découvrir de nouveaux pays. (In my opinion, travelling is great, because I love discovering new countries.)
Answer
Normalement, je vais en Espagne avec ma famille. L'année dernière, j'ai visité Paris et c'était magnifique. L'année prochaine, je vais aller en Italie. À mon avis, voyager, c'est super, parce que j'adore découvrir de nouveaux pays. — present, passé composé, imparfait, futur proche and an opinion in four sentences.
Examiner tip
Question 2's Language mark rewards a range of tenses. Mapping each bullet to a time-frame (usually = present, last year = past, next year = future) is the cleanest way to show range. The opinion (à mon avis) and connective (parce que) widen the range further.
3Hit the 130-140 word count without padding
Building confidence
Question
Your draft Question 2 answer is only 105 words but covers all three bullets. How do you reach 130-140 words while improving, not just lengthening, the answer?
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Add reasons, not filler. After any opinion or fact, add parce que… (because…). E.g. J'aime le sport → J'aime le sport parce que c'est bon pour la santé. (I like sport because it's good for your health.)
2. Step 2
  Add a detail with an adjective or time-phrase. J'ai mangé une pizza → Hier soir, j'ai mangé une délicieuse pizza italienne. (Last night, I ate a delicious Italian pizza.) Remember adjectives usually follow the noun and must agree.
3. Step 3
  Add an opinion + a question. A blog can end with Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous en pensez ? (And you, what do you think?) — extra words and shows variety.
4. Step 4
  Re-count and trim if over. Aim for the middle (about 135). Far over the count wastes time and adds errors, so stop once you are comfortably inside the range.
Answer
Expand by adding reasons (parce que…), details with agreeing adjectives (une délicieuse pizza italienne), and an opinion/question — not empty filler. Target around 135 words and recount.
Examiner tip
Going far under the word count loses content marks; padding far over wastes time and breeds accuracy errors. The best 'extra words' are reasons and opinions, because they also raise the Language mark in Question 2.
4Run the 5-minute accuracy check on a draft
Stretch
Question
Correct this Question 2 sentence: Je suis allé a Paris avec ma frere et nous a visité une grand musée. (I went to Paris with my brother and we visited a big museum.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  a Paris → à Paris. Here 'a' means 'to/at', so it needs the accent grave (à) to separate it from a = 'has'.
2. Step 2
  ma frere → mon frère. Frère (brother) is masculine, so the possessive is mon, not ma. Also add the accent grave on frère.
3. Step 3
  nous a visité → nous avons visité. In the passé composé the helper avoir must agree with the subject nous: nous avons.
4. Step 4
  une grand musée → un grand musée. Musée (museum) is masculine, so the article is un and the adjective is the masculine grand.
Answer
Je suis allé à Paris avec mon frère et nous avons visité un grand musée. Fixes: à (accent), mon frère (gender + accent), nous avons (helper agreement), un grand musée (gender + adjective).
Examiner tip
Accuracy is half the Language mark in Question 2. Examiner reports flag exactly these errors: à/a confusion, possessive gender (ma/mon), passé composé helper agreement, and noun gender driving article and adjective. A targeted final scan recovers easy marks.

Model Answers — Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

High-scoring sample answers for paper 4 - writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
10 marks
Question 1 (80-90 words). Write an email to your French friend Léa about your weekend. Cover: (1) what you did on Saturday, (2) your favourite activity and why, (3) what the weather was like, (4) ask Léa what she did.
Model answer
Salut Léa ! Samedi, je suis allé(e) au cinéma avec mes amis et nous avons vu un film d'action. (Hi Léa! On Saturday, I went to the cinema with my friends and we saw an action film.)

Mon activité préférée, c'est le foot, parce que c'est amusant et je joue avec mon équipe. (My favourite activity is football, because it's fun and I play with my team.)

Il faisait beau et chaud, donc on a joué dans le parc. (The weather was nice and hot, so we played in the park.)

Et toi, qu'est-ce que tu as fait ce week-end ? (And you, what did you do this weekend?)

