A Level French Translation: Practice Passages and Model Answers

Translation is the most trainable part of A Level French. It is a closed skill with a small number of recurring problems, and unlike the essay it does not depend on having read the right critic or having an opinion worth defending. Students who drill it properly gain marks within weeks.

This page has six original A Level French translation exercises, three into English and three into French, each with a model answer and notes on what it was testing. It also sets out what translation is worth on AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas, WJEC and CCEA, and how it is marked. For each passage, spot the traps, write your own version, check it for common slips, then compare it with the model and tick off what you got right. A panel after the passages shows which kinds of point are costing you marks. Your work saves on this device as you type, and you can print it or save it as a PDF. For the wider qualification, see the A Level French guide.

What translation is worth on AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas

Board Into English Into French
AQA (7652) Paper 1, 10 marks, Minimum 100 words Paper 1, 10 marks, Minimum 100 words, with a supporting French text
Edexcel (9FR0) Paper 1, Section C, 20 marks Paper 2, Section A, 20 marks
Eduqas Component 2, Section C, 20 marks, Minimum 100 words Component 2, Section C, 20 marks, Minimum 100 words
WJEC Unit 2 (AS), Minimum 70 words, into English or Welsh Unit 4 (A2), Minimum 100 words, from English or Welsh
CCEA AS 2, Section B, Approx. 130 words AS 2 Section C and A2 2 Section B, Short sentences at AS; approx. 130 words at A2
Cambridge (9898) No translation in either direction.
Edexcel IAL No translation in either direction: grammar manipulation instead.

Together the two translations are 40 of the 100 marks on Component 2. That is the highest share of any board, and it makes translation drilling unusually valuable if Eduqas is your specification.

Practice for your board: AQA A Level French translation, with a supporting text to practise on, and Eduqas A Level French translation.

How A Level French translation is marked

Translation is marked in segments, not as a whole. The passage is divided up in advance and each segment carries a mark, or part of one, for conveying the meaning accurately. Three things follow, and together they are the whole technique:

  1. Never leave a blank. A gap scores zero with certainty. An imperfect attempt that carries some of the meaning may still score, and often does. This is the single most expensive habit in the paper and the easiest to fix.
  2. Accuracy beats elegance. A graceful version that quietly drops a negative, a tense or a plural loses the segment it sat in. Translate everything that is there, including the small words.
  3. Your English is marked too. A version that proves you understood the French but reads as nonsense in English does not get full credit. Read your answer back as though you had never seen the original.

One more habit worth building: translate the sentence, not the word. Most lost marks come from students working left to right through a clause whose French structure does not survive being carried across word by word.

Translation into English: passages 1 to 3

The trap in this direction is not vocabulary. You already speak English, so a clumsy version sounds acceptable to you in a way it would not to a reader coming to it cold.

Passage 1: Volunteering French → English

French original

Depuis une dizaine d'années, le bénévolat connaît en France un renouveau inattendu. Alors que l'on prédisait la fin de l'engagement associatif, ce sont les moins de trente ans qui s'y investissent le plus volontiers. Il ne s'agit plus, pour eux, de consacrer un après-midi par semaine à une cause lointaine : ils veulent voir concrètement ce que leur travail change. Les associations ont dû s'adapter. Celles qui n'ont pas su proposer des missions courtes et précises ont vu leurs effectifs fondre. D'autres, en revanche, n'ont jamais compté autant de membres. Ce que cette génération reproche au bénévolat traditionnel, ce n'est pas son exigence, mais son manque de transparence.

Model version

For the past ten years or so, volunteering in France has been undergoing an unexpected revival. At the very moment when the end of voluntary-sector commitment was being predicted, it is the under-thirties who are throwing themselves into it most willingly. For them it is no longer a matter of devoting one afternoon a week to some distant cause: they want to see in concrete terms what difference their work makes. Charities have had to adapt. Those that failed to offer short, clearly defined roles have watched their numbers dwindle. Others, by contrast, have never had so many members. What this generation holds against traditional volunteering is not how much it demands, but its lack of transparency.

