Freaky Fiction for GCSE French

This range of compelling, genre-specific narratives and accompanying exercises merges teen-friendly themes with essential GCSE skills.

Interesting, compelling, exciting, thought-provoking and original short stories

F Di Piazza, HoD and Peer Reviewer

If your students are more interested in the latest sensation in teen fiction than the complexities of the French language, if they prefer vampires to verbs, then look no further!

  • Carefully written, authentic and compelling stories broken into six manageable chapters
  • Differentiated exercises covering a wide range of skills: vocabulary, grammar, translation, comprehension, speaking and writing
  • Support sheets provide additional scaffolding while extension tasks stretch the most able
  • Includes full answers for easy self-, peer- and teacher assessment
  • Starter and advanced packs available to suit different stages of the course and varying abilities

I genuinely enjoyed reading the texts; the story was very engaging!

I Coleman, Teacher, Examiner and Peer Reviewer

And with authentic texts, translation practice, relevant topical links and historical and cultural references aplenty, you can be sure you are preparing students for the expectations of the 2016 GCSE specifications. What better way to get pupils enthused about language?


Starter Packs – designed for GCSE Year 1, or lower-ability groups
Freaky Fiction: GCSE French Starter Pack (Historical) Taken under false pretences, kept captive, compelled to escape… Inform your students about a controversial period of French history through the tragic yet inspiring story of Raymond, a New Caledonian teenager forced to take part in Paris’ 1931 International Colonial Exhibition…
Freaky Fiction: GCSE French Starter Pack (Sci-Fi) It’s the year 2500 and zombies rule the Earth, feeding on the brains of their human slaves. But there are some who have managed to evade capture, and now they’re planning to fight back! Join Naïma as she marches into battle and, against all odds, becomes a hero – but at what cost?

Advanced Packs – designed for GCSE Year 2, or higher-ability groups
Freaky Fiction: GCSE French Advanced Pack (Dystopian) Sylvia, 15, dares to rebel against a world in which our everyday lives – from school, to work, to free time – are dictated by screens… This dystopian and eerily believable view of the near future might make your students think twice about picking up their iPhone…!
Freaky Fiction: GCSE French Advanced Pack (Murder Mystery) In the sleepy town of St Malo, young people are being brutally murdered and Morgane’s best friend has disappeared… with the police baffled, this audacious 16-year-old is in a race against time to save her classmate from a terrible fate. But is the culprit closer to home than she thinks…?

What do teachers say about this resource? (6485)

A great resource to challenge our more able students in such a creative way! Great to help them start reading in French and very entertaining. There is a great range of topics/exercises/activities that would suit all intents and levels. Very good pack to be used for Gifted and Talented students, and to give for independent work. Great to further students’ horizons and grow interest in literature. 

T Ruiner, HoD and Peer Reviewer

A very good, interesting and appealing resource (...) I am impressed with the range of grammar and higher vocabulary exploited in each of the different texts, which are intriguing and appealing to able pupils, since they expose pupils to more complex vocabulary and structures, which are not usually present in GCSE textbooks. In addition, the focus of each text on a particular higher grammar point is also an excellent support for the new GCSE, where the focus on grammar and accuracy is increasingly important. Likewise, it is great to see that this resource includes translation to and from the target language, which is also of paramount importance in the 2016 GCSE reading and writing exams.

F Di Piazza, HoD and Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6487)

Interesting, compelling, exciting, thought-provoking and original short stories (...) Throughout this resource the activities offer a very good range of reading, speaking, writing, grammar and translation activities, which have been well-differentiated, including excellent support sheets for the less able.

F Di Piazza, HoD and Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6506)

I thought it was very different to anything I have seen before for GCSE French. I liked the cultural and historical element, and think a lot of classes would really enjoy studying this. I genuinely enjoyed reading the texts; the story was very engaging! I was impressed by the level of exploitation of each text - there are so many different activities at a variety of levels.

I Coleman, Teacher, Examiner and Peer Reviewer

This resource fosters independent learning. I like the fact that there are support sheets included for the weaker students and that there are extension activities for the more able. I also like the fact that the story is set in New Caledonia – a less well-known French speaking country; this broadens students’ cultural knowledge. With 3 skills areas covered (Reading, Speaking and Writing) and the fact that it covers 4 GCSE topic areas and includes translation work from and into French, it matches the new GCSE criteria well.

A Scigliano, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

I think the texts are very interesting with plenty for the pupils to do.

V Pick, Head of French and Independent Reviewer