GCSE ARABIC (9–1): Actual May 2025 PAST PAPER 3: Reading and Understanding in Arabic
(Foundation Tier). All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme [Edexcel 1AA0/3F]
Exam Resource Summary
The GCSE Arabic (9–1) May 2025 Paper 3: Reading and Understanding in Arabic
(Foundation Tier) (Edexcel 1AA0/3F) – All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme
document integrates the full official examination paper with its comprehensive mark
scheme, serving as a practical and detailed revision resource. This paper assesses students’
ability to understand written Arabic across a range of topics and text types, including
short passages, adverts, articles, and messages drawn from everyday, social, and cultural
contexts. It tests key skills such as identifying main ideas, interpreting meaning, and
extracting factual and inferential information. The merged format places each question
beside its marking criteria, providing transparency into examiner expectations, mark
allocation, and effective reading comprehension strategies. This resource is essential for
focused revision, self-assessment, and strengthening vocabulary and comprehension skills,
making it a key tool for preparation for the May 2026 Edexcel GCSE Arabic (9–1) Paper
3: Reading and Understanding in Arabic (Foundation Tier) examination.
Turn over
, SECTION A
Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Some questions must be answered with a cross in a box . If you change your mind about an
answer, put a line through the box and then mark your new answer with a cross .
Pets
1 Read about these people’s interest in animals.
ُُوهيُالُتـح،تنامُُقِطَّتـيُمعظمُالوقت
.ُِتاجُُإلـىُالكثيـرُمنُاالهتِمامُوهذاُجيِدُُلـُي هدى
.ُلكِنَّهُيركضُبعيداُُعنـي،يـحِبُُكلبـيُالـخروجُفـيُالـمساء زين
ُُُوأحيانا،ُلكِنَّـناُنسكنُبالقربُمنُحديقةُالـحيوانات،الُيوجدُحيواناتُفيُبـيتنا أنس
.أذهبُ ُألرىُالـحيواناتُهناكُفيُعطلةُنـهايةُاألسبوع
ُ ُُخاصةُبعدُالعودةُمِن،عنديُأرنب ُأبيضُاللَّونُوألعبُ ُمعهُكثيـرا أمانـي
.الـمدرسة
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
What is each person saying? Enter either Hoda, Zayn, Annas or Amani. You can use
each name more than once.
Hoda
Example: .............................................................. has a cat that sleeps a lot.
(a) ................................................ does not need to look after their pet a lot.
(1)
(b) ................................................ has a pet that likes to go out in the evening.
(1)
(c) ................................................ has a pet that runs far away from them.
(1) DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(d) ................................................ does not have a pet at home.
(1)
(e) ................................................ goes to the zoo at the weekend.
(1)
(f) ................................................. plays with their pet after school.
(1)
(Total for Question 1= 6 marks)
2
■■■■
, Visiting a friend
2 Read the blog below.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
ُيرِيدُُ"ماجد"ُزيارةُصديقهُ"ماهر"ُالذيُيعيشُفيُمدينةُ"تونس"ُالبعيدةُعنهُفـيُعطلةُالربيع
ُ"ُذهبُ"ماجد،ُوفـيُطريقُالعودةُمنُالـمدرسة،ُوفـيُيومُالـجمعة.ُويرِيدُأنُيسافرُبِالقطار،القادمة
.إلـىُمـحطَّةُالقطارُواشتـرىُتذكِرةُمِنُمكتبُالتَّذاكِر
ُ،جهَّزُُ"ماجد"ُحقيبةُسفرِهُونامُباكراُُحتىُيستيقظُفيُالساعةُالـخامسةُمنُصباحُالـيومُالتَّالـي
.َُّألنُالقطارُسيغادرُالـمـحطَّةُفـيُالساعةُالثامنة
Complete the gap in each sentence using a word or phrase from the box below.
There are more words than gaps.
ticket cousin lives work
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
friend early suitcase umbrella
map eats school late
friend
Example: Majed wants to visit his .............................................................. Maher.
(a) Majed’s friend ................................... far away.
(1)
(b) He went to the train station on his way back from ... .. ................. ............ ............ ........... ..... .
(1)
(c) He wanted to buy a .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... . .
(1)
(d) Majed packed his ................................... before he went to bed.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(1)
(e) He went to bed . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . .
(1)
(Total for Question 2 = 5 marks)
3
■■■■ Turn over
, Karate champion
3 (a) Read the following text about a successful girl.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
ُُبينماُكانتُتبحثُ ُفـي."ياسـميـنُزقوت"ُفتاةُفـيُالسابعةُعشرُمنُعمرها
ُُرأتُإعالناُُعنُُدورةُتدريـبيَّةُلِتعليمُالفتياتُلعبةُالكاراتيهُوالتـيُستبدأ،اإلنتـرنت
.قريباُُفـيُمدينتها
ُُوبعدُأربعةُأشهرُحصلت،ُبدأتُ"ياسـمـيـن"ُالتدريب،عدةُأسابيع َّ ُبعد
َّ ُُوهوُأولُحِزامُُيـحصلُعليه،علـىُالـحِزامُاألصفر
ُالالعبُقبلُالـحِزام
.النهائيُوالذيُلونهُأسود
Answer the following questions in English. You do not need to write in
full sentences.
(i) Where did Yasmin find the information about the karate training course?
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
(ii) Where did Yasmin do her training?
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... . .. .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
(iii) How long did it take her to get the yellow belt?
