Edexcel GCSE Persian
Explore your course, one topic at a time.
Course overview
The PEARSON-EDEXCEL GCSE Persian specification covers 11 study areas with 140 learning objectives (1PN0). Use the topic browser below to explore subtopics, exam tips, common mistakes, and key terminology for each area of the course.
- 11 study areas
- 140 learning objectives
Verified courseQuestions and notes checked against the official specification.
- 69
- verified practice questions
- 46
- verified teaching notes
- 11
- topics
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Your exams
- Paper 1: Listening and understanding in Persian Foundation TierThursday, 20 May 2027, PM
- Paper 1: Listening and understanding in Persian Higher TierThursday, 20 May 2027, PM
- Paper 3: Reading and understanding in Persian Foundation TierThursday, 20 May 2027, PM
- Paper 3: Reading and understanding in Persian Higher TierThursday, 20 May 2027, PM
- Paper 4: Writing in Persian Foundation TierFriday, 11 June 2027, PM
- Paper 4: Writing in Persian Higher TierFriday, 11 June 2027, PM
Always confirm dates and times with your exam centre.
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Listening and understanding in Persian | 45 min | 50 | 25% |
| Paper 2: Speaking in Persian | 12 min | 70 | 25% |
| Paper 3: Reading and understanding in Persian | 65 min | 50 | 25% |
| Paper 4: Writing in Persian | 85 min | 60 | 25% |
Explore your topics
11 study areas
Themes and topics6 topics
Themes and topics overview
Themes and topics2 specification points covering Questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, addressing a range of relevant contemporary and…6 objectivesIdentity and culture
Theme 1: Identity and culture3 specification points covering Who am I?: relationships; when I was younger; what my friends and family are like; what makes a good friend; interests;…9 objectivesLocal area, holiday and travel
Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel3 specification points covering Holidays: preferences; experiences; destinations, Travel and tourist transactions: travel and accommodation; asking for help…9 objectivesSchool
Theme 3: School2 specification points covering What school is like: school types; school day; subjects; rules and pressures; celebrating success, School activities: school…6 objectivesFuture aspirations, study and work
Theme 4: Future aspirations, study and work3 specification points covering Using languages beyond the classroom: forming relationships; travel; employment, Ambitions: further study; volunteering;…9 objectivesInternational and global dimension
Theme 5: International and global dimension2 specification points covering Bringing the world together: sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes, Environmental issues: being ‘green’;…6 objectives
Listening and understanding in Persian1 topic
Speaking in Persian1 topic
Reading and understanding in Persian1 topic
Writing in Persian1 topic
About this course
About Pearson Edexcel GCSE Persian
The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Persian course is designed to develop your ability to communicate effectively in Persian across all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You will explore a range of engaging themes that reflect Persian culture and contemporary society, building a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary along the way.
The specification is structured around five broad themes: identity and culture, local area and holiday, school, future aspirations, study and work, and international and global dimension. Each theme is broken down into sub-topics, allowing you to learn language in context and apply your skills to real-life situations.
Assessment Structure
The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Persian is assessed through four externally examined papers, each worth 25% of the final grade. Paper 1 (Listening) and Paper 2 (Speaking) are both worth 25% each, while Paper 3 (Reading) and Paper 4 (Writing) also carry 25% each. The speaking exam includes a role-play, a picture-based task, and a conversation, while the writing paper requires responses to written tasks and a translation. All papers are available at Foundation and Higher tiers, with total marks varying by tier (e.g., Foundation: 40 marks per paper; Higher: 50 marks per paper).
Why Choose Pearson Edexcel?
- Pearson Edexcel offers a clear and well-structured specification with a straightforward assessment model, making it easier for students to understand exactly what is expected in each paper.
- The board provides a wide range of support materials, including past papers, mark schemes, and exemplar answers, which are invaluable for revision and exam practice.
- Edexcel's GCSE Persian is recognised by universities and employers, and the skills developed are highly transferable, especially for those interested in Middle Eastern studies, international relations, or translation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the themes covered in Edexcel GCSE Persian?
How is Edexcel GCSE Persian assessed?
Is Edexcel GCSE Persian harder than other boards?
What support is available for Edexcel GCSE Persian?
Can I take Edexcel GCSE Persian if I am not a native speaker?
Assessment and exam guidance
What Gets Top Grades
Knowledge & Understanding
Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge
- Uses correct subject-specific terminology
- Shows detailed understanding of concepts
- Makes accurate connections between topics
- Demonstrates depth beyond surface-level knowledge
Application
Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts
- Selects relevant knowledge for the question
- Adapts understanding to unfamiliar scenarios
- Uses examples appropriately
- Shows awareness of context
Analysis & Evaluation
Develops sophisticated analytical arguments
- Constructs logical chains of reasoning
- Considers multiple perspectives
- Weighs evidence to reach justified conclusions
- Acknowledges limitations and nuances
Key Command Words
Give a single fact or term
Name, select, or recognise
Set out main features briefly
Give an account of what something is like or what happens
Give reasons with developed cause→effect chains
State similarities AND differences (both required)
Examine in detail showing cause→effect→consequence chains
Weigh up BOTH sides, reach JUSTIFIED conclusion
Make judgments about importance with justification
Show formula→substitution→calculation→answer with units
Tips and common mistakes
Common Exam Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exams
- •Treating the five themes as five separate exams. Correction: the themes organise the content, but questions across all four skills are set in common contexts, so vocabulary and structures recur across themes and skills.
- •Revising only contemporary material and ignoring cultural themes, or the reverse. Correction: the specification states that questions address a range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes, so both must be prepared.
- •Learning isolated word lists without linking them to topics and sub-topics. Correction: content is broken down into themes, topics and sub-topics, so learn each item within its topic context.
- •Assuming the four skills are taught or assessed separately with different content. Correction: questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, so the same themes feed every skill.
- •Studying each topic only in the context of the home country. Correction: all themes and topics must also be studied in the context of countries and communities where Persian is spoken.
- •Studying only Persian-speaking contexts and neglecting the home country. Correction: the requirement is both contexts, so the home country must be covered too.
- •Treating the dual-context requirement as applying to only some themes or topics. Correction: it applies to all themes and topics.
- •Assuming the requirement differs by tier. Correction: it applies at both foundation and higher tier.
Top Examiner Tips
Expert advice for exam success
- •Build a revision grid with the five themes as columns and listening, speaking, reading and writing as rows, then note which topics and sub-topics you have covered in each cell.
- •For each sub-topic, collect a small set of contemporary and cultural examples and practise using them in all four skills, not just reading.
- •Check your own scheme of work against the specification's theme, topic and sub-topic breakdown and flag any sub-topic you have not yet practised in at least two skills.
- •For each topic, write two short parallel paragraphs, one set in your home country and one set in a Persian-speaking country or community, then reuse the vocabulary in speaking and writing practice.
- •When you meet a reading or listening text, first decide which context it is set in, then note the topic-specific vocabulary it uses in that setting.
- •Keep a two-column vocabulary log per topic — home country on one side, Persian-speaking context on the other — and review both columns before each assessment.
- •Underline the key clause in the question, such as interests or role models, before reading the options.
- •Eliminate any option that is grammatically possible but answers a different clause from the one requested.
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