The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Arabic exam (1AA0) has four papers: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Each is worth 25% of the final grade, and each is sat at the same tier, either Foundation or Higher. Timings differ by tier, but the marks for each paper are the same at both tiers.
This article goes through the papers one at a time: how long each lasts, how many marks it carries, what the questions ask students to do, and where students most often lose marks. For the wider picture on themes, grading and who the qualification suits, start with our complete guide to GCSE Arabic.
All four papers in one table
The figures below come from the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Arabic specification.
| Paper | Foundation time | Higher time | Marks | Weight | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Listening | 35 min | 45 min | 50 | 25% | Recorded Arabic; questions on gist and detail |
| 2: Speaking | 7–9 min | 10–12 min | 70 | 25% | Role play, picture-based task, two-part conversation; plus 12 min supervised preparation |
| 3: Reading | 50 min | 1 h 5 min | 50 | 25% | Comprehension texts; short translation Arabic → English |
| 4: Writing | 1 h 20 min | 1 h 25 min | 60 | 25% | Open-response questions (three at Foundation, two at Higher) plus translation English → Arabic |
Specifications and timetables can be updated. Check the current specification and your exam centre's timetable before relying on any detail here.
One rule shapes everything else: the tier is the same for all four papers. A student entered for Higher sits Higher Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.
Paper 1: Listening
Students hear recorded Arabic and answer questions on it. The recordings cover the five themes and include different kinds of spoken material, such as short announcements, conversations and longer passages. Questions test both the general meaning and specific details: who, when, why, what someone thinks.
Question formats vary across a paper and can include multiple choice, matching and short written answers. The sample assessment materials on the Pearson website show the exact layout. Look at them before the first mock so nothing comes as a surprise.
Where marks are lost
- Answering on the first keyword. Recordings often mention an option and then rule it out ("I wanted to go by train, but in the end we flew"). Wait for the whole sentence.
- Missing negatives and time markers. Words like لا, لم, لن, ما زال and كان change the answer completely.
- Too little or too much detail. Give the precise information asked for, no more and no less.
Regular, structured listening practice helps more than last-minute cramming. Our Arabic listening practice guide explains how to build it into a week.
Paper 2: Speaking
The speaking exam is conducted by a teacher or examiner at the centre and recorded. It has three tasks:
- Task 1: Role play. The student plays a part in a short everyday situation, responding to prompts set out on a card.
- Task 2: Picture-based task. The student talks about a photo and answers questions linked to it and to the wider theme.
- Task 3: Conversation. This has two parts. The first is on a theme the student chooses. The second is on a theme allocated by the exam board.
Before the exam, students get 12 minutes of supervised preparation for Tasks 1 and 2. The exam itself lasts 7–9 minutes at Foundation and 10–12 minutes at Higher.
Where marks are lost
- Giving one-word answers in the conversation instead of developing each point.
- Staying in the present tense throughout.
- Giving opinions without saying why.
- Slipping into dialect forms when standard Arabic is expected. Ask your teacher how the mark scheme treats this.
Paper 3: Reading
Students read a range of Arabic texts linked to the five themes and answer comprehension questions. The texts range from short notices and messages to longer articles and extracts. The paper also includes a short translation from Arabic into English.
Where marks are lost
- Slow decoding. Students who read Arabic slowly run out of time on the longer texts. This is a skills gap, not a knowledge gap, and it responds well to daily practice. See our reading fluency guide.
- Guessing from one familiar word. Read the whole sentence, including any negation.
- Loose translation. In the Arabic-to-English translation, every element of the sentence counts: tense, pronouns, plurals. Write natural English, but don't drop details.
Paper 4: Writing
At Foundation, students answer three open-response questions and complete a translation into Arabic. At Higher, they answer two open-response questions, which are longer and more demanding, plus a translation into Arabic. The open-response questions ask students to write about a theme, usually covering several bullet points. Check the current specification and sample papers for any guidance on how much to write for each question.
Where marks are lost
- Ignoring a bullet point. Every bullet has to be covered. Leaving one out limits the marks available.
- Spelling errors, especially with hamza, ta marbuta and letters that sound alike.
- A narrow range of tenses and structures. Higher marks need past, present and future, plus opinions with reasons.
- Translating word by word into Arabic, which produces English word order and wrong agreement.
Our guide to learning to write in Arabic covers the foundations: letter forms, joining and spelling habits.
How the format affects your revision plan
Because every paper is worth the same, a weak skill costs just as much as a strong one earns. For planning, that means:
- Spend more time on the weakest paper, not the one your child enjoys most.
- Do at least one full timed paper for each skill before the mocks.
- Choose the tier on the evidence of all four skills together.
When this isn't the right route
A detailed breakdown of the format is useful once a student is close to exam level. If your child is still learning to read and join letters, drilling past papers will frustrate them. Build basic reading and writing first, then move on to exam technique. The format will still be there in a year.
Likewise, if your school already runs regular timed practice with detailed feedback, you may not need anything extra beyond encouraging your child to take it seriously.
Common questions
Are the marks the same at Foundation and Higher?
Yes. Each paper has the same total marks at both tiers: 50 for Listening, 70 for Speaking, 50 for Reading and 60 for Writing. The timings and the difficulty of the tasks differ.
Is there translation in both directions?
Yes. Reading has a short translation from Arabic into English, and Writing has a translation from English into Arabic.
Can students use a dictionary?
Dictionaries are not normally permitted in GCSE language exams. Check the current instructions for candidates with your exam centre.
What does the 12-minute preparation cover?
It covers the role play and the picture-based task. The conversation isn't prepared in that time, so the chosen theme needs to be rehearsed well in advance.
One step this week
Print the table above and, next to each paper, write your child's most recent mock or practice score. The paper with the lowest percentage is where the next month of practice should go.
If one paper is holding your child back, our Gulf-based teachers offer live one-to-one online GCSE Arabic lessons focused on the specific skill. Message us on WhatsApp to ask about current packages and availability in your time zone.
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