Why is "Dropping the reflexive pronoun (writing 'je lève' for 'I get up')" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: English doesn't use 'myself' for these actions ('I get up', not 'I get myself up'), so beginners leave the pronoun out. How to avoid it: Memorise routine verbs WITH their pronoun as a chunk: *je me lève*, *je me couche*, *je m'habille*. The pronoun is not optional — without it the sentence is incomplete or changes meaning. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4, accuracy

Why is "Forgetting the accent in 'je me lève' or 'je préfère'" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: English has no accents, and the accent only appears in some forms of the verb, so it's easy to miss. How to avoid it: Remember that *se lever* takes an accent grave (è) whenever the ending is silent: je me l**è**ve, il se l**è**ve, but nous nous levons (no accent). Learn *préfère*, *déteste* spelled correctly. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Not agreeing adjectives for a female speaker ('je suis fatigué' written by a girl)" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: English adjectives never change for gender, so the idea of agreement is unfamiliar. How to avoid it: If the speaker is female, add -e: *fatigué → fatiguée*, *pressé → pressée*, *content → contente*. Check every adjective that describes 'I' against the speaker's gender. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Leaving out 'heures' when telling the time (writing 'à sept' for 'at seven')" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: In English we can say 'at seven', so learners copy the structure and drop the word for 'o'clock'. How to avoid it: Always include *heures*: *à sept heures* (at seven o'clock). The only exceptions are *à midi* (midday) and *à minuit* (midnight), which don't take *heures*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 1 & 4

Why is "Translating 'have a shower' literally as 'j'ai une douche'" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: Learners map English 'have' onto French *avoir*, but French uses a reflexive verb or *prendre* here. How to avoid it: Use *je me douche* (I shower) or *je prends une douche* (I take a shower). Likewise 'have breakfast' = *je prends le petit déjeuner* (I take breakfast), not *j'ai*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking)

Why is "Listing actions with no connectives or opinions (staying in the lower bands)" a common mistake in Daily routine?

Why it happens: Beginners feel safe producing simple, separate sentences and forget that range and opinion are assessed. How to avoid it: Add sequencing connectives (*d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin*) and at least one opinion with a reason (*j'aime ... parce que ...*). This directly moves an answer up a band. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4, range/communication

Topic Area 1 - Everyday ActivitiesCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Daily routine

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Daily routine in French — Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

Learn to describe your day in French from morning to night — using reflexive verbs like se lever (to get up), time phrases, opinions with reasons and connectives. This is the single most reusable topic for Paper 3 Speaking and Paper 4 Writing.

At a glance

Daily routine (la routine quotidienne — daily routine) is built on reflexive verbs: je me lève (I get up), je me lave (I wash), je me couche (I go to bed).
A reflexive verb has an extra little word called a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) that means the action comes back onto yourself: je me réveille (I wake myself up).
Sequence your day with time connectors: d'abord (first), ensuite (then/next), puis (then), enfin (finally).
Say at what time with à + the hour: à sept heures (at seven o'clock), à midi (at midday), à minuit (at midnight).
Use the present tense for what you usually do, plus tous les jours (every day) and le matin / l'après-midi / le soir (in the morning / afternoon / evening).
Add an opinion with a reason to climb the mark bands: J'aime le matin parce que c'est calme (I like the morning because it's calm).
Beginners' biggest trap: forgetting the reflexive pronoun — je lève is wrong for 'I get up'; it must be je me lève.
Memorise a few ready-made question→answer frames so you can both ask and answer about routine in the Speaking test.

What you’ll learn

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

Use common reflexive verbs (se réveiller, se lever, se laver, s'habiller, se coucher) in the present tense to describe a daily routine.
Place the reflexive pronoun correctly before the verb (je me, tu te, il/elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se).
Tell the time and say at what time an activity happens using à + heures, et demie, et quart, moins le quart.
Sequence a description of the day using connectives d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin.
Give opinions about parts of the day and justify them with parce que / car and a reason.
Ask and answer questions about daily routine using reusable Paper 3 / Paper 4 frames.
Distinguish a reflexive verb (se laver — to wash oneself) from its non-reflexive partner (laver — to wash something).

