GCSE French and Spanish Speaking Role Play: Examples and How to Answer Them

The role play is the shortest part of the GCSE speaking exam, and the easiest place to lose marks for small reasons: a one-word answer, a missing verb, or a question you forgot to ask. Here is how it works on each board, with three worked examples.

Disclosure: This guide is written by Tête-à-Tête, which makes an AI speaking examiner for GCSE and IGCSE French and Spanish. The board rules come from the boards' official current specifications, sample materials and conduct instructions. The example role plays are our own, written in each board's format, not official papers.

Quick answer: In a GCSE role play your teacher plays a character and you complete five short tasks, each worth up to 2 marks (10 in total). Answer every task with a short, clear sentence that includes a verb, give exactly the details the task asks for, and ask a question when your card tells you to (AQA and Edexcel require one; Cambridge IGCSE does not). The marks are for a clear message, so a simple, correct sentence beats an ambitious one that goes wrong.

How the role play works on each board

	AQA (French 8652, Spanish 8692)	Edexcel (French 1FR1, Spanish 1SP1)	Cambridge IGCSE (French 0520, Spanish 0530)
Marks	10: five tasks, up to 2 each	10: five prompts, up to 2 each	10: five tasks, up to 2 each
Tiers	Foundation and Higher	Foundation and Higher	Untiered
Where it comes	First part of the test	Second, after the read aloud	First, after a short warm-up that is not marked
Recommended length	1 to 1.5 minutes	1 to 1.5 minutes	About 2 minutes
Preparation	15 minutes for the whole test; notes allowed	15 minutes for the whole test; notes on one A4 sheet	10 minutes with the role play card; no notes
Questions you must ask	One	One at Foundation, two at Higher	None: you answer five questions
What earns the marks	Conveying the message without ambiguity	Communication: a clear, relevant response	The information communicated, in language that is appropriate and accurate

AQA

Your teacher plays your friend and speaks first. Your card tells you to address them as tu (French) or tú (Spanish), but AQA's instructions say you can use the formal form without penalty. The five tasks are printed on your card in English, with "unambiguous instructions about what to say", so there is no surprise question. One task is marked ? ("Ask your friend a question about…"), and it is not always the last one.

At that point your teacher does not invite you to ask. They say a short comment, such as Très bien or Vale, and wait: the ? on your card is your cue. If you stay silent, AQA lets the teacher remind you that they expect the question, but don't rely on it.

Each task is marked 2 ("the message is conveyed without ambiguity"), 1 ("partially conveyed or conveyed with some ambiguity") or 0. The card also says that to score full marks you must include a verb in each answer ("a verb" at Foundation, "at least one verb" at Higher). If a task asks for two details and one is missing or unclear, you get 1 mark.

Edexcel

Every role play is transactional and set in a formal context: a café, shop, hotel, train station, tourist information office, cinema, campsite, leisure centre, doctor's surgery or hospital, or in town. Your teacher plays someone in that place, such as a receptionist, and asks set questions.

Your card has five prompts in English. At Foundation you ask one question and speak only in the present tense or a familiar conditional such as je voudrais / me gustaría. At Higher you ask two questions, and you also answer one question in a future timeframe. When it is your turn to ask, the teacher invites you: Vous avez une question ? / ¿Tiene una pregunta?, and at Higher Vous avez une autre question ? / ¿Tiene otra pregunta? for the second.

Each response is marked 2 ("fully communicated"), 1 ("partially communicated, some ambiguity") or 0. A one-word answer can score at most 1, and an answer that is not relevant to the question scores 0.

Cambridge IGCSE

You get the scenario card and 10 minutes to prepare, without notes. The examiner then asks five questions from a script you have not seen. You answer; you do not ask. In Cambridge's specimen scripts the examiner sometimes plays a friend (using tu) and sometimes a person providing a service (using vous).

The examiner may repeat a question but must not rephrase it. Some questions have two parts ("When…? Why?"), and the examiner pauses between them, so answer both. Each task is marked 2 if "the information is communicated" in language that is "appropriate to the situation and is accurate", with minor errors allowed, and 1 if it is only partly communicated, ambiguous, or has errors that impede communication. Cambridge adds that a short answer, if it communicates fully and is correct, is worth 2 marks.

Example 1: AQA French, Foundation

Candidate's card

You are talking to your Swiss friend. Your teacher will play the part of your friend and will speak first. You should address your friend as tu. When you see this – ? – you will have to ask a question. In order to score full marks, you must include a verb in your response to each task.

1. Say where you go on holiday. (Give one detail.)
2. Say what you like doing on holiday. (Give one detail.)
3. ? Ask your friend a question about holidays.
4. Say how you travel. (Give one detail.)
5. Give one opinion of holidays with your family.

Teacher says	Model answer
Tu parles avec ton ami(e) suisse. Moi, je suis ton ami(e). Où est-ce que tu vas en vacances ?	Je vais en Espagne avec ma famille. (I go to Spain with my family.)
Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire en vacances ?	J'aime nager dans la mer. (I like swimming in the sea.)
Très bien. [then waits]	Tu préfères la mer ou la montagne ? (Do you prefer the sea or the mountains?)
Comment est-ce que tu voyages ?	Nous voyageons en voiture. (We travel by car.)
Qu'est-ce que tu penses des vacances en famille ?	J'adore les vacances en famille parce que c'est relaxant. (I love family holidays because it's relaxing.)

Why it scores 10/10: every answer conveys the message without ambiguity and contains a verb. AQA's sample mark scheme puts answers without an accurate verb, questions included, in the 1-mark column: think Espagne alone, or Vacances montagne ?. At task 3 the teacher only says Très bien; the student asks because the card shows ?.

