Portuguese 路 Pearson Edexcel GCSE 1PG0
The Portuguese GCSE course, start to finish.
The Pearson Edexcel vocabulary list: 1,725 of the list's 2,338 items so far (1,395 of 1,843 Foundation), taught in the order the specification is organised: the high-frequency words first, then the 5 themes, Foundation before Higher. Pearson Edexcel calls it the core vocabulary every student needs rather than a closed list, so the exam will also use words beyond it. The course teaches Brazilian Portuguese and accepts both varieties: where the specification lists a European word, such as telem贸vel, you learn it alongside the Brazilian one, celular. 1,684 words across 22 chapters, with the prescribed grammar interleaved.
- 22
- Chapters
- 313
- Lessons
- 1,684
- Words
- 56
- Grammar lessons
Foundation
Everything a Foundation candidate is assessed on. Higher candidates need all of it too.
Higher
The words Higher adds on top, across the same 5 themes.
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation leads to grades 1 to 5 and Higher to grades 4 to 9. Foundation: 1,843 list entries. Higher adds 495, for 2,338 in all.
GCSE Portuguese revision
Grammar coverage: every structure Edexcel prescribes
The full Edexcel grammar list for Portuguese, Foundation and Higher, with the lesson that teaches each point.
Who takes GCSE Portuguese?
- Many candidates already speak Portuguese at home and take the GCSE to get a qualification for it, often as private candidates rather than through a school class.
- If that is you, speaking and listening are usually the easy marks. The marks go in writing, spelling and the grammar the specification prescribes, so start with the grammar list and the Higher words.
- If you are learning Portuguese from scratch, the course starts at the beginning: the high-frequency words first, then the five themes, Foundation before Higher.
Questions
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation leads to grades 1 to 5 and Higher to grades 4 to 9, and a candidate sits every paper at the same tier. The course teaches Foundation first, because Higher candidates are assessed on all of it too, then the words Higher adds.
How many words do I need for GCSE Portuguese?
The Pearson Edexcel core vocabulary list has 1,843 Foundation entries, and Higher adds 495. Pearson Edexcel says the exam will also use words beyond it, so treat it as the core rather than the ceiling.
Can I take GCSE Portuguese as a private candidate?
Yes. Pearson Edexcel GCSEs can be sat as a private candidate at an exam centre that accepts them. Book well before the entry deadline, and check that the centre can run the speaking assessment, because not every centre does.
Is GCSE Portuguese hard?
It depends where you start. For a home speaker, accurate spelling, accents and the prescribed grammar are where marks go. For a new learner, Portuguese is one of the more approachable languages for an English speaker: the difficulty is the length of the list rather than the grammar.
Vocabulary, tiers and themes from Appendix 3 of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Portuguese (1PG0) specification. Kilo Lingo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson Edexcel.