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100+ Free Advanced Higher French Practice Questions

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Translate the false friend: « Le directeur a été très sensible à ses arguments. »

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Key Facts: Advanced Higher French Exam

C830 77

SQA course code

Qualifications Scotland

SCQF Level 7

Qualification level

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework

170 marks

Total course assessment

AH French Course Specification

200 words

Translation passage length

Qualifications Scotland

Qualifications Scotland AH French (C830 77) is assessed through a Reading and Translation paper (50 marks, 1h 30min), Listening and Discursive Writing (40 marks, 1h 30min), a Talking performance (50 marks) and a Portfolio specialist study (30 marks), spanning Society, Culture, Politics, Environment and a French literary or cultural specialism.

Sample Advanced Higher French Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Advanced Higher French exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Identify the tense: « Il fallut qu'elle partît avant l'aube. » The verb « partît » is in the:
A.subjonctif imparfait
B.passé simple
C.conditionnel passé
D.subjonctif présent
Explanation: « Partît » is third-person singular subjonctif imparfait of partir. It is required after « Il fallut que » in literary register because the main verb is in the past historic (passé simple).
2Complete with the correct tense (literary register): « Le marquis exigea que son fils ___ avant le coucher du soleil. »
A.revînt
B.revient
C.reviendra
D.était revenu
Explanation: After « exigea » (passé simple) the rule of sequence of tenses in literary French triggers the subjonctif imparfait: « revînt » (third-person singular of revenir).
3Identify the tense of « eut fini » in « Dès qu'il eut fini son discours, il quitta la salle. »
A.passé antérieur
B.plus-que-parfait
C.subjonctif passé
D.conditionnel passé
Explanation: Passé antérieur (auxiliary in passé simple + past participle) appears in literary subordinate clauses after temporal conjunctions like « dès que, quand, lorsque, après que » when the main verb is in the passé simple.
4Complete with the plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (literary): « Bien qu'elle ___ tout fait pour réussir, le résultat fut décevant. »
A.eût fait
B.ait fait
C.avait fait
D.aurait fait
Explanation: Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (« eût fait ») is the literary register form after « bien que » when the action is anterior to a past main verb in passé simple.
5Choose the correct pronoun: « Voici le livre ___ je t'ai parlé hier. »
A.dont
B.que
C.qui
D.lequel
Explanation: « Parler de quelque chose » takes « de ». The relative pronoun replacing « de + thing » is « dont »: « le livre dont je t'ai parlé » = « the book about which I spoke ».
6Choose the correct relative: « La maison à côté ___ j'habite est en ruine. »
A.de laquelle
B.dont
C.que
D.qui
Explanation: After a compound preposition ending in « de » (« à côté de »), « dont » is impossible; you must use « duquel/de laquelle/desquels/desquelles » matching the antecedent. « La maison » is feminine singular: « de laquelle ».
7Identify the construction: « Je l'ai vu sortir de la maison. » The verb « sortir » is:
A.infinitive after a verb of perception
B.participe présent
C.subjonctif
D.gérondif
Explanation: Verbs of perception (voir, entendre, sentir, regarder, écouter) take a bare infinitive when followed by a noun or pronoun + action: « Je l'ai vu sortir » = « I saw him leave ».
8Identify the form: « En arrivant à Paris, il a téléphoné à sa mère. » « En arrivant » is:
A.gérondif
B.participe présent
C.infinitif
D.subjonctif
Explanation: « En + participe présent » forms the gérondif. It indicates simultaneity, manner or cause and shares its subject with the main verb. Here « en arrivant » = « on arriving » / « as he arrived ».
9Translate the participial construction: « La nuit tombant, nous rentrâmes chez nous. »
A.As night was falling, we returned home.
B.We returned home at night.
C.By falling night, we returned.
D.Night fell while we returned.
Explanation: An absolute participle construction with its own subject (« la nuit tombant ») is a literary equivalent of an English temporal clause: « As night was falling ».
10Choose the correct option for the faire causative: « Le professeur ___ lire les élèves à voix haute. »
A.fait
B.laisse
C.fait à
D.se fait
Explanation: « Faire + infinitive » means to make/have someone do something. The teacher causes the pupils to read aloud: « fait lire les élèves ». No preposition is required before the infinitive.

About the Advanced Higher French Exam

Advanced Higher French (course code C830 77) is the highest-level SCQF Level 7 modern languages qualification in Scotland, delivered by Qualifications Scotland (formerly SQA). It is degree-foundation study built around advanced French grammar, French-into-English translation, discursive writing in French, listening comprehension of extended audio, and a Portfolio specialist study of a French novel, film or society topic.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

Two 1h 30min papers plus Talking performance and Portfolio coursework

Passing Score

Grade D is the minimum pass; A-D count as a pass

Exam Fee

Entry fees set by Qualifications Scotland; typically covered by school for school candidates (Qualifications Scotland (formerly SQA))

Advanced Higher French Exam Content Outline

30%

Advanced French grammar

Complete tense and aspect system at literary register: subjonctif imparfait and plus-que-parfait, passe anterieur, sequence of tenses, participe present vs gerondif, pronouns dont and lequel, causative faire, modal nuance

25%

Translation French to English

Idiomatic equivalence, register matching, false friends, passive and periphrastic constructions, pronoun antecedents, decisions between literal and idiomatic renderings

15%

Reading comprehension

Extended passages from Le Monde, Liberation, Le Figaro, L'Express style press: identifying tone, register, irony, cultural references and inferential meaning

10%

Listening comprehension

Extended French audio with multiple speakers, interview, debate and address formats: argument structure, speaker stance, register markers

10%

Discursive writing

Thesis construction, argumentative structure, signposting connectors, integrating quotations, rebutting counter-arguments at AH register

10%

Specialist study and culture

Set French novel, film or topic study (Camus, Sagan, Ernaux, Saint-Exupery; Malle, Kassovitz, Jeunet) plus French literary history and Nouvelle Vague cinema

How to Pass the Advanced Higher French Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Grade D is the minimum pass; A-D count as a pass
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: Two 1h 30min papers plus Talking performance and Portfolio coursework
  • Exam fee: Entry fees set by Qualifications Scotland; typically covered by school for school candidates

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Advanced Higher French Study Tips from Top Performers

1Read French press regularly (Le Monde, Liberation, Le Figaro, L'Express) to train tone, register and idiom recognition
2Drill subjunctive and literary tenses (subjonctif imparfait, passe anterieur) so you recognise them in literary extracts
3Translate 200-word passages weekly under timed conditions and self-mark against natural English equivalents
4Build a quotation bank for your specialist text with thematic tags so you can deploy evidence quickly in the discursive essay and Talking

Frequently Asked Questions

Who awards Advanced Higher French?

The qualification is awarded by Qualifications Scotland (formerly SQA). The naming changed on 1 February 2026, but the course code (C830 77) and structure remain unchanged.

What is the structure of Advanced Higher French?

Reading and Translation (50 marks, 1h 30min), Listening and Discursive Writing (40 marks, 1h 30min), Talking performance (50 marks) and a Portfolio specialist study (30 marks) on a French novel, film or topic.

What is translated in the Reading and Translation paper?

Candidates translate a section of approximately 200 words from French into English. Accuracy, faithfulness to register and tone, and idiomatic English equivalence are all rewarded.

What grade do I need to pass?

AH courses are graded A-D, with D the minimum pass. A no-award is recorded below D. Grades count toward UCAS tariff points for university entry.