IGCSE French Topics by Exam Board: Full List

If you’re studying IGCSE French and have been looking for revision or study materials, you may have noticed that the different exam boards, such as Cambridge (CIE), Edexcel and OxfordAQA, have slightly different syllabuses.

This guide gives you a complete, comprehensive and exam-board-specific list of French topics. By referring to this guide, you will know exactly what you need - and don’t need - to revise.

Key Takeaways

• Although each exam board covers similar themes, such as family, school and travel, the topic groupings and emphasis differ from board to board.

• Ensure you practise all four of the skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) within each theme so that your preparation for each exam is balanced.

• Build your revision around past exam questions from the exam board that your school has chosen.

Why You Should Revise by Exam Board

Regardless of exam board, all of the IGCSE French courses share core themes; daily life, personal interests, education, and global issues. However, each exam board’s structure, paper format, and vocabulary focus vary slightly.

For example:

• Cambridge French IGCSE (0520) (opens in a new tab) groups content into five broad areas that reappear across all four papers.

• Edexcel French IGCSE (4FR1) (opens in a new tab) divides topics into five themes, similar to the UK GCSE 9–1 structure.

• OxfordAQA French IGCSE (9265) (opens in a new tab) uses a skills-based, thematic approach that blends personal, local, and global contexts.

This is why it’s crucial to know your exact exam board and specification code. Your teacher or school can let you know which one you are studying.

Then, you can target your revision topic by topic, focusing on vocabulary, practice tasks, and cultural context that aligns exactly with your syllabus.

Cambridge IGCSE French (0520)

The Cambridge IGCSE French course has a clear focus on communication and cultural awareness through five broad topic areas or themes. These themes appear in all four exam components: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.

Main Topic Areas

Assessment Structure

• Paper 1 (Listening) and Paper 2 (Reading) test comprehension across all topics.

• Paper 3 (Speaking) involves role plays and general conversation around 2–3 chosen themes.

• Paper 4 (Writing) includes directed and extended writing tasks within these topic areas.

Useful Links: 

• Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) Syllabus  (opens in a new tab)

• Save My Exams - Cambridge IGCSE French Revision Notes and Practice Questions

Edexcel IGCSE French (4FR1)

The Pearson Edexcel IGCSE French specification is also built around five main themes that each contain specific subtopics. Students are tested across all five of these themes through all four of the skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)

Assessment Structure

• Paper 1: Listening. This requires students to be able to understand main points of view and extract specific details, and can relate to any of the five themes. 

• Paper 2: Reading and Writing. This can also relate to any of the five themes and requires students to extract specific details. The written aspect requires students to demonstrate their ability to write for a variety of audiences and to use wide and appropriate vocabulary. 

• Paper 3: Speaking. This requires students to describe the contents of a picture and respond to questions about the picture and its related topic.

Useful Links: 

• Pearson Edexcel IGCSE French syllabus (opens in a new tab)

• Save My Exams - Edexcel IGCSE French Revision Notes and Practice Questions

OxfordAQA IGCSE French (9265)

The OxfordAQA IGCSE French course (9265) is built around just three main themes that each contain subtopics. Students will be assessed on these themes through speaking, reading, writing and listening. 

Assessment Structure

Paper 1: Listening. Students will be required to identify the overall message, key points, details and opinions

Paper 2: Speaking. Students must respond to questions about a photo card and conduct a general conversation.

Paper 3: Reading. Students will be required to deduce meaning from a variety of written texts.

Paper 4: Writing. Students are required to write in French, although all instructions are in English. No dictionaries are allowed.

Useful Links: 

• OxfordAQA IGCSE French syllabus (opens in a new tab)

How to Use This Topic List to Structure Your Revision

1. Speak to your teacher and identify your exam board and code. Then download your syllabus.

2. Create a topic tracker. Go through the list and use a traffic light system to help identify any gaps in your knowledge (Green = strong knowledge, Amber = okay understanding, Red = needs revisiting)

3. Organise vocabulary by theme. Build a vocab bank for each topic. 

• Listening: Use past paper audio for your board.

• Speaking: Practice describing photos or answering sample role-play questions.

• Reading: Translate short articles or news pieces related to your topics.

• Writing: Write mini-paragraphs or full essays using target vocab.

4. Connect grammar to topics. Revise key tenses and structures (le présent, le passé composé, le futur simple) within real topic contexts.

5. Use reliable revision resources such as Save my Exams 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the topics for IGCSE French the same for all exam boards?

No, they are not. All boards include themes like family, school, holidays, and the environment, but they group and assess them differently. Always revise using your board’s official specification.

How can I find out which exam board I’m doing?

Ask your French teacher or check your school’s exam entry information. You can also look at your past mock papers, the front page usually shows the exam board name and code.

Do all topics come up in every exam paper?

No. Each paper samples topics across the syllabus. However, you should be ready to discuss or write about any topic from your specification, as you won’t know in advance which ones will appear.

Final Thoughts

Revising IGCSE French by exam board helps you focus on exactly what matters for your own exams — from topic-specific vocabulary to skill practice.

Use the topic lists above to make a clear plan: tick off areas as you learn them, link each theme to new vocabulary, and practise using your French in all four skills.

By doing this, you will enter your exams feeling confident and knowing exactly what is going to be required of you. It also means you won’t waste valuable time revising the wrong things!