Why is "Adding un/une after être when naming a job (*Je suis un vendeur*)" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: English always says 'I am a teacher', so learners copy the article into French. How to avoid it: Drop the article after *être*: *Je suis vendeur*, *Elle est médecin*. The article only returns if you add an adjective: *Je suis un bon vendeur*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Using the masculine job form for a female (or vice versa)" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: English job words don't change for gender, so learners forget the -euse / -ière / -ienne endings. How to avoid it: Match the job to the person: -eur → -euse (serveuse), -ier → -ière (infirmière), -ien → -ienne (mécanicienne). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4

Why is "Writing *à le* instead of the contraction *au*" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: Learners build 'at the' word-by-word and don't know about the compulsory contraction. How to avoid it: Contract: *à + le → au* (au supermarché), *à + les → aux* (aux magasins). Keep *à la* (à la banque) and *à l'* (à l'hôpital). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Conjugating the second verb instead of leaving it as an infinitive (*je veux deviens*)" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: Learners conjugate every verb they see, forgetting that helper verbs are followed by an infinitive. How to avoid it: After *je vais*, *je veux*, *j'espère*, keep the next verb in the infinitive: *je vais travailler*, *je veux devenir*, *j'espère trouver*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4

Why is "Giving facts but no opinion, or an opinion with no reason" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: Beginners focus on getting the facts out and forget that opinions + reasons are explicitly rewarded. How to avoid it: End each idea with an opinion and *parce que* + a reason: *C'était fatigant parce que je devais me lever tôt.* Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4 (top band requires justified opinions)

Why is "Dropping accents on key work words (intéressant, expérience, métier, j'ai travaillé)" a common mistake in Work experience?

Why it happens: English has no accents, so learners treat them as optional. How to avoid it: Treat accents as part of the spelling. Learn the high-frequency set by heart: *intéressant*, *expérience*, *métier*, *j'espère*, *travaillé* (final é). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Topic Area 4 - The World of WorkCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Work experience

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Work experience in French — vocabulary, future plans and opinions for Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

A beginner's toolkit for talking about your work experience (le stage) in French: the jobs and workplaces vocabulary, the verbs you need, ready-made question-and-answer frames, and the future-plans language (aller + infinitive, vouloir/espérer + infinitive) that lifts your Speaking and Writing marks.

At a glance

Work experience in French is le stage (luh stahzh) — a short placement; faire un stage (fair uhn stahzh) means to do work experience.
Jobs almost always have a masculine and a feminine form: un serveur / une serveuse (a waiter / a waitress), un vendeur / une vendeuse (a salesman / saleswoman).
When you say your job, drop the article: Je suis vendeur (I am a salesperson), not un vendeur.
Talk about where you worked with dans (in) + a workplace: dans un magasin (in a shop), dans un bureau (in an office).
Describe what you did using the perfect tense: j'ai travaillé (I worked), j'ai aidé (I helped), j'ai répondu au téléphone (I answered the phone).
Talk about the future with aller + infinitive (je vais travailler — I am going to work) and vouloir / espérer + infinitive (je veux devenir — I want to become; j'espère travailler — I hope to work).
Always give an opinion plus a reason: C'était intéressant parce que… (It was interesting because…). The word parce que (because) is your most valuable phrase.
Accents are part of the spelling: intéressant (interesting), expérience (experience), métier (job/trade), journée (day) all carry accents that examiners expect.

What you’ll learn

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

Use the core vocabulary for jobs, workplaces and work-experience activities, with correct gender and spelling.
Say what your job is or was, correctly dropping the article after the verb être.
Describe a work-experience placement in the perfect tense (what you did each day).
Express future career plans using aller + infinitive and vouloir / espérer + infinitive.
Give opinions about work experience with a reason, using parce que and a range of adjectives.
Ask and answer the common work-experience questions used in Paper 3 Speaking role-plays and conversations.
Build a short, accurate paragraph about your work experience for Paper 4 Writing.

Jobs and trades — masculine and feminine forms

Most French job words have a masculine and a feminine form; choose the one that matches the person.

When you describe work experience you constantly name jobs (les métiers — luh may-tee-AY). The single most important habit: almost every job word has a masculine form (for a man) and a feminine form (for a woman). You must pick the one that matches the person.

