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KS4 French and Spanish – Years 9 – 11
Examination Board: AQA
At Perryfields Academy, students start the GCSE AQA course in Year 9. Curriculum time:
Year 9 French and Spanish – 4 hours over 2 weeks
Year 10 French and Spanish – 5 hours over 2 weeks
Year 11 French and Spanish – 5 hours over 2 weeks
The aims and objectives of this qualification are to enable students to:
Questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, addressing a range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes. They are organised into 3 themes:
The GCSE qualification requires students to complete assessments in each of the four skill areas:
Foundation Tier: Grades 1-5
Higher Tier: Grades 4-9
N.B. Students must take all four question papers at the same tier.
Paper 1: Listening (written exam) – Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language |
Foundation tier: 35 minutes including 5 minutes reading time
Higher tier: 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time Questions: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier Section A – questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally Section B – questions in French, to be answered in French or non-verbally 25% of the total GCSE qualification |
Paper 2: Speaking – Communication and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes. Spoken assessment internally conducted and externally assessed by an AQA examiner. |
Foundation tier: 7-9 minutes plus preparation time
Higher tier: 10-12 minutes plus preparation time Questions: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier Role-play (2 minutes at Foundation Tier; 2 minutes at Higher Tier) Photo card (2 minutes at Foundation Tier; 3 minutes at Higher Tier) General conversation (3–5 minutes at Foundation Tier; 5–7 minutes at Higher Tier) 25% of the total GCSE qualification |
Paper 3: Reading (written exam) – Understanding and responding to different types of written language. |
Foundation tier: 45 minutes
Higher tier: 60 minutes Questions: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier Section A – questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally Section B – questions in French, to be answered in French or non-verbally Section C – translation from French into English, (a minimum of 35 words for Foundation Tier and 50 words for Higher Tier) 25% of the total GCSE qualification |
Paper 4: Writing (written exam) – Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes. |
Foundation tier: 60 minutes including
Higher tier: 1 hour 15 minutes Questions: Foundation Tier Question 1 – message, (students produce four sentences in response to a photo) Question 2 – short passage, (students write a piece of continuous text in response to four brief bullet points, approximately 40 words in total), questions in French, to be answered in French or non-verbally Question 3 – translation from English into French, (minimum 35 words) Question 4 – structured writing task, (students respond to four compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 90 words in total) – there is a choice from two questions Questions: Higher Tier Question 1 – structured writing task, (students respond to four compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 90 words in total) – there is a choice from two questions Question 2 – open-ended writing task (students respond to two compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 150 words in total) – there is a choice from two questions Question 3 – translation from English into French (minimum 50 words) 5% of the total GCSE qualification |
This qualification is linear which means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.
If students have studied French/Spanish at Key Stage 3, they already know some of the vocabulary and grammar needed at GCSE. They are half way there!
If students enjoy communicating with other people, finding out how language works and learning about different countries and cultures, studying GCSE French/Spanish is an excellent choice for them. Achievement in Modern Languages is highly regarded in Further and Higher Education and in all areas of work. Many employers look for people who can speak a foreign language. Add an international dimension to your choice of GCSE subjects. After GCSE you can continue to study A level if you wish.
Students who are native speakers of Polish have the opportunity to study for a Polish GCSE, as part of an extra-curricular programme.
Increasingly, we have more and more students who have specific language learning needs. This can either be that they are native speakers of French and Spanish or that they speak a language over and above those offered at Perryfields such as Chinese and Italian. Wherever possible we will aim to accommodate their needs, within their school curriculum, allowing them to advance their skills and achieve an extra GCSE in that specific language.