The Read-Aloud Task in the New GCSE (AQA and Edexcel)

The read-aloud task is a part of the new AQA and Edexcel GCSE speaking exam. You read a short passage aloud in French or Spanish, then answer questions on the topic of the text. The reading is marked for pronunciation, and the questions for how well you communicate. Cambridge IGCSE has no read-aloud task.

How does it work for AQA?

It's the second part of the test, after the role play. You read the text aloud, then answer four compulsory questions on the topic of the text. The text earns up to 5 marks for pronunciation. The questions earn up to 10, marked together as a whole. For the top marks, at least two answers need three or more clauses and one other needs two. In your 15 minutes' preparation you can write the text out in your notes and mark it up, phonetically or with symbols, but not on the reading-aloud card itself. You can't read it out loud while you prepare.

How does it work for Edexcel?

It's the first part of the test. The passage is 35–40 words in five sentences at Foundation and 50–55 words in four sentences at Higher, and it earns up to 8 marks for clear pronunciation and sound-spelling links. Two short questions follow, worth 2 marks each, and a one-word answer can earn at most one mark. You can annotate the text itself to help your pronunciation. The last minute of your preparation is in the exam room, where you can practise reading it out loud, and that minute isn't marked.

Does my accent matter?

For Edexcel, not as long as you're clear: it says outright that you won't be assessed on the quality of your accent, as long as your pronunciation is clear and comprehensible. AQA's mark scheme separates errors that affect communication from minor ones that don't. Reading seize (sixteen) as six is the kind of mistake that costs marks. If you go wrong, correct yourself: for AQA, it's your final, corrected version that's marked.

How can I improve my pronunciation?

Learn the sound-spelling patterns, because the passage is built to test them.

• French: most final consonants are silent, and so is the -ent ending on verbs (ils parlent). Learn the nasal sounds in on, an and in. Tell u (tu) and ou (tout) apart.
• Spanish: each vowel always makes the same sound. H is silent. J, and g before e or i, sound like a throaty h. A written accent shows which syllable to stress.

Then read aloud every day, even for two minutes, and record yourself. You'll hear mistakes you can't see on the page.

Practise it the way it's marked

The questions carry two thirds of AQA's marks for this task and a third of Edexcel's, and they aren't on your card. So in your preparation time, mark the words you're unsure of, then think about what you could say on the text's topic. Answer each question in a full sentence with a reason. A parent or friend can play the examiner by asking you questions on the passage's topic. An AI examiner such as Tête-à-Tête gives you a reading text in your board's format, listens as you read, asks the follow-up questions, and scores your pronunciation as well as your answers.

For how the rest of the speaking exam is marked, see how the GCSE speaking exam is marked.

Sources

Every board fact on this page was checked against these documents on 26 October 2026:

• AQA GCSE French (8652) and AQA GCSE Spanish (8692): specifications, sample mark scheme and the 2026 instructions for conducting the speaking test
• Pearson Edexcel GCSE French (1FR1) and Pearson Edexcel GCSE Spanish (1SP1): specifications and sample assessment materials