Core daily-routine vocabulary — morning to night

The key verbs and nouns for describing a day, with pronunciation and English meaning.

Let's start by collecting the words you will use again and again. Most actions in a daily routine are reflexive verbs (more on those in the next section), so each French verb below is given in its dictionary form starting with se or s' (which means "oneself").

French (infinitive)	Pronunciation	English
se réveiller	suh ray-vay-YAY	to wake up
se lever	suh luh-VAY	to get up
se laver	suh la-VAY	to wash (oneself)
se doucher	suh doo-SHAY	to have a shower
se brosser les dents	suh bro-SAY lay DON	to brush one's teeth
s'habiller	sa-bee-YAY	to get dressed
prendre le petit déjeuner	prondr luh puh-TEE day-zhuh-NAY	to have breakfast
aller à l'école	a-LAY a lay-KOL	to go to school
rentrer	ron-TRAY	to come/go home
faire les devoirs	fair lay duh-VWAR	to do homework
dîner	dee-NAY	to have dinner
se coucher	suh koo-SHAY	to go to bed
s'endormir	son-dor-MEER	to fall asleep

Some useful time-of-day nouns to anchor your sentences:

French	Pronunciation	English
le matin	luh ma-TAN	the morning
l'après-midi	la-preh-mee-DEE	the afternoon
le soir	luh swar	the evening
la nuit	la nwee	the night
tous les jours	too lay ZHOOR	every day
d'habitude	da-bee-TÜD	usually

Worked mini-example. String three verbs together with the right "oneself" words: Je me réveille, je me lève et je me lave (I wake up, I get up and I wash). Notice every verb keeps its little pronoun — me — because the action happens to me.

Routine verbs are mostly reflexive: se réveiller, se lever, se laver, s'habiller, se coucher.
Anchor sentences with time-of-day nouns: le matin (morning), le soir (evening).
tous les jours (every day) and d'habitude (usually) signal a routine.
Non-reflexive routine verbs also appear: dîner (to have dinner), rentrer (to go home).

Reflexive verbs — the engine of daily routine

A reflexive verb carries an extra pronoun (me, te, se...) showing the action comes back onto the subject.

A reflexive verb = subject + reflexive pronoun + verb; the pronoun matches the subject and sits before the verb.

A reflexive verb (in French, un verbe pronominal) describes an action you do to yourself. In English we rarely say "I wash myself" — we just say "I wash" — but French makes the "myself" part compulsory with a small word called the reflexive pronoun.

Take se laver (to wash oneself). The se means "oneself". To use it, swap se for the pronoun that matches the subject, and conjugate the verb normally:

French	Pronunciation	English
je me lave	zhuh muh lav	I wash (myself)
tu te laves	tew tuh lav	you wash (informal)
il / elle se lave	eel / el suh lav	he / she washes
nous nous lavons	noo noo la-VON	we wash
vous vous lavez	voo voo la-VAY	you wash (formal/plural)
ils / elles se lavent	eel / el suh lav	they wash

Two rules make this easy:

The pronoun always goes BEFORE the verb. Say je me lève (I get up), never je lève me.
Before a vowel or silent h, me / te / se shorten to m' / t' / s' (this is elision): *je **m'*habille (I get dressed), *je **m'*appelle (I am called).

Reflexive vs non-reflexive. Many verbs exist in both forms, and the reflexive pronoun is what flips the meaning onto yourself:

laver = to wash (something): je lave la voiture (I wash the car).
se laver = to wash (oneself): je me lave (I wash / get washed).
réveiller = to wake (someone): je réveille mon frère (I wake my brother).
se réveiller = to wake up (oneself): je me réveille (I wake up).

Watch the spelling change in se lever. This verb adds an accent grave in most forms: je me lève, tu te lèves, il se lève, nous nous levons, vous vous levez, ils se lèvent. The accent appears wherever the ending is silent, to keep the "eh" sound.

