Arabic — Foreign Language 0544
Build vocabulary and grammar for everyday communication. Practise reading, listening, writing and speaking through familiar topics and original examples.
What you'll cover
- Topic areas
Published syllabus exam years: 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030. Confirm exam-series and centre availability with your school and Cambridge.
Cambridge IGCSE Arabic - Foreign Language 0544 syllabus map
2025–2027 and 2028–2030 syllabuses
5 of 5 sections have teaching and practice
Start the learning pathwayStudy options and assessment
14 original lessons cover all five broad topic areas, three cross-paper grammar pathways and the published paper tasks for both active syllabus cycles. Every lesson includes teaching, an explained worked example, a self-check, and Guided, Independent and Transfer practice. All Arabic passages, prompts, recordings scripts, model answers and practice questions here are original StudyForA material, not Cambridge questions or audio. Reading and writing responses are self-checked against the lesson explanations, not Cambridge-marked. Speaking practice supports rehearsal and self-review; it cannot reproduce the supervised centre assessment, examiner interaction, moderation or official pronunciation/fluency marks. Listening uses browser speech synthesis where available; this is not Cambridge audio and accents, pace and pronunciation may differ. There is no complete timed specimen paper here. The broad topic areas and grammar groups are mapped, but the separate vocabulary list has not yet been reconciled word by word, and the grammar appendix still needs an item-by-item specialist cross-check. Confirm current syllabus, exam series and entry availability with your centre.
Both syllabus documents remain relevant: select 2025–2027 for those examination years and 2028–2030 for the later cycle. Cambridge says Arabic is not available in every administrative zone; confirm your centre and exact series. From 2028, Reading changes to all multiple-choice/matching, Writing changes from 45 to 40 marks, and candidates may make supervised Speaking preparation notes.
Choose your paper route
- Exams in 2025–2027Papers 1–4 · Reading 45 marks · Writing 45 marks
Practise the older Reading groups, including short Arabic responses, and the 5+12+28 Writing allocation. Paper 3 is assessed in the centre and externally moderated.
- Exams in 2028–2030Papers 1–4 · Reading 40 marks · Writing 40 marks
Reading is all multiple-choice/matching. Writing uses the 5+10+25 allocation. Candidates may make notes during supervised Speaking preparation and hand them to the examiner before the test.
This is a foreign-language course in Modern Standard Arabic. Use the vocabulary and grammar appropriate to your entry year; the official vocabulary appendix has not yet been reconciled word by word.
View syllabus coverage
All four papers are compulsory and each is 25% of the qualification. Listening is 40 marks in both cycles; Speaking is 40 marks in both cycles. Reading is 45 marks in 2025–2027 and 40 marks from 2028; Writing changes from 45 marks (5+12+28) to 40 marks (5+10+25). No dictionary is allowed in the examination. All Arabic passages, prompts, recordings scripts, model answers and practice questions here are original StudyForA material, not Cambridge questions or audio. Reading and writing responses are self-checked against the lesson explanations, not Cambridge-marked. Speaking practice supports rehearsal and self-review; it cannot reproduce the supervised centre assessment, examiner interaction, moderation or official pronunciation/fluency marks. Listening uses browser speech synthesis where available; this is not Cambridge audio and accents, pace and pronunciation may differ. There is no complete timed specimen paper here. The broad topic areas and grammar groups are mapped, but the separate vocabulary list has not yet been reconciled word by word, and the grammar appendix still needs an item-by-item specialist cross-check. Confirm current syllabus, exam series and entry availability with your centre.
Topic areas
- Everyday activitiesA
- Personal and social lifeB
- The world around usC
- The world of workD
- The international worldE
Cross-paper grammar · official syllabus appendix
- Script, nouns, agreement and pronounsLANG-SCRIPT · Supplemental StudyForA practice, not a syllabus section
- Verbs, time frames and negationLANG-VERBS · Supplemental StudyForA practice, not a syllabus section
- Sentences, connectors, questions and numbersLANG-SYNTAX · Supplemental StudyForA practice, not a syllabus section
Practice the papers
Practice the papers
- Listening · both cyclesPaper 1 · 1 lessons
Approximately 50 minutes including six minutes' answer transfer · 37 multiple-choice/matching questions · 40 marks in both cycles · each recording is heard twice. Original browser speech practice is not Cambridge audio.
- Reading · 45-mark formatPaper 2 · 2025–2027 · 1 lessons
One hour · 45 marks · six groups with multiple choice, matching and short answers in Arabic. Use for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027 only.
- Reading · updated 40-mark formatPaper 2 · 2028–2030 · 1 lessons
One hour · 40 marks · six multiple-choice/matching groups. Use for March 2028 India and June 2028 onward, through 2030.
- Speaking · both cyclesPaper 3 · 1 lessons
Approximately ten minutes: unassessed warm-up, five transactional role-play questions and two topic conversations. Centre assessed and externally moderated; learner rehearsal is not an official score. 2028–2030 allows supervised preparation notes.
- Writing · 45-mark formatPaper 4 · 2025–2027 · 1 lessons
One hour · Q1 form 5 marks; Q2 about 80–90 words, 12 marks; Q3 about 130–140 words, 28 marks.
- Writing · updated 40-mark formatPaper 4 · 2028–2030 · 1 lessons
One hour · Q1 form 5 marks; Q2 about 80–90 words, 10 marks (5 task completion + 5 range/accuracy); Q3 about 130–140 words, 25 marks.
Lessons and worked examples
Choose where to begin
Choose a lesson, try the practice and explain the idea without your notes. Your study checks help you decide what to review.
- 01
Talk about time, food, health and travel
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 02
Describe family, home, clothes and free time
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 03
Navigate places, nature, services and technology
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 04
Discuss education, training and future work
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 05
Explore countries, languages and cultural life
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 06
Read Arabic script and build accurate descriptions
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 07
Use verbs, time frames and negation
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 08
Build questions, sentences and connected meaning
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Not started - 09
Listen for details, sequence and viewpoint
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Not started - 10
Read for meaning in the 2025–2027 paper format
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 11
Read with the 2028–2030 multiple-choice format
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 12
Prepare for role plays and topic conversations
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Not started - 13
Write for the 2025–2027 45-mark paper
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started - 14
Write for the 2028–2030 40-mark paper
Learn the method · Practise with help · Try it yourself · Apply the idea
Not started
These checks record your study activity and self-assessment, not a mastery score. Check the course coverage map for available lessons and remaining topics.
Practise this subject
Topic tests: Easy, Normal and Difficult
Choose a topic, save your answers and compare your reasoning with worked models. See available tests and any coverage gaps.
Browse 5 topics →No StudyForA practice set is published for this exact qualification yet. Use the official papers below or in the resource guide.