What it was testing

  • Tenses Depuis + present French uses the present where English needs a perfect. Connaît depuis dix ans means "has been undergoing for ten years", never "knows". This comes up in almost every paper.
  • Sentence structure Alors que Here it sets up a contrast, not just a time. The contrast is the point of the whole passage, so "whereas" or "at the very moment when" carries it. A flat "as" loses it.
  • Vocabulary and false friends une dizaine d'années "Around ten years". Une douzaine is around twelve. Both are approximate; neither is an exact count.
  • Sentence structure l'on The l' is only there to make the phrase easier to say. It carries no meaning and is not translated.
  • Idioms and set phrases il ne s'agit plus de "It is no longer a matter of". Never translate s'agir literally.
  • Vocabulary and false friends association In this context it means a charity or voluntary organisation, not an "association".
  • Natural English voir concrètement "See concretely" is not English. "See in concrete terms what difference their work makes" is, and rule 3 applies to you as much as to anyone.
  • Idioms and set phrases ont vu leurs effectifs fondre Fondre is to melt; effectifs is membership numbers. "Watched their numbers dwindle" carries both.
  • Sentence structure Ce que… ce n'est pas… This split sentence needs rebuilding in English: "What this generation holds against X is…". Students who write "That which this generation reproaches…" lose the English mark.
  • Sentence structure reprocher quelque chose à quelqu’un The à marks the person (or thing) being blamed, not the fault.

Vocabulary for this topic: Le bénévolat crossword

Passage 2: Social media French → English

French original

On a longtemps cru que les réseaux sociaux rapprocheraient les gens. Vingt ans plus tard, le constat est plus nuancé. S'il est vrai que l'on n'a jamais eu autant de moyens de rester en contact, encore faut-il avoir quelque chose à se dire. Plusieurs études menées en Europe tendent à montrer que les adolescents les plus connectés sont aussi ceux qui se déclarent le plus souvent seuls. Faut-il pour autant incriminer la technologie ? Ce serait un peu court. Ce que ces plateformes ont changé, c'est moins la quantité de nos échanges que leur qualité : on se parle davantage, mais on s'écoute sans doute moins qu'auparavant.

Model version

For a long time it was believed that social media would bring people closer together. Twenty years on, the picture is more mixed. While it is true that we have never had so many ways of staying in touch, we still need to have something to say to one another. Several studies carried out in Europe tend to show that the most connected teenagers are also the ones who most often describe themselves as lonely. Does that mean we should blame technology? That would be rather too simple. What these platforms have changed is less the quantity of our exchanges than their quality: we talk to one another more, but we probably listen to one another less than we used to.

What it was testing

  • Vocabulary and false friends sans doute Means "probably", not "without doubt". This is the most costly false friend in the paper. "Undoubtedly" is sans aucun doute. Getting it wrong flips how strong the claim is and loses the segment.
  • Subjunctive and conditional rapprocheraient A future seen from the past: the conditional after a past reporting verb. English needs "would bring", not "would have brought".
  • Idioms and set phrases encore faut-il A fixed idiom with inverted word order for style: "you still need to", "that said, you do have to". It is not a question, despite the word order.
  • Sentence structure Faut-il pour autant… ? The writer is weighing whether to act: "does that mean we should…", "are we therefore to…". Turn it into a simple question about cause and you drop the "should".
  • Natural English le constat "Observation" or "finding" is correct in the dictionary but reads badly here. "The picture" or "the assessment" is what an English writer would say.
  • Idioms and set phrases un peu court Literally "a bit short". In an argument it means "too simplistic": "that would be rather too simple".
  • Sentence structure Ce que… c'est moins X que Y "What these platforms have changed is less X than Y." Keep the moins… que comparison; don't flatten it to "not X but Y".
  • Vocabulary and false friends se déclarent seuls Seul can mean "alone" or "lonely". Describing yourself is about how you feel, so "lonely".
  • Natural English On a longtemps cru On with a past verb of belief works best as an English passive: "for a long time it was believed". "One believed" is not modern English.

Vocabulary for this topic: La cybersociété crossword

Passage 3: Cycling in Paris French → English

French original

Il y a encore quinze ans, circuler à vélo dans Paris relevait de l'exploit. Aujourd'hui, les pistes cyclables se sont multipliées et, aux heures de pointe, certains axes voient passer davantage de cyclistes que de voitures. Ce changement ne s'est pas fait sans heurts : commerçants et automobilistes ont dénoncé une mesure prise, selon eux, sans concertation. La mairie, elle, assure que la qualité de l'air s'est nettement améliorée. Reste à savoir si ce modèle pourra être appliqué ailleurs. Dans les villes moyennes, où les transports en commun sont rares, la voiture demeure pour beaucoup le seul moyen de se rendre au travail.