Worked mini-example. Build "She gets up at seven o'clock." Subject = elle → pronoun = se → verb se lever → elle se lève. Add the time: Elle se lève à sept heures. (She gets up at seven o'clock.)

A reflexive verb adds a pronoun meaning 'oneself': je me, tu te, il/elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se.
The pronoun goes before the verb: je me lève, never je lève me.
Before a vowel, me/te/se → m'/t'/s': je m'habille, je m'appelle.
Reflexive = action onto yourself (se laver); non-reflexive = onto something/someone else (laver la voiture).
se lever takes an accent grave when the ending is silent: je me lève.

Telling the time and saying 'at what time'

Use à + heures to pin each activity to a time, with et demie, et quart and moins le quart.

A daily routine is mostly about when things happen, so telling the time is essential. The key word is heure(s) (hour/o'clock), and to say at a time you use à.

French	Pronunciation	English
Quelle heure est-il ?	kel ur ay-TEEL	What time is it?
Il est une heure	eel ay tün ur	It's one o'clock
Il est deux heures	eel ay duh-ZUR	It's two o'clock
Il est sept heures et quart	… ay KAR	quarter past seven
Il est sept heures et demie	… ay duh-MEE	half past seven
Il est huit heures moins le quart	… mwan luh KAR	quarter to eight
Il est sept heures dix	… DEESS	ten past seven
Il est huit heures moins dix	… mwan DEESS	ten to eight
à midi	a mee-DEE	at midday
à minuit	a mee-NWEE	at midnight

To say at what time you do something, just put à in front:

Je me lève à sept heures. (I get up at seven o'clock.)
Je déjeune à midi. (I have lunch at midday.)
Je me couche à onze heures et demie. (I go to bed at half past eleven.)

Note the agreement of heure. Say une heure (one o'clock — singular) but deux heures (two o'clock — plural, with a silent -s). Also notice the liaison: deux heures sounds like duh-ZUR (the x links as a 'z').

The 24-hour clock is common in French timetables and is easy: quatorze heures (14:00 = 2 p.m.), vingt heures (20:00 = 8 p.m.). You may meet it in Listening; for Speaking, the simple 12-hour forms above are perfectly acceptable.

Worked mini-example. "I have breakfast at half past seven." → prendre le petit déjeuner + à + the time. Result: Je prends le petit déjeuner à sept heures et demie. (I have breakfast at half past seven.)

Ask the time: Quelle heure est-il ?; answer: Il est ... heures.
Say AT a time with à: à sept heures (at seven), à midi (at midday), à minuit (at midnight).
Use et quart (quarter past), et demie (half past), moins le quart (quarter to).
une heure (singular) but deux heures (plural -s, silent); liaison deux heures = duh-ZUR.

Sequencing your day with connectives

Link your actions in order with d'abord, ensuite, puis and enfin to sound fluent.

Sequencing connectives turn a list of verbs into a flowing description of your day.

A list of verbs ("I get up. I wash. I dress.") sounds robotic. Connectives (linking words) join your actions into a smooth narrative and immediately lift your Speaking and Writing marks.

French	Pronunciation	English
d'abord	da-BOR	first / first of all
ensuite	on-SWEET	then / next
puis	pwee	then
après	a-PREH	after / afterwards
enfin	on-FAN	finally / at last
plus tard	plü TAR	later
avant de + infinitive	a-VON duh	before (doing)

You can also add frequency words to show how regular your routine is: toujours (always), souvent (often), quelquefois (sometimes), normalement (normally), d'habitude (usually).

Worked mini-example. Turn three actions into one fluent sentence: se réveiller → prendre le petit déjeuner → aller à l'école. → D'abord je me réveille, puis je prends le petit déjeuner, et enfin je vais à l'école. (First I wake up, then I have breakfast, and finally I go to school.) Three connectives, one polished answer.

Sequence with d'abord (first), ensuite (then), puis (then), enfin (finally).
Add après (afterwards) and plus tard (later) for variety.
Show how regular the routine is with toujours, souvent, quelquefois, d'habitude.
Connectives transform a verb list into a flowing description and raise the band.

