GCSE Persian: Exam Guide, Topics, Vocabulary and Practice

GCSE Persian is the UK GCSE (9-1) in Persian set by Pearson Edexcel, qualification code 1PN0. It has four equally weighted papers: listening, speaking, reading and writing, each worth 25%. You sit all four at either Foundation tier (grades 1 to 5) or Higher tier (grades 4 to 9), with no dictionary allowed. AQA does not offer a GCSE in Persian.

Below is a plain-English walk through the whole exam: what each paper looks like, the five themes, the word counts for the writing tasks, the vocabulary and structures that come up again and again, and exam-style practice with model answers in Persian script, pronunciation and English. The exam facts come from Pearson’s specification (Issue 4, October 2022), sample assessment materials and examiner reports, which are the documents to trust if anything here ever differs. Persian examples use standard Iranian Persian, with spoken forms marked as spoken.

GCSE Persian at a glance

AQA, OCR or Edexcel: which board is it?

Many people search for “AQA GCSE Persian”, but AQA’s GCSE community languages are Bengali, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish and Urdu. Persian used to be an OCR GCSE; OCR withdrew from its less-taught languages, and its last Persian exams were in summer 2018. Pearson Edexcel then launched the current GCSE Persian, first taught from September 2018. If a website, past paper or tutor refers to AQA or OCR Persian, it is out of date. Pearson’s Persian page also publishes past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, which are the best free practice material you can get.

The four papers in detail

Every paper is marked out of a fixed total, and each paper counts for a quarter of the final grade. This table shows the timings from the specification.

Paper 1: Listening

You hear recordings of Persian speakers (each extract is played twice) and answer mostly multiple-choice and short-answer questions. One section has questions in English and one section has questions in Persian, but you never have to write a Persian sentence in this paper. Use the 5 minutes’ reading time to underline key words in the questions and predict what you might hear.

A practical tip: the sample listening scripts use natural spoken Persian, not textbook Persian. You will hear خونه (khune) for خانه (khâne, house) and می‌خوام (mikhâm) for می‌خواهم (mikhâham, I want). If you only know written forms, practise listening to everyday speech as well.

Paper 2: Speaking

The speaking test is conducted by your teacher and marked by Pearson. It is entirely in Persian and always follows the same order:

You get 12 minutes to prepare tasks 1 and 2 and may make notes on up to one side of A4, but the notes cannot be used in the conversation. In the role play there are five prompts: a “?” means you must ask a question, and a “!” means you will be asked something you have not seen. At Higher tier you ask two questions and one prompt uses a past tense. In the picture task the teacher asks five questions, starting with one about the picture itself.

The conversation has two parts. In part one you talk about a topic you chose at least two weeks before the test, and you may speak for up to one minute before the teacher asks questions. Part two covers a different theme, set by Pearson. Both parts get equal time, so prepare every theme, not just your favourite one.

Paper 3: Reading

The reading paper has three sections. Section A has questions in English, Section B has questions in Persian, and Section C is a short translation from Persian into English. At Higher tier, one Section B question asks for short open answers. Read every option before choosing; distractors often repeat a word from the text with a twist, such as a negative verb (نمی‌روم, nemiravam, I don’t go) where you expected a positive one.

Paper 4: Writing

The writing paper is where marks are won or lost on planning. Instructions are in Persian, question titles are in English.

The 2025 Higher writing examiner report is very clear about what costs marks: answering both options instead of one, writing in Latin letters (Finglish) or another language, skipping bullet points, answering bullet points too briefly, using only simple sentences, and translating word by word. It also says you do not lose marks just for going over or under the word count, but a very short answer cannot develop the points.

The five themes and their topics

Everything in the exam comes from five themes. Pearson asks that each one is studied both in the context of your own country and of Persian-speaking countries and communities, so be ready to talk about, for example, festivals in the UK and in Iran.

Key vocabulary by theme

The specification includes a vocabulary list (which Pearson says is not exhaustive), so use it as your master list. The words below are the high-frequency core for each theme. Our list of the 101 most common Persian words and the Persian dictionary help you fill the gaps.

Theme 1: Identity and culture

نوروز (nowruz) is a gift for the cultural life topic, because you can compare it with festivals in the UK. Read our guide to Nowruz, the Persian New Year for words and customs you can use.

Listen

Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel

For more weather words, see weather in Persian.

Listen

Theme 3: School

Listen

Theme 4: Future aspirations, study and work

Listen

Theme 5: International and global dimension

Listen

Structures that lift your grade

The mark schemes reward the same things in speaking and writing: clear communication, developed answers, opinions with reasons, and a range of tenses and sentence types. You must be able to refer to past, present and future events. Learn this small toolkit and use it in every answer.

Opinions and reasons

Listen

Time phrases that signal the tense

One verb, every tense

Take رفتن (raftan, to go). If you can produce all of these without thinking, you can show a range of tenses in any answer.