Masculine	Feminine	Pronunciation (m / f)	English
un professeur	une professeure	proh-feh-SUR	a teacher
un médecin	une médecin	mayd-SAN	a doctor
un infirmier	une infirmière	an-feer-MYAY / an-feer-MYAIR	a nurse
un vendeur	une vendeuse	von-DUR / von-DUZ	a shop assistant
un serveur	une serveuse	sair-VUR / sair-VUZ	a waiter / waitress
un coiffeur	une coiffeuse	kwa-FUR / kwa-FUZ	a hairdresser
un boulanger	une boulangère	boo-lon-ZHAY / boo-lon-ZHAIR	a baker
un cuisinier	une cuisinière	kwee-zee-NYAY / kwee-zee-NYAIR	a cook
un mécanicien	une mécanicienne	may-ka-nee-SYAN / may-ka-nee-SYEN	a mechanic
un secrétaire	une secrétaire	suh-kray-TAIR	a secretary

Common endings that change for the feminine:

-eur → -euse: vendeur → vendeuse (sales), coiffeur → coiffeuse (hairdresser).
-ier → -ière: infirmier → infirmière (nurse), boulanger → boulangère (baker).
-ien → -ienne: mécanicien → mécanicienne (mechanic), technicien → technicienne (technician).

The golden rule — drop the article after être (to be). When you state someone's job, French does not use un / une:

Je suis vendeur. (I am a shop assistant.) — note: not Je suis un vendeur.
Ma mère est médecin. (My mother is a doctor.)
Mon père est cuisinier. (My father is a cook.)

Worked mini-example. A girl doing work experience in a salon would say: Je fais un stage dans un salon de coiffure et je suis coiffeuse. (I'm doing work experience in a hair salon and I am a hairdresser.) She uses the feminine coiffeuse and drops the article after suis.

Most jobs have a masculine and feminine form — match it to the person.
Endings: -eur → -euse, -ier → -ière, -ien → -ienne.
After être (to be), drop un/une: Je suis vendeur (not un vendeur).
un médecin and un/une secrétaire keep the same form for both genders.

Workplaces — saying where you did your stage

Use dans (in) or à / au with a place to say where the work experience happened.

A work-experience mind map — the four things every answer should cover: where, what you did, your opinion, and your future plans.

To say where the placement was, use dans (in — pronounced don) before the workplace, or à / au (at / to).

French	Pronunciation	English
dans un magasin	don zuhn ma-ga-ZAN	in a shop
dans un bureau	don zuhn bü-ROH	in an office
dans une école	don zün ay-KOL	in a school
dans un hôpital	don zuhn oh-pee-TAL	in a hospital
dans un restaurant	don zuhn res-toh-RON	in a restaurant
dans une entreprise	don zün on-truh-PREEZ	in a company / business
dans un garage	don zuhn ga-RAHZH	in a garage
à la banque	a la BONK	at the bank
au supermarché	oh sü-pair-mar-SHAY	at the supermarket

Why au and not à le? French contracts à + le into au (oh) and à + les into aux (oh). So "at the supermarket" (le supermarché is masculine) is au supermarché, never à le supermarché. Before a feminine place you keep à la: à la banque (at the bank).

Worked mini-example. J'ai fait un stage dans une entreprise et j'ai aussi travaillé au supermarché. (I did work experience in a company and I also worked at the supermarket.) Notice dans une entreprise (feminine, so une) and the contraction au supermarché (à + le).

Use dans (in) + workplace: dans un magasin, dans un bureau.
à + le → au, à + les → aux: au supermarché (at the supermarket).
Before feminine places, keep à la: à la banque (at the bank).
Watch genders: une entreprise, une école are feminine.

What I did — the perfect tense for daily tasks

Use the perfect tense (j'ai + past participle) to describe the tasks you carried out.

Work experience is in the past, so you describe your tasks with the perfect tense (le passé composé). For almost all these verbs the recipe is the same:

subject + present tense of avoir (to have) + past participle

So travailler (to work) → j'ai travaillé (I worked / I have worked). The -é ending sounds like "ay" and must carry an accent aigu.