Opinions with reasons — the band-lifter

Pair an opinion phrase with parce que / car and a reason to access the higher mark bands.

Describing what you do earns you a basic mark. Adding what you think about it and why is what separates a mid-band answer from a top one. The formula is simple:

Opinion phrase + part of the day + parce que / car + reason.

Opinion phrases (say what you think):

French	Pronunciation	English
J'aime	zhem	I like
J'adore	zha-DOR	I love
Je n'aime pas	zhuh nem PA	I don't like
Je déteste	zhuh day-TEST	I hate
Je préfère	zhuh pray-FAIR	I prefer

Reason connectives (say why):

French	Pronunciation	English
parce que	pars-KUH	because
car	kar	because / for
donc	donk	so / therefore
mais	meh	but

Useful reasons (opinion adjectives): c'est calme (it's calm), c'est fatigant (it's tiring), c'est relaxant (it's relaxing), je suis fatigué(e) (I'm tired), j'ai sommeil (I'm sleepy), je suis pressé(e) (I'm in a hurry).

Putting it together:

J'aime le matin parce que c'est calme. (I like the morning because it's calm.)
Je déteste me lever tôt car je suis toujours fatigué. (I hate getting up early because I'm always tired.)
Je préfère le soir, mais je me couche tard. (I prefer the evening, but I go to bed late.)

Watch adjective agreement. If you are female, write fatiguée and pressée with an extra -e: je suis fatiguée (I'm tired). This agreement is checked in Paper 4 Writing.

Worked mini-example. Upgrade the plain sentence Je me lève à six heures (I get up at six) into a band-lifter by adding an opinion and a reason: → Je me lève à six heures, mais je n'aime pas ça parce que je suis très fatigué le matin. (I get up at six, but I don't like it because I'm very tired in the morning.) Same routine — far more marks.

Formula: opinion + parce que / car + reason — this lifts the band.
Opinions: j'aime, j'adore, je n'aime pas, je déteste, je préfère.
Reasons: parce que (because), car (because), plus adjectives like c'est calme, c'est fatigant.
Agree adjectives for a female speaker: fatigué → fatiguée, pressé → pressée.

Ready-to-use question and answer frames

Reusable Paper 3 and Paper 4 frames for asking and answering about daily routine.

In Paper 3 Speaking you must both answer the examiner and sometimes ask questions yourself, and in Paper 4 Writing you respond to a task in continuous prose. These frames are built to be reused — just swap in your own times and details.

Questions you can be asked (and how to ask them):

Question (French)	English
À quelle heure te lèves-tu ?	At what time do you get up?
Que fais-tu le matin ?	What do you do in the morning?
Décris ta routine quotidienne.	Describe your daily routine.
À quelle heure te couches-tu ?	At what time do you go to bed?
Aimes-tu te lever tôt ?	Do you like getting up early?

Model answer frames (fill in the blanks):

Je me lève à ___ heures. (I get up at ___ o'clock.)
Le matin, je me lave, je m'habille et je prends le petit déjeuner. (In the morning I wash, get dressed and have breakfast.)
Je vais à l'école à ___ heures. (I go to school at ___.)
Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je dîne avec ma famille. (In the evening I do my homework and have dinner with my family.)
Je me couche vers ___ heures parce que ___. (I go to bed around ___ because ___.)

The word vers (vair — around/about) is handy when you're not exact: vers huit heures (around eight o'clock).

A complete short paragraph you could adapt:

D'habitude, je me réveille à six heures et demie et je me lève tout de suite. D'abord je me douche, ensuite je m'habille, puis je prends le petit déjeuner. Je vais à l'école à huit heures. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je me couche vers dix heures parce que je suis fatigué. (Usually I wake up at half past six and get up straight away. First I have a shower, then I get dressed, then I have breakfast. I go to school at eight o'clock. In the evening I do my homework and go to bed around ten because I'm tired.)