For full tables, see our guides to the Persian past tense and the Persian future tense, or check any verb in the Persian verb conjugator.

Listen

Exam-style practice with model answers

These tasks are written in the style of the exam to help you practise. For real papers, use the past papers and mark schemes on Pearson’s website.

Role play: buying a train ticket

Card (Theme 2, travel and tourist transactions): you are at a train station in Tehran and want to travel to Mashhad. Here are model answers you could give.

Listen

Picture-based task

Imagine a photo of a family having a picnic in a park. The first question is always about the picture: در این عکس چه می‌بینی؟ (dar in aks che mibini?, what do you see in this photo?).

Model answer: در این عکس یک خانواده در پارک است. آن‌ها غذا می‌خورند و هوا آفتابی است. به نظر من آن‌ها خوشحال هستند. (dar in aks yek khânevâde dar pârk ast. ân-hâ ghazâ mikhorand va havâ âftâbi ast. be nazar-e man ân-hâ khoshhâl hastand.) In this photo there is a family in a park. They are eating and the weather is sunny. In my opinion they are happy.

Listen

Conversation: developing an answer

A one-line answer scores little. Notice how this answer to در اوقات فراغت چه کار می‌کنی؟ (dar owghât-e farâghat che kâr mikoni?, what do you do in your free time?) uses three tenses, a reason and a plan.

بیشتر وقت‌ها فوتبال بازی می‌کنم، چون ورزش را دوست دارم. هفته‌ی گذشته با تیم مدرسه یک مسابقه داشتیم و برنده شدیم. سال آینده می‌خواهم در یک باشگاه بزرگ‌تر بازی کنم.

(bishtar vaght-hâ futbâl bâzi mikonam, chon varzesh râ dust dâram. hafte-ye gozashte bâ tim-e madrese yek mosâbeghe dâshtim va barande shodim. sâl-e âyande mikhâham dar yek bâshgâh-e bozorgtar bâzi konam.) Most of the time I play football, because I like sport. Last week we had a match with the school team and we won. Next year I want to play in a bigger club.

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How to prepare: a plan that works

1. Get the specification and past papers from Pearson. Read the examiner reports too; they tell you exactly where candidates lost marks.
2. Learn vocabulary theme by theme. Ten new words a day, reviewed with flashcards, covers the core in a few months. Test yourself with our Persian vocabulary quiz.
3. Master three tenses and the opinion toolkit. Write one short paragraph per topic using past, present and future, and get it corrected.
4. Prepare your chosen conversation topic, but also practise answering questions on every other theme, because part two is set by Pearson.
5. Write by hand under timed conditions. Keep letters on the line, keep the dots clear, and count your words roughly as you go.
6. Practise translation both ways. Translate meaning, not single words.
7. Listen every day. Persian songs, films and podcasts get your ear used to spoken forms.

Do you need a GCSE Persian tutor?

If your school does not teach Persian, you will need someone to practise the speaking test with and to correct your writing. A tutor who knows the 1PN0 format can run mock role plays and picture tasks, and mark your writing against the published mark scheme. You can find a teacher on our online Farsi tutors page. For self-study, the Complete Farsi Resources Bundle gives you grammar, vocabulary and reading practice for every level.

After GCSE: A level Persian

Pearson Edexcel also offers an A level in Persian (code 9PN0), first taught from September 2018. It has three papers covering translation, reading, listening and writing, including a written response to set works (literary texts or films) and writing based on independent research. Speaking is not directly assessed at A level. Its themes centre on Persian-speaking society, such as changes in family and education, music, festivals and traditions, the environment and tourism. Check the current specification for the set works list.

Common questions

Is GCSE Persian AQA or Edexcel?

Edexcel. The current GCSE Persian is the Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) in Persian, code 1PN0. AQA does not offer Persian, and the older OCR Persian GCSE had its last exams in 2018.

Is GCSE Persian hard?

For students who speak Persian at home, listening and speaking usually feel comfortable, and the challenge is accurate spelling, formal writing and translation. For learners starting from scratch, it is a big task, mainly because of the script and the amount of vocabulary, so starting early with a teacher helps a lot.

Can I take GCSE Persian as a private candidate?

Yes, if you find an exam centre that accepts private candidates for Persian. Because the speaking test is conducted by a teacher in April/May, ask the centre about speaking arrangements before you register, and contact them well before the entry deadline.

Are dictionaries allowed in GCSE Persian?

No. Dictionaries are not allowed in any of the four papers, and that includes the 12 minutes of preparation time before the speaking test.

Can I write in Finglish or answer in Dari?

Write everything in Persian script; the examiner reports criticise answers in Latin letters. The specification refers to standard Persian, so use standard written Persian in the writing paper. If you speak Dari or Tajik at home, ask your teacher which forms are accepted in speaking.

Where can I find GCSE Persian past papers?

Pearson publishes past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports for 1PN0 on its GCSE Persian qualification page. They are the most reliable practice, because they match the real exam exactly.

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