Model version

As recently as fifteen years ago, getting around Paris by bike was something of a feat. Today cycle lanes have multiplied and, at rush hour, some main roads see more cyclists go by than cars. The change has not come about without friction: shopkeepers and motorists have condemned what they see as a measure taken without consultation. The city council, for its part, insists that air quality has improved markedly. It remains to be seen whether this model can be applied elsewhere. In medium-sized towns, where public transport is scarce, the car is still, for many people, the only way of getting to work.

What it was testing

  • Idioms and set phrases Il y a encore quinze ans Encore adds emphasis. "Still fifteen years ago" is not English; "as recently as fifteen years ago" keeps it.
  • Idioms and set phrases relevait de l'exploit Relever de: to be a matter of. "Was something of a feat". The imperfect describes how things were, so you don't need "used to".
  • Sentence structure voient passer A verb of seeing + infinitive: "see more cyclists go by than cars". English can keep the roads as the subject.
  • Idioms and set phrases ne s’est pas fait sans heurts Understatement using two negatives. Keep both: "has not come about without friction". Shrinking it to "was difficult" changes the tone and risks the segment.
  • Natural English selon eux "According to them" is accurate but clunky mid-sentence. "What they see as…" puts it where English wants it. It's moved, not dropped.
  • Sentence structure La mairie, elle, The extra elle marks a contrast: the viewpoint changes. Translate it as "for its part", not "it". Mairie here is the city council.
  • Idioms and set phrases Reste à savoir An impersonal phrase with the il dropped: "it remains to be seen whether". Learn it whole.
  • Vocabulary and false friends villes moyennes "Medium-sized towns", not "average cities". Moyen describes size here, not quality.
  • Vocabulary and false friends demeure / se rendre Demeure means "remains, is still" (not "lives"). Se rendre à means "to go to, get to" (not "surrender").

Vocabulary for this topic: La vie urbaine et rurale crossword

Translation into French: passages 4 to 6

The trap in this direction is grammar you know but forget under time pressure: agreements, tense sequence, and the subjunctive after its trigger. Every one of them sits inside a marked segment.

Passage 4: Working from home English → French

English original

Since the pandemic, many employees have refused to return to the office full time. Although their managers fear a loss of productivity, the studies carried out so far suggest the opposite. What workers value most is not the absence of a commute but the freedom to organise their own day. However, not everyone has benefited. Young people who live in small flats have found it harder to work from home, and many say they miss their colleagues. It is essential that companies find a balance that suits everyone, otherwise they risk losing their best staff.

Model version

Depuis la pandémie, de nombreux salariés refusent de retourner au bureau à plein temps. Bien que leurs responsables craignent une baisse de productivité, les études menées jusqu'à présent laissent penser le contraire. Ce que les travailleurs apprécient le plus, ce n'est pas l'absence de trajet, mais la liberté d'organiser eux-mêmes leur journée. Cependant, tout le monde n'en a pas profité. Les jeunes qui vivent dans de petits appartements ont eu plus de mal à télétravailler, et beaucoup disent que leurs collègues leur manquent. Il est essentiel que les entreprises trouvent un équilibre qui convienne à tous, sinon elles risquent de perdre leurs meilleurs employés.

What it was testing

  • Tenses Since… have refused Since + perfect becomes depuis + present: de nombreux salariés refusent. They are still refusing. Ont refusé would mean they refused once and stopped.
  • Subjunctive and conditional Although Bien que + subjunctive: bien que leurs responsables craignent. Craindre looks the same in both moods here, but bien que + indicative costs marks in other passages.
  • Agreements carried out A past participle used as an adjective agrees: les études menées (feminine plural). Faites also works; menées is the natural choice for studies.
  • Sentence structure What workers value most is The English split sentence needs the French one: Ce que les travailleurs apprécient le plus, ce n'est pas… mais… It's the same structure as Passage 1, the other way round.
  • Sentence structure not everyone has benefited Tout le monde n'… pas, with a singular verb. Profiter de becomes en: tout le monde n'en a pas profité.
  • Agreements small flats Des becomes de before a plural adjective: de petits appartements. The same rule gives de nombreux salariés.
  • Sentence structure they miss their colleagues Manquer swaps the roles: what is missed becomes the subject. Leurs collègues leur manquent. It is the verb students turn round wrongly most often in these papers.
  • Subjunctive and conditional It is essential that… find Il est essentiel que + subjunctive: que les entreprises trouvent. Trouvent looks the same in both moods, but faire or pouvoir would not (fassent, puissent).
  • Subjunctive and conditional that suits everyone When the thing is still being looked for, the relative clause can take the subjunctive: un équilibre qui convienne à tous. Convient is accepted, but the subjunctive shows control.
  • Sentence structure risk losing Risquer de + infinitive: elles risquent de perdre. "Staff" is employés, or personnel in the singular.

