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.