Infinitive	Perfect ("I…")	Pronunciation	English
travailler	j'ai travaillé	zhay tra-va-YAY	I worked
aider	j'ai aidé	zhay ay-DAY	I helped
ranger	j'ai rangé	zhay ron-ZHAY	I tidied / sorted
vendre	j'ai vendu	zhay von-DÜ	I sold
répondre au téléphone	j'ai répondu au téléphone	zhay ray-pon-DÜ	I answered the phone
servir les clients	j'ai servi les clients	zhay sair-VEE	I served the customers
apprendre	j'ai appris	zhay a-PREE	I learnt
faire (du café, des photocopies)	j'ai fait	zhay FEH	I made / did

Useful time markers to add variety:

tous les jours (too lay zhoor) — every day
le matin / l'après-midi (luh ma-TAN / la-preh-mee-DEE) — in the morning / afternoon
pendant une semaine (pon-don ün suh-MEN) — for a week

Worked mini-example. Build one full sentence: Tous les jours, j'ai aidé les clients et j'ai répondu au téléphone. (Every day, I helped the customers and I answered the phone.) Two perfect-tense verbs, both with avoir, both with the right past participle (aidé with é, répondu).

Perfect tense = avoir (present) + past participle: j'ai travaillé (I worked).
-er verbs → -é (with accent): aidé, rangé, travaillé.
Learn irregular participles: fait (did/made), appris (learnt), vendu (sold).
Add time markers: tous les jours (every day), le matin (in the morning).

Future plans — aller + infinitive and vouloir / espérer + infinitive

Talk about what you will do and want to become using a helper verb followed by an infinitive.

Examiners love to ask what you want to do in the future (à l'avenir — a la-vuh-NEER). There are three easy, high-scoring structures. Each uses a helper verb plus an infinitive (the unchanged dictionary form of a second verb).

1. aller + infinitive — "going to" (the near future). Conjugate aller (to go), then add an infinitive:

French	Pronunciation	English
je vais travailler	zhuh vay tra-va-YAY	I am going to work
je vais continuer mes études	… kon-tee-NÜ-ay …	I am going to continue my studies
tu vas chercher un travail	… shair-SHAY …	you are going to look for a job

2. vouloir + infinitive — "to want to". Vouloir (to want): je veux (I want), tu veux (you want), il/elle veut (he/she wants).

French	Pronunciation	English
je veux devenir médecin	zhuh vuh duh-vuh-NEER mayd-SAN	I want to become a doctor
je veux travailler à l'étranger	… a lay-tron-ZHAY	I want to work abroad

3. espérer + infinitive — "to hope to". Espérer (to hope): j'espère (I hope) — note the two accents (é…è) and the cédille-free spelling.

French	Pronunciation	English
j'espère trouver un bon emploi	zheh-SPAIR troo-VAY uhn bon on-PLWA	I hope to find a good job
j'espère étudier à l'université	… ay-tü-DYAY …	I hope to study at university

Key point — the second verb stays in the infinitive. You never conjugate it. Je veux travaille is wrong; it must be je veux travailler (I want to work).

Worked mini-example. Stack two structures for a top answer: Après mon stage, je vais continuer mes études parce que je veux devenir vétérinaire. (After my work experience, I'm going to continue my studies because I want to become a vet.) One aller + infinitive, one vouloir + infinitive, joined with parce que.

aller + infinitive = near future: je vais travailler (I'm going to work).
vouloir + infinitive = want to: je veux devenir… (I want to become…).
espérer + infinitive = hope to: j'espère trouver… (I hope to find…).
The second verb is ALWAYS an infinitive — never conjugate it.

Opinions with reasons — the marks-winning sentence

Pair an opinion phrase with parce que and a reason to lift every answer.

The fastest way to climb the mark bands is to give an opinion and back it with a reason. The magic word is parce que (because — pronounced pars-kuh).

