A teacher-built plan
Nicola is a qualified French teacher with nearly 20 years’ Higher Level classroom experience, including work as an SEC oral examiner and corrector. The plan below is designed for real school weeks—not imaginary students with unlimited time.
Start with a five-minute skills audit
Before making a timetable, rate each area honestly: oral, listening, reading comprehension, written production, grammar and vocabulary. Mark each as secure, developing or urgent.
Your weakest area deserves extra attention, but do not abandon the others. A student who spends months writing essays while ignoring oral and aural practice is leaving 45% of the Higher Level examination underprepared.
A balanced weekly French study plan
Adjust the days around homework, sport and other subjects. The mix matters more than the exact timetable.
15–20 minOral retrieval: answer one topic aloud without reading, record it, then improve weak sections.
20–25 minListening: complete a short extract, check it, use the transcript and replay the difficult parts.
30–40 minWriting: plan and complete one timed paragraph or exam task, then check recurring errors.
20–30 minReading: work through part of a comprehension and identify useful vocabulary in context.
15–20 minGrammar and vocabulary: revise one targeted problem and retrieve the week’s new language.
You can combine shorter sessions on busy weeks. Avoid dropping speaking and listening merely because written work feels easier to organise.
What to do in each skill area
Oral
Build personal topic notes, practise follow-up questions and speak aloud several times each week.
Listening
Answer, check, analyse and replay. Background audio alone is not a complete strategy.
Reading
Use past questions, justify answers from the text and record vocabulary in useful phrases.
Writing
Practise planning, relevance and accuracy across opinion, narrative, diary and practical formats.
Grammar
Target errors that actually occur in your work instead of endlessly rereading every rule.
Vocabulary
Learn language in short phrases and retrieve it repeatedly rather than copying isolated lists.
How your priorities should change through the year
September to December: build the system
Establish weekly habits, strengthen core grammar and vocabulary, create oral topic material and begin regular listening. Practise individual writing skills before expecting perfect timed answers.
January to the oral: increase retrieval
Complete mock conversations, strengthen weak oral topics and practise recovering from unexpected questions. Continue written and listening work—the oral should receive extra focus, not consume the entire subject.
After the oral: rebalance quickly
Move the time previously used for speaking into listening, comprehensions and written production. Use timed tasks and past papers to expose remaining gaps.
Final weeks: practise performance
Revise high-value language, complete selected timed sections and correct familiar errors. Do not attempt to learn a new encyclopaedia of essays immediately before the exam.
A sensible plan for fifth year
Fifth year is the time to build foundations without panic. Concentrate on accurate core tenses, useful topic vocabulary, confident personal conversation and regular contact with spoken French.
Begin an oral folder and an error log now. Write shorter pieces well before chasing full exam length. By the end of fifth year, aim to understand the principal exam formats and have study habits that can scale up in sixth year.
If you feel behind
- Stop trying to cover everything simultaneously. Choose one urgent weakness and one maintenance skill each week.
- Prioritise high-frequency foundations: present, past and future time; opinions; reasons; descriptions; questions; negatives and agreements.
- Use exam tasks diagnostically. Every mistake tells you what to revise next.
- Prepare adaptable language. Do not spend scarce time memorising several complete essays.
- Track completed work. A short written record makes progress visible and reduces panic.
Your Sunday five-minute review
- Did I speak French aloud this week?
- Did I complete focused listening and check why I missed answers?
- Did I produce French from memory rather than only reread notes?
- Did I correct or rewrite a piece of work?
- What is the single most useful focus for next week?
Use the free exam guides with this plan
French Oral Guide
Marks, format, topics, useful phrases and preparation.
French Listening Guide
Aural strategy, common traps and focused practice.
French Written Guide
Question formats, planning, timing and checking.
Free Masterclass
Try Nicola’s teaching before joining the programme.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours should I study French each week?
There is no perfect number. Begin with three to five focused sessions outside class and adjust for your level, homework and proximity to examinations. Consistency and active practice matter more than merely counting hours.
Should I study French every day?
Short daily contact can be excellent, especially for speaking and vocabulary, but your plan must be sustainable. Several focused sessions every week can still produce strong progress.
Which part should I prioritise?
Give additional time to your weakest high-value area while maintaining all four skills. Use actual completed work—not guesswork—to identify the weakness.
Is it too late to improve?
No. Narrow the plan, practise actively and correct recurring errors. Focused work from your current level is more valuable than panicked attempts to restart the entire course.
Prefer a complete week-by-week programme?
FrenchExam.ie provides one structured Higher Level lesson each week across oral, aural, written French and grammar—so students know exactly what to work on and when.
Explore the 36-Week Programme