Worked mini-example. The examiner asks Que fais-tu le soir ? (What do you do in the evening?). Reuse the frame: Le soir, je fais mes devoirs, je dîne avec ma famille, puis je regarde la télé. Enfin, je me couche vers onze heures. (In the evening I do my homework, have dinner with my family, then watch TV. Finally, I go to bed around eleven.)

Learn the question forms so you can both answer and ask: À quelle heure te lèves-tu ?
Use fill-in-the-blank frames and swap in your own times.
vers (around) covers you when you're not exact: vers huit heures.
Combine frames + connectives + an opinion to build a full paragraph.

Quick recap

Daily routine runs on reflexive verbs: se réveiller (wake up), se lever (get up), se laver (wash), s'habiller (get dressed), se coucher (go to bed).
Every reflexive verb needs its pronoun before the verb — je me, tu te, il/elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se — and it shortens to m'/t'/s' before a vowel.
Say AT a time with à + heures: à sept heures, à midi, à minuit; use et quart, et demie, moins le quart.
Sequence with connectives: d'abord (first), ensuite / puis (then), enfin (finally).
Add an opinion + reason (j'aime le matin parce que c'est calme) to reach the higher bands.
Agree adjectives for a female speaker (fatigué → fatiguée) and keep accents on à, préfère, déteste.
Memorise the question→answer frames so you can describe your day fluently in Papers 3 and 4.

Memorise this

Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.

se lever (to get up): je me lève, tu te lèves, il/elle se lève, nous nous levons, vous vous levez, ils/elles se lèvent.
se laver (to wash): je me lave, tu te laves, il/elle se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils/elles se lavent.
Reflexive pronouns: je me, tu te, il/elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se (m'/t'/s' before a vowel).
je m'habille (I get dressed); je me couche (I go to bed); je me réveille (I wake up).
Time: à sept heures (at 7), à midi (at midday), à minuit (at midnight), vers huit heures (around 8).
Connectives: d'abord (first), ensuite (then), puis (then), enfin (finally).
Opinion + reason: J'aime le matin parce que c'est calme. / Je déteste me lever tôt.
Frame: Je me lève à ___ heures, puis je me lave et je m'habille.

How it’s examined

Daily routine is one of the most heavily examined themes in Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 because it appears across all four papers.

Paper 1 (Listening): Expect a speaker describing their day; you must catch the times (à sept heures et demie) and match activities to them. Reflexive verbs and the 24-hour clock often appear.
Paper 2 (Reading): A text or blog about someone's routine, with questions on sequence and time. Knowing the reflexive verbs and connectives lets you follow the order of events.
Paper 3 (Speaking): A near-certain conversation topic. You'll be asked Décris ta routine quotidienne or À quelle heure te lèves-tu ? Reusable frames, correct reflexive pronouns and an opinion with a reason score highly.
Paper 4 (Writing): A common prompt for the short message or longer piece. Accurate reflexive verbs, correct accents (à, préfère), adjective agreement (fatiguée) and connectives all earn accuracy and range marks.

Examiner reports repeatedly note that candidates lose marks by omitting the reflexive pronoun (je lève instead of je me lève) and by listing actions without connectives or opinions. Adding parce que + a reason is the fastest way to move up a band.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Paper 3 (Speaking) & Paper 4 (Writing) Specimen 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

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Step-by-step worked examples — Daily routine