Opinion starters:

À mon avis… (a mon a-VEE) — In my opinion…
Je pense que… (zhuh pons kuh) — I think that…
Je trouve que… (zhuh troov kuh) — I find that…

Describing the experience (use c'était = it was):

French	Pronunciation	English
c'était intéressant	say-TEH an-tay-reh-SON	it was interesting
c'était utile	say-TEH ü-TEEL	it was useful
c'était fatigant	say-TEH fa-tee-GON	it was tiring
c'était ennuyeux	say-TEH on-nwee-YUH	it was boring
c'était difficile	say-TEH dee-fee-SEEL	it was difficult
c'était une bonne expérience	… ün bon ex-pay-RYONS	it was a good experience

Reasons after parce que:

…parce que j'ai appris beaucoup de choses. (…because I learnt a lot of things.)
…parce que les collègues étaient sympas. (…because the colleagues were nice.)
…parce que je devais me lever tôt. (…because I had to get up early.)

Worked mini-example. A complete opinion sentence: À mon avis, mon stage était utile parce que j'ai appris à travailler en équipe. (In my opinion, my work experience was useful because I learnt to work in a team.) Opinion starter + c'était-style judgement + parce que + reason — exactly the structure examiners reward.

Always pair an opinion with a reason using parce que (because).
Opinion starters: à mon avis, je pense que, je trouve que.
Use c'était + adjective to judge the experience: c'était intéressant.
Adjectives: intéressant, utile, fatigant, ennuyeux, difficile.

Question and answer frames for Speaking and Writing

Reusable question–answer pairs you can adapt to your own work experience.

In Paper 3 (Speaking) the examiner asks questions; in Paper 4 (Writing) you often answer a set of bullet-point questions. Learn these frames and slot in your own details.

Question (French)	English	Model answer frame
Qu'est-ce que tu as fait comme stage ?	What work experience did you do?	J'ai fait un stage dans… (I did work experience in…)
Où as-tu travaillé ?	Where did you work?	J'ai travaillé dans un/une…
Qu'est-ce que tu as fait exactement ?	What did you do exactly?	Tous les jours, j'ai… (Every day, I…)
Comment était ton stage ?	What was your work experience like?	C'était…, parce que…
Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire à l'avenir ?	What do you want to do in the future?	Je veux devenir… / Je vais…

Two ways to ask a question (useful for the role-play):

Rising intonation: Tu as aimé ton stage ? (You liked your work experience? — just raise your voice at the end.)
Est-ce que…: Est-ce que tu as aimé ton stage ? (Did you like your work experience?) — Est-ce que (es-kuh) turns any statement into a question.

Worked mini-example — a mini dialogue.

— Où as-tu fait ton stage ? (Where did you do your work experience?)
— J'ai fait mon stage dans une école primaire. (I did my work experience in a primary school.)
— Et c'était comment ? (And what was it like?)
— C'était super, parce que j'adore les enfants. Plus tard, je veux devenir professeur. (It was great, because I love children. Later, I want to become a teacher.)

That four-line exchange covers where, opinion + reason, and future plan — the full set of ideas an examiner is listening for.

Learn question frames: Où as-tu travaillé ?, Comment était ton stage ?
Answer frames slot your details in: J'ai fait un stage dans…
Make questions with rising intonation OR Est-ce que… at the start.
Cover where + what + opinion + future in every extended answer.

Memorise this

Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.

le stage (luh stahzh) — work experience; faire un stage — to do work experience.
Je suis vendeur / vendeuse — I am a shop assistant (NO un/une after être).
J'ai travaillé dans un magasin — I worked in a shop.
au supermarché (à + le), à la banque, à l'hôpital.
Tous les jours, j'ai aidé les clients. — Every day, I helped the customers.
j'ai fait (I did), j'ai appris (I learnt), j'ai répondu au téléphone (I answered the phone).
je vais travailler — I'm going to work (aller + infinitive).
je veux devenir… — I want to become… (vouloir + infinitive).
j'espère trouver un bon emploi — I hope to find a good job (espérer + infinitive).
C'était intéressant / utile / fatigant parce que… — It was interesting/useful/tiring because…
À mon avis…, Je pense que… — In my opinion…, I think that…

How it’s examined

Work experience is a core theme of Topic Area 4 — The World of Work and surfaces across all four papers of Cambridge IGCSE French 0520.

