An honest comparison of how to prepare for the GCSE French or Spanish speaking exam.
Real-time voice AI, text-based AI, human tutors, revision guides, flashcards. What each is good for, what it's not, and how Tête-à-Tête fits in.
The GCSE speaking exam tests speaking — out loud, in real time, in your target language. The most effective preparation rehearses that exact thing.
Best results: combine a voice AI app for daily practice with a tutor or your teacher for periodic feedback. Use textbooks and flashcards alongside — not instead.
Scored on three things that matter for the speaking exam: realism (does it match the exam?), feedback quality, and how easy it is to actually use day-to-day.
Cost: Free tier; subscription for unlimited
Cost: Free or low-cost
Cost: £25–£60 per hour typically
Cost: £10–£20 one-off
Cost: Free or low-cost
Tête-à-Tête is a real-time voice AI app for GCSE French and Spanish speaking practice. Pick AQA, Edexcel, or Cambridge IGCSE and your sessions match that board's format — Role Play, Photo Card, and General Conversation — at Foundation or Higher tier. You speak out loud; the AI examiner listens and replies in your target language. Every turn is scored on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, interaction, and confidence, and you get a predicted GCSE grade (1–9) as you progress.
It's free to start. There's no scheduling, no commute, and no waiting for next Tuesday. Use it the night before, or every night for a month. Works in any browser at tete-a-tete.ai, on iOS via the App Store, and there's an Android beta open.
Speak French or Spanish to an AI examiner in under a minute.