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on daily routine, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Conjugate a reflexive verb in the present tense
Getting started
Question
Complete the sentence with the correct form of se lever (to get up): Le matin, je ___ à six heures. (In the morning, I get up at six o'clock.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Identify the subject. The subject is je (I), so the reflexive pronoun must be me (myself).
2. Step 2
  Place the pronoun before the verb. Reflexive pronouns always come first: je me ..., never je ... me.
3. Step 3
  Conjugate lever for je and add the accent. se lever takes an accent grave when the ending is silent, so the form is lève: je me lève.
Answer
Le matin, je me lève à six heures. (In the morning, I get up at six o'clock.)
Examiner tip
The most common Paper 4 error here is dropping the pronoun (je lève) or the accent (je me leve). Both lose accuracy marks. Remember: reflexive verb = pronoun + verb, and se lever needs the è.
2Say at what time you do something
Getting started
Question
Write in French: 'I go to bed at half past ten.' Use se coucher (to go to bed) and the correct time phrase.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Build the verb. Subject je → pronoun me → se coucher → je me couche.
2. Step 2
  Say 'at' the time with à + heures: 'at ten o'clock' = à dix heures.
3. Step 3
  Add 'half past' with et demie: à dix heures et demie.
Answer
Je me couche à dix heures et demie. (I go to bed at half past ten.)
Examiner tip
Note the word heures must be there (à dix heures, not à dix), and à keeps its accent grave. demie takes a final -e here because it agrees with the feminine heure.
3Sequence three actions with connectives
Building confidence
Question
Join these three actions into one fluent sentence using connectives: se réveiller (wake up), se laver (wash), prendre le petit déjeuner (have breakfast).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Conjugate each verb for je: je me réveille, je me lave, je prends le petit déjeuner. (prendre is irregular: je prends.)
2. Step 2
  Choose connectives to show order: d'abord (first), ensuite or puis (then), enfin (finally).
3. Step 3
  Link them smoothly, placing each connective at the start of its clause.
Answer
D'abord je me réveille, ensuite je me lave, et enfin je prends le petit déjeuner. (First I wake up, then I wash, and finally I have breakfast.)
Examiner tip
Examiners reward sequencing. A bare list of verbs sits in the lower bands; the same content with d'abord / ensuite / enfin moves up because it shows range of connectives — a key assessment criterion in Papers 3 and 4.
4Add an opinion with a reason to lift the band
Building confidence
Question
Upgrade this plain sentence by adding an opinion and a reason: Je me lève à cinq heures. (I get up at five o'clock.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Add an opinion phrase: je n'aime pas ça (I don't like it) or je déteste ça (I hate it).
2. Step 2
  Add a reason connective: parce que (because). Before a vowel it becomes parce qu'.
3. Step 3
  Give the reason, agreeing the adjective if you are female: je suis fatigué (m.) / fatiguée (f.).
Answer
Je me lève à cinq heures, mais je n'aime pas ça parce que je suis très fatigué le matin. (I get up at five, but I don't like it because I'm very tired in the morning.)
Examiner tip
An opinion justified with parce que + a reason is the single fastest band-lifter at this level. For a female candidate the adjective must agree: fatiguée with an extra -e. Examiner reports flag missing agreement as a frequent accuracy slip.
5Ask a question about someone's routine
Stretch
Question
In the Speaking exam you must ask your partner what time they get up. Write the question two ways: with est-ce que and with inversion. Use se lever and tu.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Identify the reflexive form for tu: the pronoun is te, so the verb phrase is tu te lèves.
2. Step 2
  Add the time question word à quelle heure (at what time) to the front.
3. Step 3
  Est-ce que version: À quelle heure est-ce que tu te lèves ? — keep the normal word order after est-ce que.
4. Step 4
  Inversion version: swap verb and subject with a hyphen, keeping the reflexive pronoun before the verb: À quelle heure te lèves-tu ?
Answer
Est-ce que: À quelle heure est-ce que tu te lèves ? Inversion: À quelle heure te lèves-tu ? (At what time do you get up?)
Examiner tip
Showing more than one question form demonstrates range. The key trap in inversion is the reflexive pronoun: it stays before the verb (te lèves-tu), it does not move to the end. Both versions are fully correct and credit-worthy.

Model Answers — Daily routine

High-scoring sample answers for daily routine on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
6 marks
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. The examiner says: Décris ta routine quotidienne. (Describe your daily routine.) Give a strong model response.
Model answer
D'habitude, je me réveille à six heures et demie et je me lève tout de suite. (Usually I wake up at half past six and get up straight away.)

D'abord, je me douche, ensuite je m'habille, puis je prends le petit déjeuner. (First I have a shower, then I get dressed, then I have breakfast.)