Paper 1 (Listening): Expect a teenager describing a stage — where it was, daily tasks, and an opinion. Listen for the workplace (dans un magasin), perfect-tense verbs (j'ai travaillé) and the opinion + parce que reason, which often hides the answer to the comprehension question.
Paper 2 (Reading): Short texts or adverts about jobs and placements. Knowing job vocabulary (and the -euse/-ière feminine endings) and parce que reasons helps you match opinions to people.
Paper 3 (Speaking): A highly likely conversation topic. The examiner asks Qu'est-ce que tu as fait comme stage ? and Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire à l'avenir ? — use the perfect tense for the past and aller/vouloir/espérer + infinitive for the future. Three tenses in one answer (past, present opinion, future) targets the top band.
Paper 4 (Writing): A bullet-point task such as "describe your work experience" rewards correct job vocabulary, the perfect tense, future-plans structures, opinions with reasons, and accurate accents (intéressant, expérience, métier).

Examiner reports stress two wins: using more than one tense (past + future) and justifying opinions with parce que. Both are easy to plan in advance for this very predictable topic.

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 — Work experience

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

1Choose the correct job form (masculine or feminine)
Getting started
Question
Sophie did work experience as a waitress. Complete the sentence with the correct word: Pendant mon stage, je suis ______. (During my work experience, I am a waitress.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Find the masculine base. A waiter is un serveur (sair-VUR). The job ends in -eur.
2. Step 2
  Make it feminine. The ending -eur changes to -euse, so a waitress is une serveuse (sair-VUZ).
3. Step 3
  Drop the article after être. When you state a job after je suis, you do NOT use une. So the word that fills the gap is just serveuse.
Answer
Pendant mon stage, je suis serveuse. (During my work experience, I am a waitress.) — feminine -euse form, no article after suis.
Examiner tip
Two things examiners check here: the gender ending (-eur → -euse) and the dropped article after être. Writing je suis une serveuse is a common error; the article only returns with an adjective (je suis une bonne serveuse).
2Say where you worked with the right preposition
Getting started
Question
Translate into French: I worked in a shop and at the supermarket. (Choose between dans / à la / au.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  'I worked' = j'ai travaillé — perfect tense of travailler, with the accent on the final é.
2. Step 2
  'in a shop' = dans un magasin. Use dans (in) + the article. Magasin is masculine, so un magasin.
3. Step 3
  'at the supermarket' = au supermarché. Supermarché is masculine (le supermarché), and à + le contracts to au. Never write à le.
Answer
J'ai travaillé dans un magasin et au supermarché. (Note: dans un for 'in a', and au = à + le for 'at the'.)
Examiner tip
The contraction à + le → au is tested constantly. à le supermarché is always wrong. Remember the pair: masculine → au (au bureau), feminine → à la (à la banque), before a vowel → à l' (à l'hôpital).
3Describe your daily tasks in the perfect tense
Building confidence
Question
Write one French sentence saying: Every day, I helped the customers and I answered the phone.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  'Every day' = Tous les jours (too lay zhoor) — a useful time marker to start the sentence.
2. Step 2
  'I helped' = j'ai aidé. Perfect tense: avoir (j'ai) + past participle of aider → aidé (with accent aigu).
3. Step 3
  'I answered the phone' = j'ai répondu au téléphone. Répondre (to answer) → past participle répondu. 'To the phone' = au téléphone (à + le).
4. Step 4
  Join with et (and). Keep both verbs in the perfect tense.
Answer
Tous les jours, j'ai aidé les clients et j'ai répondu au téléphone. (Every day, I helped the customers and I answered the phone.)
Examiner tip
Using more than one perfect-tense verb shows control of the past. Watch the participles: aidé needs its accent, and répondu (not répondé) is the correct -re verb participle. au téléphone again uses the à + le contraction.
4Express a future plan with a reason
Building confidence
Question
Say in French: After my work experience, I want to become a nurse because I like helping people.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  'After my work experience' = Après mon stage (a-PREH mon stahzh).
2. Step 2
  'I want to become' = je veux devenir. Vouloir (je veux) + the infinitive devenir (to become). The second verb stays an infinitive.
3. Step 3
  'a nurse' = infirmier / infirmière. State it without an article after the infinitive of becoming: devenir infirmière (feminine) or infirmier (masculine).
4. Step 4
  Add the reason with parce que: parce que j'aime aider les gens (because I like helping people — literally 'to help', infinitive after aimer).
Answer
Après mon stage, je veux devenir infirmière parce que j'aime aider les gens. (After my work experience, I want to become a nurse because I like helping people.)
Examiner tip
This answer stacks three skills the top band rewards: a future structure (vouloir + infinitive), a job with correct gender, and an opinion/reason with parce que. Note je veux devenir (infinitive), never je veux deviens.
5Build a top-band answer with past, opinion and future
Stretch
Question
Give a full spoken answer to: Comment était ton stage et qu'est-ce que tu veux faire à l'avenir ? (What was your work experience like and what do you want to do in the future?)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Set the scene (past): J'ai fait un stage dans une école. (I did work experience in a school.) — perfect tense + workplace.
2. Step 2
  Give an opinion with a reason: C'était une bonne expérience parce que j'ai appris beaucoup de choses. (It was a good experience because I learnt a lot of things.)
3. Step 3
  Add a balanced touch with mais: C'était fatigant, mais intéressant. (It was tiring, but interesting.)
4. Step 4
  Finish with a future plan: À l'avenir, je veux devenir professeur et j'espère travailler avec des enfants. (In the future, I want to become a teacher and I hope to work with children.)
Answer
J'ai fait un stage dans une école. C'était une bonne expérience parce que j'ai appris beaucoup de choses. C'était fatigant, mais intéressant. À l'avenir, je veux devenir professeur et j'espère travailler avec des enfants. (I did work experience in a school. It was a good experience because I learnt a lot of things. It was tiring, but interesting. In the future, I want to become a teacher and I hope to work with children.)
Examiner tip
This hits the top band: past (j'ai fait, j'ai appris), opinion + reason (parce que), a connective (mais) and future (je veux devenir, j'espère travailler). Using three time-frames in one answer is exactly what examiner reports recommend for high marks.