Vocabulary for this topic: Le monde du travail crossword

Passage 5: French cinema English → French

English original

French cinema is often said to be in decline, yet more films are made in France than in any other European country. Every year, cinemas welcome around two hundred million spectators. This success is partly explained by a system of public funding that was introduced after the war. A percentage of every ticket sold, including for American films, is used to finance French productions. Critics claim that this system encourages directors to make films that nobody wants to see. Its defenders reply that without it, French cinema would have disappeared long ago.

Model version

On dit souvent que le cinéma français est en déclin, et pourtant on tourne davantage de films en France que dans tout autre pays européen. Chaque année, les salles accueillent environ deux cents millions de spectateurs. Ce succès s'explique en partie par un système de financement public mis en place après la guerre. Un pourcentage de chaque billet vendu, y compris pour les films américains, sert à financer les productions françaises. Les détracteurs de ce système affirment qu'il pousse les réalisateurs à faire des films que personne ne veut voir. Ses défenseurs répondent que sans lui, le cinéma français aurait disparu depuis longtemps.

What it was testing

  • Sentence structure is often said French avoids the English passive by using on: on dit souvent que… The same trick gives on tourne davantage de films for "more films are made".
  • Vocabulary and false friends yet Et pourtant. Mais on its own loses the "and yet".
  • Sentence structure than in any other country Que dans tout autre pays européen (or n'importe quel autre). Keep the dans: you are comparing places.
  • Agreements two hundred million Deux cents millions. Cents takes an s because millions is a noun: deux cents millions, but deux cent mille.
  • Sentence structure is partly explained A reflexive verb replaces the passive: ce succès s'explique en partie par…
  • Vocabulary and false friends that was introduced Mis en place, agreeing with système (masculine singular), or instauré. Introduit is understood but suggests physically inserting something.
  • Vocabulary and false friends including Y compris pour les films américains. Y compris does not change form when it comes before the noun.
  • Sentence structure is used to finance Servir à + infinitive: sert à financer. Est utilisé pour is acceptable; sert à is more natural.
  • Vocabulary and false friends directors A film director is a réalisateur. A directeur runs a company or school, so this is a classic false friend in this direction.
  • Sentence structure nobody wants to see Personne ne veut voir. Personne is the subject, so it comes first and still takes ne. No pas.
  • Subjunctive and conditional would have disappeared long ago Conditional perfect: aurait disparu depuis longtemps. Disparaître takes avoir.

Vocabulary for this topic: Le septième art crossword

Passage 6: A grandmother’s arrival English → French

English original

My grandmother arrived in Marseille in 1962, when she was nineteen. She had never left her village and did not speak a word of French. Every evening, after working all day in a factory, she would go to classes run by volunteers. She often told me that she had felt like a stranger for years. It was only when her children started school that she began to feel at home. If she had stayed in Algeria, she says, her life would have been very different. She does not regret anything, but she wishes she could have said goodbye to her parents.

Model version

Ma grand-mère est arrivée à Marseille en 1962, à l'âge de dix-neuf ans. Elle n'avait jamais quitté son village et ne parlait pas un mot de français. Tous les soirs, après avoir travaillé toute la journée dans une usine, elle allait à des cours animés par des bénévoles. Elle m'a souvent dit qu'elle s'était sentie étrangère pendant des années. Ce n'est que lorsque ses enfants sont entrés à l'école qu'elle a commencé à se sentir chez elle. Si elle était restée en Algérie, dit-elle, sa vie aurait été très différente. Elle ne regrette rien, mais elle aurait aimé pouvoir dire au revoir à ses parents.