Example 2: Edexcel Spanish, Higher

Candidate's card. Setting: at the tourist information office.

You are at a tourist information office in Spain. Your teacher will play the part of the employee and will speak first. Your teacher will ask questions in Spanish and you must answer in Spanish. You are expected to say a few words or a short phrase/sentence in response to each prompt. One-word answers will not be sufficient to gain full marks.

1. Say what type of activities you like.
2. Say who you are on holiday with.
3. Ask a question about transport.
4. Say what you are going to do tomorrow.
5. Ask a question about prices.

Teacher says	Model answer
Buenos días. ¿Qué tipo de actividades le gustan?	Me gustan las actividades al aire libre, como montar en bici. (I like outdoor activities, like cycling.)
Muy bien. ¿Con quién está de vacaciones?	Estoy de vacaciones con mis padres y mi hermana. (I'm on holiday with my parents and my sister.)
Vale. ¿Tiene una pregunta?	¿Hay un autobús para ir a la playa? (Is there a bus to the beach?)
De acuerdo. ¿Y qué va a hacer mañana?	Mañana voy a visitar el museo y luego voy a ir de compras. (Tomorrow I'm going to visit the museum and then go shopping.)
Bueno. ¿Tiene otra pregunta?	¿Cuánto cuesta la entrada al museo? (How much is the museum entrance?)

Why it scores 10/10: each response is fully communicated and relevant, both questions are clear, and prompt 4 answers the future question with voy a + infinitive. In Edexcel's sample marking, a one-word question like ¿Actividades? gets 1 mark, and a past-tense answer where the present was needed can get 0 because it is ambiguous. A grammatical slip that does not affect the message can still get 2.

Example 3: Cambridge IGCSE French (untiered)

Scenario (our example): Vous êtes dans un magasin de vêtements en France. The examiner plays the shop assistant, so uses vous.

Examiner asks	Model answer
Bonjour. Qu'est-ce que vous cherchez ?	Je cherche un pull pour mon frère. (I'm looking for a jumper for my brother.)
Quelle couleur préférez-vous ? [pause] Pourquoi ?	Je préfère le bleu… parce que c'est sa couleur préférée. (I prefer blue… because it's his favourite colour.)
C'est pour quelle occasion ?	C'est pour son anniversaire, samedi prochain. (It's for his birthday next Saturday.)
Qu'est-ce que vous lui avez acheté l'année dernière ?	L'année dernière, je lui ai acheté un jeu vidéo. (Last year I bought him a video game.)
Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire après les magasins ?	Je vais aller au café avec ma mère. (I'm going to go to the café with my mum.)

Why it scores 10/10: each answer communicates the information in accurate, appropriate French, and question 2 answers both parts. Questions 4 and 5 move into the past and the future: listen for the time frame in the examiner's verb and answer in it. Accuracy is part of Cambridge's 2-mark descriptor, so keep sentences short and correct.

Common mistakes

• Waiting to be asked your question (AQA). The teacher gives only a short comment. Check your card for the ? and ask.
• Answering instead of asking. When a task says "Ask…", your answer must be a question. Practise question starters: Où… ? Quand… ? Est-ce que… ? Il y a… ? / ¿Dónde…? ¿Cuándo…? ¿Hay…? ¿Cuánto cuesta…?
• One-word answers. At Edexcel they cap you at 1 mark; at AQA an answer without a verb usually gets 1.
• Missing a detail. If an AQA task says "Give two details", one clear detail earns only 1 mark.
• Wrong person or tense. Tus padres (your parents) instead of mis padres, or a past tense where the present was asked, creates ambiguity and costs marks.
• Over-ambitious sentences. The role play rewards a clear message. Save complex structures for the conversation.

A short practice routine

1. Plan. Give yourself about four minutes per card (your preparation time also covers the other parts). Write one short sentence per task, each with a verb.
2. Say it aloud. Speak every answer, including the question.
3. Have someone read the teacher's lines (a parent can, even without speaking the language). Answer without looking at your notes.
4. Check against the card. Right number of details? The question asked?
5. Repeat with a new card. Five different cards beat one card five times.

To practise with a live examiner, Tête-à-Tête lets you do role plays out loud with an AI examiner set to your board and tier, and marks them task by task, the way your board does. See how GCSE speaking practice is marked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to ask a question in the GCSE role play?

On AQA, yes: one question, at the task marked ?. On Edexcel, one at Foundation and two at Higher. On Cambridge IGCSE, no: the current format has you answer five questions from the examiner.

What happens if I don't understand a role play task?

Ask for a repeat: Tu peux répéter, s'il te plaît ? / ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? (or Pouvez-vous répéter ? / ¿Puede repetir? in a formal role play). AQA teachers can repeat the whole prompt, and are advised to move on after one repetition. Edexcel teachers can repeat a question up to twice. Cambridge examiners can repeat a question. None of them is allowed to rephrase it. If you still cannot answer, the examiner moves on to the next task, and each remaining task is marked on its own, so keep going.

Should I use tu or vous (tú or usted)?

On AQA, the card asks for tu/tú, but AQA says formal address can be used without penalty. Edexcel role plays are formal, but the specification says you are not required to use the formal register. Focus on getting the message across.

Is there a surprise question in the role play?

Not on AQA or Edexcel: all five tasks are printed on your card, so you can plan every answer. On Cambridge IGCSE you see the scenario but not the examiner's five questions, so you have to listen carefully and answer on the spot.

Can I take notes into the role play?

On AQA you can make notes during preparation and use them during the test. On Edexcel you can make notes on one A4 sheet and refer to them. On Cambridge IGCSE you are not allowed to make notes.