Model Answers — Work experience

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

Question 1
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Write 3–4 sentences describing your recent work experience: where it was, what you did, and your opinion.
Model answer
J'ai fait un stage dans un magasin de vêtements pendant une semaine. (I did work experience in a clothes shop for a week.)

Tous les jours, j'ai aidé les clients et j'ai rangé les vêtements. (Every day, I helped the customers and I tidied the clothes.)

À mon avis, c'était une bonne expérience parce que les collègues étaient sympas. (In my opinion, it was a good experience because the colleagues were nice.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It covers all three bullet points (where, what, opinion), uses the perfect tense correctly (j'ai fait, j'ai aidé, j'ai rangé), includes a time phrase (pendant une semaine) and gives an opinion with a reason (parce que). Accents on vêtements, à mon avis and expérience are all in place.
Question 2
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. The examiner asks: Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire plus tard ? (What do you want to do later?). Give a model answer.
Model answer
Plus tard, je veux devenir médecin parce que je veux aider les gens. (Later, I want to become a doctor because I want to help people.)

Je vais continuer mes études à l'université et j'espère travailler dans un hôpital. (I'm going to continue my studies at university and I hope to work in a hospital.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. Three future structures appear: vouloir + infinitive (je veux devenir), aller + infinitive (je vais continuer) and espérer + infinitive (j'espère travailler). The job médecin correctly drops the article, and parce que justifies the choice.
Question 3
Paper 3 (Speaking) role-play style. You must ask your French friend a question about their work experience. Give two correct ways to ask 'Where did you do your work experience?'
Model answer
Informal, with rising intonation: Tu as fait ton stage où ? (You did your work experience where?)

With où at the front: Où as-tu fait ton stage ? (Where did you do your work experience?)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It shows two valid question forms — intonation and inversion (as-tu). In the role-play, asking a clear, grammatically correct question earns the communication mark. Using tu (informal) is right when speaking to a friend.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Work experience