What it was testing

  • Agreements arrived Arriver takes être, and the participle agrees: ma grand-mère est arrivée.
  • Sentence structure when she was nineteen Age uses avoir: quand elle avait dix-neuf ans, or à l'âge de dix-neuf ans. Never était.
  • Tenses had never left Pluperfect: elle n'avait jamais quitté son village. Quitter needs a direct object.
  • Tenses did not speak a word Imperfect for an ongoing state: elle ne parlait pas un mot de français.
  • Sentence structure after working Après + perfect infinitive: après avoir travaillé. Après travaillant is always wrong.
  • Tenses would go "Would" for a habit is the imperfect, not the conditional: elle allait. It is the most common tense error in this direction.
  • Agreements run by Animés par or organisés par, agreeing with cours (masculine plural). Not courus.
  • Agreements had felt Reflexive pluperfect with agreement: elle s'était sentie étrangère. No article before étrangère after se sentir.
  • Sentence structure It was only when Ce n'est que lorsque… que… The ne… que wraps the whole clause.
  • Subjunctive and conditional If she had stayed… would have been Si + pluperfect, then conditional perfect: si elle était restée, sa vie aurait été… Dit-elle is inverted, as reporting verbs always are when inserted mid-sentence.
  • Subjunctive and conditional she wishes she could have said Elle aurait aimé pouvoir dire au revoir. Souhaiter que would need a subjunctive and a second subject, so avoid it.

Vocabulary for this topic: Intégration et défis crossword

Finished all six? Passages 7 and 8 are on More A Level French translation passages.

Spotting the subjunctive

Most into-French passages test the subjunctive somewhere, and the trigger is almost always visible: a conjunction such as bien que or avant que, a verb of wanting, needing or feeling, or a verb of thinking in the negative.

For -er verbs the subjunctive and the present indicative look the same in most persons, so you often cannot tell from a model version whether the writer applied the rule. That is not a licence to ignore it. The marks sit on the verbs where the difference shows (ait, soit, puisse, fasse, sache, aille), and those are the ones examiners choose for the marked segments. For the full list of triggers, the traps and the irregular forms, see the subjunctive in A Level French translation.

Using AQA's supporting text

On AQA the into-French passage comes with a French text on the same topic. Use it as a word bank, not a template.

Borrow freely

  • Topic vocabulary you might not have recalled under pressure
  • Set phrases and connectives
  • The gender of nouns you are unsure about

Always adapt

  • Verb person and tense: the text's ils may need to be your elle
  • Agreements, once the gender or number changes
  • Whole sentences: never lift one. Your French must match the English, not the text

A checklist for the last two minutes

Run through this before you put your pen down.

  • Every segment has an attempt. No blanks anywhere.
  • Every negative, tense and plural from the original is still there.
  • Verb endings agree with their subjects.
  • Past participles agree after être and after a preceding direct object.
  • Adjectives agree in gender and number.
  • The subjunctive follows each of its triggers.
  • Accents are present and correct.
  • Read it back cold: would a stranger understand every sentence?

Questions students ask about A Level French translation

How many marks is translation worth in A Level French?

It depends on the board. AQA gives 10 marks to each direction on Paper 1. Edexcel gives 20 marks to translation into English (Paper 1) and 20 to translation into French (Paper 2). Eduqas gives 20 marks to each, which together make 40 of the 100 marks on Component 2. The table above has the detail for every board.

Does AQA A Level French have a translation?

Yes, in both directions, on Paper 1. Each is worth 10 marks and is at least 100 words long. The translation into French comes with a supporting French text on the same topic, which you can use for vocabulary and structures. There is a passage with a supporting text to practise on at AQA A Level French translation practice.

Is there a translation in Edexcel A Level French?

Yes. Translation into English is Section C of Paper 1 and translation into French is Section A of Paper 2. Each is worth 20 marks. Edexcel International A Level (IAL) French has no translation; it tests grammar manipulation instead.

Does Cambridge A Level French (9898) include translation?

No. Cambridge International A Level French has no translation task in either direction.

What is the best way to practise A Level French translation?

Do one passage at a time, without a dictionary, then compare your version with a model segment by segment. Note which kind of point you missed (a tense, an agreement, a false friend) and redo the same passage a week later. Repetition on a few passages builds the habits faster than working through many passages once.

Can I get my translations marked?

Self-marking against a model gets you most of the way, but it is easy to be generous with yourself. If you want translations marked segment by segment, see the French tutoring page or book a free 15-minute call.

More A Level French practice

Done all six? Redo the ones you scored lowest on in a week. Translation improves by repetition, not by volume.

If you want translations marked properly rather than self-assessed, that is most of what I do in A Level lessons. You can read more on the French tutoring page or start with a free 15-minute call.

The passages on this page are original and were written for this guide. Mark values and paper structures are taken from the awarding bodies' published specifications; always confirm the current requirements with your board.