GCSE French Vocabulary: Education and Work

The reformed GCSE French is built on a defined vocabulary list: the DfE subject content requires about 1,200 words and phrases for Foundation tier and a further 500 for Higher tier, most of them chosen for their frequency in modern French, and every reading, listening and writing task is written from that list. Each exam board publishes its own list; the words here are taken from AQA's list, the most widely taught, and most of them are high-frequency words found on other boards' lists as well. This material works on the words of one topic: education and work — school subjects, marks and homework, school rules, exams, work experience, jobs and the workplace, pay, apprenticeships and unemployment.

The quiz has twelve questions. Each shows a short French sentence with one word or phrase in capitals, and you choose its English meaning from four options. The sentences give context, so you practise the skill the reading paper also tests: working out meaning from the rest of the sentence. The words tested are la matière, la note, interdit, le stage, réussir, l'emploi, le salaire, l'apprentissage, le patron, le chômage, and two Higher words: avocat(e) and la formation. Words marked Higher tier are on the Higher list only. The explanation of each question gives the meaning, related forms and, where useful, the word that is often confused with it.

The flashcards give eighteen words and phrases with their English meanings: la matière, la note, les devoirs, l'examen, le lycée, l'université, l'uniforme, la règle, interdit and obligatoire, le métier and l'emploi, le stage, l'entreprise and le bureau, le salaire and gagner, le patron and le/la collègue, l'apprentissage, le chômage, bénévole, la carrière, plus Higher words.

The written work has eight tasks to complete on paper: translating sentences both ways, a gap-fill text about a work placement, a short reading text about a student's school and plans with questions in English, matching words to meanings, a 50-word paragraph about your school and plans, working out derived words (travailleur, éducation, inutile, facilement), and explaining pairs such as passer and réussir un examen. Each task comes with a model answer and marking points.

All sentences and texts are original and use high-frequency vocabulary; nothing is taken from any exam paper. Use the flashcards first, then the quiz to test yourself in context, then the written tasks to use the words actively.

• Understand and use key words for school subjects, marks and rules
• Talk about exams with passer and réussir
• Understand and use words for jobs, work placements and pay
• Work out the meaning of a word from its sentence context
• Recognise derived forms such as travailleur and facilement

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the DfE GCSE subject content for French, German and Spanish (September 2025 version: vocabulary requirements) and the AQA GCSE French (8652) vocabulary list (topic: Education and work).