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
4
■■■■
(Foundation Tier). All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme [Edexcel 1AA0/3F]
Exam Resource Summary
The GCSE Arabic (9–1) May 2025 Paper 3: Reading and Understanding in Arabic
(Foundation Tier) (Edexcel 1AA0/3F) – All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme
document integrates the full official examination paper with its comprehensive mark
scheme, serving as a practical and detailed revision resource. This paper assesses students’
ability to understand written Arabic across a range of topics and text types, including
short passages, adverts, articles, and messages drawn from everyday, social, and cultural
contexts. It tests key skills such as identifying main ideas, interpreting meaning, and
extracting factual and inferential information. The merged format places each question
beside its marking criteria, providing transparency into examiner expectations, mark
allocation, and effective reading comprehension strategies. This resource is essential for
focused revision, self-assessment, and strengthening vocabulary and comprehension skills,
making it a key tool for preparation for the May 2026 Edexcel GCSE Arabic (9–1) Paper
3: Reading and Understanding in Arabic (Foundation Tier) examination.
Turn over
, SECTION A
Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Some questions must be answered with a cross in a box . If you change your mind about an
answer, put a line through the box and then mark your new answer with a cross .
Pets
1 Read about these people’s interest in animals.
ُُوهيُالُتـح،تنامُُقِطَّتـيُمعظمُالوقت
.ُِتاجُُإلـىُالكثيـرُمنُاالهتِمامُوهذاُجيِدُُلـُي هدى
.ُلكِنَّهُيركضُبعيداُُعنـي،يـحِبُُكلبـيُالـخروجُفـيُالـمساء زين
ُُُوأحيانا،ُلكِنَّـناُنسكنُبالقربُمنُحديقةُالـحيوانات،الُيوجدُحيواناتُفيُبـيتنا أنس
.أذهبُ ُألرىُالـحيواناتُهناكُفيُعطلةُنـهايةُاألسبوع
ُ ُُخاصةُبعدُالعودةُمِن،عنديُأرنب ُأبيضُاللَّونُوألعبُ ُمعهُكثيـرا أمانـي
.الـمدرسة
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
What is each person saying? Enter either Hoda, Zayn, Annas or Amani. You can use
each name more than once.
Hoda
Example: .............................................................. has a cat that sleeps a lot.
(a) ................................................ does not need to look after their pet a lot.
(1)
(b) ................................................ has a pet that likes to go out in the evening.
(1)
(c) ................................................ has a pet that runs far away from them.
(1) DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(d) ................................................ does not have a pet at home.
(1)
(e) ................................................ goes to the zoo at the weekend.
(1)
(f) ................................................. plays with their pet after school.
(1)
(Total for Question 1= 6 marks)
2
■■■■
, Visiting a friend
2 Read the blog below.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
ُيرِيدُُ"ماجد"ُزيارةُصديقهُ"ماهر"ُالذيُيعيشُفيُمدينةُ"تونس"ُالبعيدةُعنهُفـيُعطلةُالربيع
ُ"ُذهبُ"ماجد،ُوفـيُطريقُالعودةُمنُالـمدرسة،ُوفـيُيومُالـجمعة.ُويرِيدُأنُيسافرُبِالقطار،القادمة
.إلـىُمـحطَّةُالقطارُواشتـرىُتذكِرةُمِنُمكتبُالتَّذاكِر
ُ،جهَّزُُ"ماجد"ُحقيبةُسفرِهُونامُباكراُُحتىُيستيقظُفيُالساعةُالـخامسةُمنُصباحُالـيومُالتَّالـي
.َُّألنُالقطارُسيغادرُالـمـحطَّةُفـيُالساعةُالثامنة
Complete the gap in each sentence using a word or phrase from the box below.
There are more words than gaps.
ticket cousin lives work
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
friend early suitcase umbrella
map eats school late
friend
Example: Majed wants to visit his .............................................................. Maher.
(a) Majed’s friend ................................... far away.
(1)
(b) He went to the train station on his way back from ... .. ................. ............ ............ ........... ..... .
(1)
(c) He wanted to buy a .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... . .
(1)
(d) Majed packed his ................................... before he went to bed.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(1)
(e) He went to bed . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . .
(1)
(Total for Question 2 = 5 marks)
3
■■■■ Turn over
, Karate champion
3 (a) Read the following text about a successful girl.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
ُُبينماُكانتُتبحثُ ُفـي."ياسـميـنُزقوت"ُفتاةُفـيُالسابعةُعشرُمنُعمرها
ُُرأتُإعالناُُعنُُدورةُتدريـبيَّةُلِتعليمُالفتياتُلعبةُالكاراتيهُوالتـيُستبدأ،اإلنتـرنت
.قريباُُفـيُمدينتها
ُُوبعدُأربعةُأشهرُحصلت،ُبدأتُ"ياسـمـيـن"ُالتدريب،عدةُأسابيع َّ ُبعد
َّ ُُوهوُأولُحِزامُُيـحصلُعليه،علـىُالـحِزامُاألصفر
ُالالعبُقبلُالـحِزام
.النهائيُوالذيُلونهُأسود
Answer the following questions in English. You do not need to write in
full sentences.
(i) Where did Yasmin find the information about the karate training course?
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
(ii) Where did Yasmin do her training?
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... . .. .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
(iii) How long did it take her to get the yellow belt?
(1)
.... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .. .. ... . .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... ... ... .... .. ......................
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
4
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