À bientôt ! Marc (See you soon! Marc)
Why this scores
Why this scores full Communication. All four bullets are covered clearly and in order: a past action (je suis allé au cinéma), a favourite + reason (parce que c'est amusant), the weather (il faisait beau), and a genuine question to Léa (with a question mark). It has an opener and closing, sits near 85 words, and the language is clear throughout — which is all Question 1's 10 Communication marks require.
Question 2
20 marks
Question 2 (130-140 words). Write a blog post about your free time. Cover: (1) what you usually do, (2) a memorable activity from last year, (3) your plans for the future. Show a range of tenses and give opinions.
Model answer
Salut à tous ! Pendant mon temps libre, normalement je fais du sport et j'écoute de la musique. (Hi everyone! In my free time, I normally do sport and listen to music.)

À mon avis, le sport est très important, parce que c'est bon pour la santé et c'est relaxant. (In my opinion, sport is very important, because it's good for your health and it's relaxing.)

L'année dernière, j'ai fait un voyage à la montagne avec ma famille. C'était fantastique et nous avons fait du ski tous les jours. (Last year, I went on a trip to the mountains with my family. It was fantastic and we went skiing every day.)

À l'avenir, je voudrais apprendre la guitare et je vais voyager en Asie. Par contre, je dois d'abord travailler dur à l'école ! (In the future, I'd like to learn the guitar and I'm going to travel in Asia. On the other hand, I must work hard at school first!)
Why this scores
Why this scores in the top bands. It covers all three bullets and shows a clear range of tenses: present (je fais, j'écoute), passé composé (j'ai fait, nous avons fait), imparfait (c'était), futur proche (je vais voyager) and the conditional je voudrais. It develops ideas with opinions (à mon avis) and connectives (parce que, par contre, d'abord). Accuracy is sound — agreements, accents and helper verbs are correct — so it earns strongly on both Communication and Language. It sits at about 135 words.
Question 3
Both tasks. Give safe opening and closing lines for an informal email and for a blog/article, so you always have a frame ready.
Model answer
Informal email/letter — open with Salut ! (Hi!) or Cher Thomas, / Chère Sophie, (Dear Thomas, / Dear Sophie,) and, optionally, Merci de ton message. (Thanks for your message.) Close with À bientôt ! (See you soon!), Écris-moi vite. (Write back soon.) or Amicalement, [name] (Kind regards, [name]).

Blog/article — open with Salut à tous ! (Hi everyone!) or straight into the topic, e.g. Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler de mes loisirs. (Today, I'm going to tell you about my hobbies.) Close with a question to readers: Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous en pensez ? (And you, what do you think?)
Why this scores
Why this helps. A memorised, accurate frame guarantees an opener and closing, adds words, and lets you focus your thinking on the bullets. Note the gender match in Cher (m) / Chère (f) and the two accents in Écris-moi. Keep frames short and flexible — never dump a long pre-learned passage that ignores the bullets.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for paper 4 - writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

Communication mark
Examiner keyword
The marks awarded for covering the bullet points clearly and relevantly so the reader understands you. All 10 marks in Question 1 and about half of Question 2.
Example
Covering all four bullets of the email, including a real question, earns the Question 1 Communication marks.
Language mark
Examiner keyword
The marks in Question 2 for the range of structures and vocabulary you use and how accurate they are. Rewards varied tenses, opinions, connectives and correct grammar.
Example
Using present, past and future plus an opinion (à mon avis) accesses the higher Language band.
Passé composé
Examiner keyword
The main past tense for completed actions: present tense of avoir (to have) or être (to be) + a past participle. After être the participle agrees with the subject.
Example
J'ai mangé (I ate) — avoir + mangé. Je suis allé(e) (I went) — être + allé, add -e if female.
Futur proche (near future)
Examiner keyword
The easiest way to talk about the future: aller (to go) in the present + an infinitive, meaning 'going to do'.
Example
Je vais visiter Paris. (I'm going to visit Paris.) Nous allons jouer. (We're going to play.)
Imparfait (imperfect)
A past tense used for descriptions and 'was/were'. The all-purpose phrase c'était (it was) lets a beginner add a second past tense easily.
Example
C'était génial. (It was great.) Il faisait beau. (The weather was nice.)
Connectives (connecteurs)
Examiner keyword
Joining words that link ideas and raise your level: et (and), mais (but), parce que / car (because), donc (so), par contre (on the other hand).
Example
J'aime le sport parce que c'est amusant, mais je déteste la pluie. (I like sport because it's fun, but I hate the rain.)
Opinion phrases
Examiner keyword
Set phrases for giving your view, valuable for the longer task: je pense que (I think that), à mon avis (in my opinion), je trouve que (I find that).
Example
À mon avis, le français est utile. (In my opinion, French is useful.)
Adjective agreement
Adjectives change to match their noun: add -e (feminine), -s (plural), -es (feminine plural). Most adjectives come after the noun in French.
Example
un grand jardin (a big garden, m) → une grande maison (a big house, f); une voiture rouge (a red car).
Time-phrases (adverbes de temps)
Words that signal which tense you are using and add words for free: normalement (normally), hier (yesterday), la semaine dernière (last week), demain (tomorrow), l'été prochain (next summer).
Example
Hier, j'ai joué ; demain, je vais nager. (Yesterday, I played; tomorrow, I'm going to swim.)
Word count (80-90 / 130-140)
The required length of each task. Going far under loses content marks; far over wastes time and adds errors. Aim for the middle of the range.
Example
Question 1 ≈ 85 words; Question 2 ≈ 135 words.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