Je vais à l'école à huit heures. J'aime le matin parce que c'est calme. (I go to school at eight o'clock. I like the morning because it's calm.)

Le soir, je fais mes devoirs, je dîne avec ma famille et je me couche vers dix heures car je suis souvent fatigué. (In the evening I do my homework, have dinner with my family and go to bed around ten because I'm often tired.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It uses several reflexive verbs with correct pronouns (me réveille, me lève, me douche, m'habille, me couche), pins them to times (à six heures et demie, vers dix heures), sequences with connectives (d'abord, ensuite, puis), and includes TWO opinions with reasons (parce que c'est calme, car je suis fatigué). That combination of range and justified opinion reaches the higher bands.
Question 2
8 marks
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Write a short message to a French friend describing your morning routine (about 40 words).
Model answer
Salut ! Voici ma routine du matin. (Hi! Here is my morning routine.)

Je me réveille à sept heures, puis je me lave et je m'habille. Ensuite, je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur. Je n'aime pas me lever tôt parce que je suis fatiguée, mais j'adore le week-end ! (I wake up at seven, then I wash and get dressed. Then I have breakfast with my sister. I don't like getting up early because I'm tired, but I love the weekend!)
Why this scores
Why this scores. Accurate reflexive verbs, correct accents (sœur, préfère-type endings), connectives (puis, ensuite), an opinion + reason (parce que je suis fatiguée) and a contrast (mais). Crucially the female writer agrees the adjective: fatiguée. It is concise, communicative and accurate — exactly what the short-message task rewards.
Question 3
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. The examiner asks: À quelle heure te couches-tu, et pourquoi ? (At what time do you go to bed, and why?) Give a model answer.
Model answer
Je me couche vers onze heures. (I go to bed around eleven.)

Je me couche tard parce que je fais mes devoirs le soir et puis je regarde une série. (I go to bed late because I do my homework in the evening and then I watch a series.)

Je préfère me coucher tôt, mais c'est difficile pendant la semaine. (I prefer to go to bed early, but it's difficult during the week.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It answers both parts of the question (the time AND the reason), uses parce que with a developed reason, and adds a preference with je préfère plus a contrast (mais). Note vers (around) handles approximate time naturally, and the accents on préfère are correct.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Daily routine

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for daily routine answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

se lever
Examiner keyword
Reflexive verb meaning 'to get up'. Conjugated: je me lève, tu te lèves, il/elle se lève, nous nous levons, vous vous levez, ils/elles se lèvent (note the accent grave when the ending is silent).
Example
Je me lève à sept heures. (I get up at seven o'clock.)
se coucher
Examiner keyword
Reflexive verb meaning 'to go to bed'. Conjugated: je me couche, tu te couches, il/elle se couche, nous nous couchons, vous vous couchez, ils/elles se couchent.
Example
Je me couche à onze heures. (I go to bed at eleven o'clock.)
se laver
Examiner keyword
Reflexive verb meaning 'to wash (oneself)'. Contrast with laver (to wash something): je lave la voiture vs je me lave.
Example
Je me lave et je me brosse les dents. (I wash and brush my teeth.)
s'habiller
Examiner keyword
Reflexive verb meaning 'to get dressed'. The pronoun shortens to m'/t'/s' before the silent h: je m'habille, tu t'habilles, il s'habille.
Example
Je m'habille avant le petit déjeuner. (I get dressed before breakfast.)
Reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se)
Examiner keyword
The little word that makes a verb reflexive, showing the action falls back on the subject. It always goes BEFORE the verb and matches the subject.
Example
je me lève, tu te laves, il se couche, nous nous levons.
à ... heures
Examiner keyword
The structure for saying AT what time something happens: à + number + heures. Use et quart (quarter past), et demie (half past), moins le quart (quarter to).
Example
Je dîne à sept heures et demie. (I have dinner at half past seven.)
d'abord / ensuite / puis / enfin
Examiner keyword
Sequencing connectives meaning first / then / then / finally. They order a description of your day and lift Speaking and Writing marks.
Example
D'abord je me lève, ensuite je me lave, enfin je vais à l'école. (First I get up, then I wash, finally I go to school.)
parce que
Examiner keyword
Connective meaning 'because', used to justify an opinion. Shortens to parce qu' before a vowel. A justified opinion is a key band-lifter.
Example
J'aime le matin parce que c'est calme. (I like the morning because it's calm.)
se réveiller
Reflexive verb meaning 'to wake up'. Note the accent aigu (é): je me réveille, tu te réveilles, il/elle se réveille.
Example
Je me réveille tôt le matin. (I wake up early in the morning.)
tous les jours / d'habitude
Frequency expressions meaning 'every day' and 'usually'. They signal that you are describing a regular routine and pair well with the present tense.
Example
D'habitude, je prends le petit déjeuner à sept heures. (Usually I have breakfast at seven.)

