Modern Foreign Languages: French or Spanish (GCSE)

Exam Board: AQA

Course Overview:

This course aims to help develop language skills in a variety of contexts and a broad understanding of the culture of countries and communities where the target language is spoken. It encourages enjoyment of language learning and the recognition that language skills enable students to take their place in a multilingual global society.

Students will study the following broad themes in their chosen target language of French or Spanish. 

Theme 1: Identity and culture.

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest. 

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment.

Course Content:

Theme 1: Family and Friends

• Technology

• Free time activities

• Customs and Festivals in countries where the target language is spoken

Theme 2: Home, town, neighbourhood and region

• Social issues

• Global issues

• Travel and tourism

Theme 3:

• Studies

• Life at school/college

• Education post-16

• Jobs, career choices and ambitions

Assessment Structure:

Structure (Internally and Externally assessed components including length of examinations). Students will be assessed on the four main skills below, each makes up 25% of their final grade.  All four skills will be externally assessed by AQA, although the Speaking assessment will be conducted by the class teacher. Two tiers are available for this qualification, Foundation and Higher. The content is the same for both tiers. 

• Listening - Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language. Foundation - 35 minutes (40 marks); Higher - 45 minutes (50 marks).  Each exam includes 5 minutes’ reading time of the question paper before the listening stimulus is played. The majority of questions will be in English with two questions set in the target language.

• Speaking - Communicating and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes.  Internally conducted and externally assessed). Foundation: 7-9 minutes (60 marks); Higher: 10-12 minutes (60 marks)

There are 12 minutes of preparation time just before the exam. The speaking assessment consists of three 

tasks:  Task 1: Role Play (1-1½  minutes), Task 2: picture based (2½ - 3 minutes), Task 3: conversation covering

two themes:

Theme 1 to be chosen by the candidate

Theme 2 allocated by AQA ( 3½  - 4 minutes)

• Reading - Understanding and responding to different types of written language (60 marks both tiers)

Foundation tier: 45 minutes; Higher tier: 1 hour 4 questions are in the target language the rest are in

English. There is a translation task from the target language to English.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes. Dictionaries are not permitted.

Foundation tier: 1 hour (50 marks)

Task 1: Write short sentences (8 marks), 

Task 2: Produce a 40 words piece of writing, choosing between two topics (16marks), 

Task 3: Translate sentences (10 marks), 

Task 4: Produce a 90 words piece of writing, choosing between two topics (16 marks)

Higher tier: 1 hour 15 minutes (60 marks)

Task 1: Choose between two tasks. Student responds to four compulsory detailed bullet points, producing

 approximately 90 words in total (16 marks)

Task 2: Choose between two topics.  Student responds to two compulsory detailed bullet points, producing 

 approximately 150 words in total (32 marks)

Task 3: Translate text into the target language - minimum 50 words (12 marks)

Extra Curricular Opportunities:

There may be opportunities for trips abroad to countries where the target language is spoken and/or local trips that focus on French or Spanish culture.

Career Prospects and Transferable Skills being developed:

A GCSE in Languages can lead to many different career choices, for example, business, law, medical research/ medicine, translation/interpreting and banking. Also, here are examples of a few jobs that people often don’t know you can do with a language – a journalist, football analyst, events organiser, art editor and video games tester.

Further Information:  Antonio Duran (Head of Modern Foreign Languages) - email: antonio.duran@scwa.org.uk