The traps other students keep falling into on paper 4 - writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Missing or half-answering a bullet point
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), Communication
Why it happens
Candidates focus on writing fluent French and forget the bullets are a checklist, or they answer the 'what' but skip the 'why'.
How to avoid it
Number the bullets, write one French idea against each before starting, and tick them off. If a bullet asks for a reason, include parce que…; if it says 'ask a question', write a real question with a ?.
✕Writing the whole 130-140 word task in the present tense only
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), Language range
Why it happens
Beginners feel safest in the present and avoid past and future forms they find harder.
How to avoid it
Map each bullet to a time-frame: 'usually' = present, 'last year' = passé composé, 'next year' = futur proche (aller + infinitive). Signal each with a time-phrase (hier, demain).
✕Using the wrong helper in the passé composé (j'ai allé instead of je suis allé)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English uses one helper ('have') for the past, so learners default to avoir for every verb.
How to avoid it
Learn that movement/'house' verbs (aller, venir, arriver, partir, rester) and reflexive verbs take être, and the participle then agrees: elle est allée, ils sont partis.
✕Putting the adjective before the noun, as in English (une bleue voiture)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English word order places adjectives before nouns, so learners transfer that order to French.
How to avoid it
Most French adjectives go after the noun and must agree: une voiture bleue (a blue car), un grand musée (a big museum). Check agreement and position in your final scan.
✕Leaving accents off (cafe for café, a for à, ou for où)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English has no accents, so beginners treat them as optional decoration.
How to avoid it
Treat accents as part of the spelling. Scan specifically for high-frequency words: café, préféré, père, très, français, à (to/at) vs a (has), où (where) vs ou (or).
✕Dumping a memorised passage that doesn't answer the bullets
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), relevance
Why it happens
Candidates prepare full paragraphs in advance and reproduce them regardless of the actual task.
How to avoid it
Memorise short, flexible building blocks (openers, opinions, connectives) and adapt them to the real bullets. Irrelevant pre-learned material cannot earn Communication marks.

Past paper style quiz

Get a report showing which sub-topics you've nailed and which ones still need work.

Paper 4 - Writing: 80–90 word task and 130–140 word task structures

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Plan a Question 1 answer by mapping the four bullets

2Build a Question 2 paragraph showing three tenses

3Hit the 130-140 word count without padding

4Run the 5-minute accuracy check on a draft

Communication mark

Language mark

Passé composé

Futur proche (near future)

Imparfait (imperfect)

Connectives (connecteurs)

Opinion phrases

Adjective agreement

Time-phrases (adverbes de temps)

Word count (80-90 / 130-140)

✕Missing or half-answering a bullet point

✕Writing the whole 130-140 word task in the present tense only

✕Using the wrong helper in the passé composé (j'ai allé instead of je suis allé)

✕Putting the adjective before the noun, as in English (une bleue voiture)

✕Leaving accents off (cafe for café, a for à, ou for où)

✕Dumping a memorised passage that doesn't answer the bullets

Past paper style quiz