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

le stage
Examiner keyword
Work experience or a placement (a masculine noun). faire un stage = to do work experience.
Example
J'ai fait un stage dans un bureau. — I did work experience in an office.
le métier
Examiner keyword
A job, trade or profession. A useful general word alongside un emploi (a job) and le travail (work).
Example
Quel métier veux-tu faire ? — What job do you want to do?
un serveur / une serveuse
Examiner keyword
A waiter / a waitress — the model for jobs ending in -eur → -euse. Choose the form that matches the person.
Example
Ma sœur est serveuse. — My sister is a waitress.
Je suis vendeur
Examiner keyword
I am a shop assistant. After the verb être (to be), French drops the article un/une before a job.
Example
Il est mécanicien. — He is a mechanic (no un).
j'ai travaillé
Examiner keyword
I worked — the perfect tense (avoir + past participle) used to describe past work-experience tasks.
Example
J'ai travaillé dans un restaurant. — I worked in a restaurant.
je vais + infinitive
Examiner keyword
The near future: aller (to go) + an infinitive, meaning 'going to do' something.
Example
Je vais chercher un emploi. — I'm going to look for a job.
je veux + infinitive
Examiner keyword
'I want to…' — vouloir (to want) + an infinitive. The second verb stays in the infinitive.
Example
Je veux devenir ingénieur. — I want to become an engineer.
j'espère + infinitive
'I hope to…' — espérer (to hope) + an infinitive. Note the two accents in espérer / j'espère.
Example
J'espère trouver un bon emploi. — I hope to find a good job.
parce que
Examiner keyword
'Because' — the connective that introduces a reason. Pairing it with an opinion lifts your mark band.
Example
C'était utile parce que j'ai appris beaucoup. — It was useful because I learnt a lot.
c'était
'It was' — used to give an opinion about a past experience, followed by an adjective.
Example
C'était intéressant. — It was interesting. (also ennuyeux = boring, fatigant = tiring)

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Work experience

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

✕Adding un/une after être when naming a job (Je suis un vendeur)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English always says 'I am a teacher', so learners copy the article into French.
How to avoid it
Drop the article after être: Je suis vendeur, Elle est médecin. The article only returns if you add an adjective: Je suis un bon vendeur.
✕Using the masculine job form for a female (or vice versa)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4
Why it happens
English job words don't change for gender, so learners forget the -euse / -ière / -ienne endings.
How to avoid it
Match the job to the person: -eur → -euse (serveuse), -ier → -ière (infirmière), -ien → -ienne (mécanicienne).
✕Writing à le instead of the contraction au
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners build 'at the' word-by-word and don't know about the compulsory contraction.
How to avoid it
Contract: à + le → au (au supermarché), à + les → aux (aux magasins). Keep à la (à la banque) and à l' (à l'hôpital).
✕Conjugating the second verb instead of leaving it as an infinitive (je veux deviens)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4
Why it happens
Learners conjugate every verb they see, forgetting that helper verbs are followed by an infinitive.
How to avoid it
After je vais, je veux, j'espère, keep the next verb in the infinitive: je vais travailler, je veux devenir, j'espère trouver.
✕Giving facts but no opinion, or an opinion with no reason
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Papers 3 & 4 (top band requires justified opinions)
Why it happens
Beginners focus on getting the facts out and forget that opinions + reasons are explicitly rewarded.
How to avoid it
End each idea with an opinion and parce que + a reason: C'était fatigant parce que je devais me lever tôt.
✕Dropping accents on key work words (intéressant, expérience, métier, j'ai travaillé)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English has no accents, so learners treat them as optional.
How to avoid it
Treat accents as part of the spelling. Learn the high-frequency set by heart: intéressant, expérience, métier, j'espère, travaillé (final é).

Past paper style quiz

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

Work experience

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Choose the correct job form (masculine or feminine)

2Say where you worked with the right preposition

3Describe your daily tasks in the perfect tense

4Express a future plan with a reason

5Build a top-band answer with past, opinion and future

le stage

le métier

un serveur / une serveuse

Je suis vendeur

j'ai travaillé

je vais + infinitive

je veux + infinitive

j'espère + infinitive

parce que

c'était

✕Adding un/une after être when naming a job (Je suis un vendeur)

✕Using the masculine job form for a female (or vice versa)

✕Writing à le instead of the contraction au

✕Conjugating the second verb instead of leaving it as an infinitive (je veux deviens)

✕Giving facts but no opinion, or an opinion with no reason

✕Dropping accents on key work words (intéressant, expérience, métier, j'ai travaillé)

Past paper style quiz