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Daily routine

The traps other students keep falling into on daily routine questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Dropping the reflexive pronoun (writing 'je lève' for 'I get up')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4, accuracy
Why it happens
English doesn't use 'myself' for these actions ('I get up', not 'I get myself up'), so beginners leave the pronoun out.
How to avoid it
Memorise routine verbs WITH their pronoun as a chunk: je me lève, je me couche, je m'habille. The pronoun is not optional — without it the sentence is incomplete or changes meaning.
✕Forgetting the accent in 'je me lève' or 'je préfère'
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
English has no accents, and the accent only appears in some forms of the verb, so it's easy to miss.
How to avoid it
Remember that se lever takes an accent grave (è) whenever the ending is silent: je me lève, il se lève, but nous nous levons (no accent). Learn préfère, déteste spelled correctly.
✕Not agreeing adjectives for a female speaker ('je suis fatigué' written by a girl)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English adjectives never change for gender, so the idea of agreement is unfamiliar.
How to avoid it
If the speaker is female, add -e: fatigué → fatiguée, pressé → pressée, content → contente. Check every adjective that describes 'I' against the speaker's gender.
✕Leaving out 'heures' when telling the time (writing 'à sept' for 'at seven')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 1 & 4
Why it happens
In English we can say 'at seven', so learners copy the structure and drop the word for 'o'clock'.
How to avoid it
Always include heures: à sept heures (at seven o'clock). The only exceptions are à midi (midday) and à minuit (midnight), which don't take heures.
✕Translating 'have a shower' literally as 'j'ai une douche'
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 3 (Speaking)
Why it happens
Learners map English 'have' onto French avoir, but French uses a reflexive verb or prendre here.
How to avoid it
Use je me douche (I shower) or je prends une douche (I take a shower). Likewise 'have breakfast' = je prends le petit déjeuner (I take breakfast), not j'ai.
✕Listing actions with no connectives or opinions (staying in the lower bands)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4, range/communication
Why it happens
Beginners feel safe producing simple, separate sentences and forget that range and opinion are assessed.
How to avoid it
Add sequencing connectives (d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin) and at least one opinion with a reason (j'aime ... parce que ...). This directly moves an answer up a band.

Past paper style quiz

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

Daily routine

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Conjugate a reflexive verb in the present tense

2Say at what time you do something

3Sequence three actions with connectives

4Add an opinion with a reason to lift the band

5Ask a question about someone's routine

se lever

se coucher

se laver

s'habiller

Reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se)

à ... heures

d'abord / ensuite / puis / enfin

parce que

se réveiller

tous les jours / d'habitude

✕Dropping the reflexive pronoun (writing 'je lève' for 'I get up')

✕Forgetting the accent in 'je me lève' or 'je préfère'

✕Not agreeing adjectives for a female speaker ('je suis fatigué' written by a girl)

✕Leaving out 'heures' when telling the time (writing 'à sept' for 'at seven')

✕Translating 'have a shower' literally as 'j'ai une douche'

✕Listing actions with no connectives or opinions (staying in the lower bands)

Past paper style quiz