New GCSE Sample Specification Assessment Materials – AQA and Pearson Edexcel – A Comparison
Following the release of the Sample Assessment Material from AQA and Pearson Edexcel this week, I have mashed down the exams and looked at the structure of each. It is important to remember that these are sample assessments and the specifications have yet to be approved; therefore goalposts might, and most probably, will change moving ahead.
Foundation Listening paper:
| AQA: Paper 1 – Listening | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 2 – Listening and understanding in French |
| Total marks: 40 2 sections: Section A – Listening comprehension (32 marks) Section B – Dictation (8 marks) Approximately 35 mins + 5 mins reading time All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Listening comprehension: – 26 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, select the correct option from a list, positive, negative, positive and negative – 6 marks available as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – More examples of different people speaking in conversations, such as person 1 and person 2, breaking recordings into conversation-like soundbites Section B: dictation: – Each statement provides certain elements, such as article, key verb in the infinitive or intensifiers – Three goes at each statement – First listen – full sentenceSecond listen – short sections – Third listen – full sentence. – Stated that grammar and sounds are checked so that what is written makes sense. – Two minutes at the end to check answers – Each correct word gains a tick; each tick then converts into a mark | Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Listening comprehension (40 marks) Section B – Dictation (10 marks) Approximately 45 mins + 5 mins reading time All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Listening comprehension: -23 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, what is mentioned, who says what8 marks gap fill from a list of words – 9 marks as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Some examples of two different people speaking in conversations; but a lot longer recordings spoken by one person evident. Section B: dictation: – Three sentences with gaps – Two sentences with nothing provided. – Select a band depending on what you think is appropriate and work within that band – Three plays of the dictation. – No mention if in whole sentence or in short bursts. |
Thoughts:
The layout of each exam and how questions are presented are not too dissimilar to what students are used to under the current specifications. Biggest difference in these two sample papers are that there is no question and answer section in the target language, no past, now, future questions featured and the inclusion of dictation. The two unscaffolded sentences for Pearson Edexcel could potentially lead to more variation in answers. The lack of a clearer system for marking the dictation (AQA assesses amount of words correct before converting in mark) could also see some variation in marking on this section of the foundation listening examination.
Higher Listening paper:
| AQA: Paper 1 – Listening | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 2 – Listening and understanding in French |
| Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Listening comprehension (40 marks) Section B – Dictation (10 marks) Approximately 45 mins + 5 mins reading time All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Listening comprehension: – 30 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, select the correct option from a list, positive, negative, positive and negative, who says what – 10 marks available as written response No examples given for the written examples. – More examples of different people speaking in conversations, such as person 1 and person 2, breaking recordings into conversation-like soundbites. – Some longer, one person speaking, recordings Section B: dictation: – Each statement provides certain elements, such as article, key verb in the infinitive or intensifiers – Three goes at each statementFirst listen – full sentenceSecond listen – short sections – Third listen – full sentence. – Two minutes at the end to check answers following ending of recording. – Stated that grammar and sounds are checked so that what is written makes sense. – Bigger focus on silent letters in dictation – Quite a grammatical emphasis on dictation (feminine plural, silent letters for example) – Each correct word gains a tick; each tick then converts into a mark. | Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Listening comprehension (40 marks) Section B – Dictation (10 marks) Approximately 45 mins + 5 mins reading time All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Listening comprehension: – 19 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, what is mentioned, who says what8 marks gap fill from a list of words – 13 marks as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Some conversational elements but the majority are longer passages that do not take the form of a conversation Section B: dictation: – Three sentences with gaps – Two sentences with nothing provided. – Select a band depending on what you think is appropriate and work within that band – Three plays of the dictation. – No mention if in whole sentence or in short bursts. |
Thoughts:
Layout of each exam and how questions are presented are not too dissimilar to what students are used to under the current specifications, but with the noticeable absence of examples for written-response questions. As per specification, neither sample paper requires the student to answer comprehension in the target language. Final consideration is that the two unscaffolded sentences for Pearson Edexcel could potentially lead to more variation in answers. The lack of a clearer system for marking the dictation (AQA assesses amount of words correct before converting in mark) could also see some variation in marking on this section of the foundation listening examination.
Foundation Reading paper:
| AQA: Paper 3 – Reading | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 3 – Reading and understanding in French |
| Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Reading comprehension – answers in English (40 marks) Section B – Translation into English (10 marks) 45 minutes All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Questions and answers in English: – 32 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, select the correct option from a list, positive, negative, positive and negative, past, now and future – 8 marks available as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Examples of glossed words provided at the bottom of texts with a * to indicate. Section B: Translation into English: – 5 short sentences, each worth 2 marks. – Each sentence marked in 2 parts for 2 marks – One example of a sentence in the past – One example of a sentence in the future. | Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Reading comprehension – answers in English (40 marks) Section B – Translation into English (10 marks) 45 minutes All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Questions and answers in English: – 22 marks available as multiple choice – True or false based on text, summary of paragraphs, who says what – 6 marks gap fill from a list of words – 12 marks as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Examples of glossed words provided at the bottom of texts with a * to indicate. Section B: Translation into English: – 5 short sentences – One example of a sentence in the past – One example of a sentence in the future. – Marking done by bands and descriptors, with example sentences provided. |
Thoughts:
As set out in the guidance for the new specifications, any vocabulary not appearing on the list has been glossed with an * – therefore we must train students to be able to use this glossing. Both translations require translations of different time frames; but the slightly clearer mark scheme of AQA makes me think that this would be more fairly and accurately marked. AQA also offers students more multiple-choice questions compared to Edexcel, and if students are not used to the way the Edexcel multiple choice system works, may find this challenging. There also appears to be fewer different texts per page on AQA compared to Edexcel, which may make navigating the paper slightly easier and clearer for students.
Higher Reading paper:
| AQA: Paper 3 – Reading | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 3 – Reading and understanding in French |
| Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Reading comprehension – answers in English (40 marks) Section B – Translation into English (10 marks) 1 hour All questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English. Section A: Questions and answers in English: – 30 marks available as multiple choice – Inference from a list, select the correct option from a list, positive, negative, positive and negative, past, now and future, text gap fill – 10 marks available as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Examples of glossed words provided at the bottom of texts with a * to indicate. Section B: Translation into English: – 5 sentences – 3 of the 5 sentences contain a time frame other than the present tense – including simple future, near future and perfect tense – Translation now takes the form of sentences rather than a paragraph. – Sentences broken up into two parts for marking | Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Reading comprehension – answers in English (40 marks) Section B – Translation into English (10 marks)1 hourAll questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English Section A: Questions and answers in English: – 16 marks available as multiple choice – True or false based on text, summary of paragraphs, who says what – 6 marks gap fill from a list of words – 18 marks as written response – No examples given for the written examples. – Examples of glossed words provided at the bottom of texts with a * to indicate. Section B: Translation into English: – Paragraph published in the sample specimen paper – Inclusion of the conditional, simple future and perfect tense – Marking done by bands and descriptors, with example sentences provided. |
Thoughts:
Again, all new vocabulary has been glossed for students to use. The removal of examples of written-response questions may make these questions a little bit more difficult for students to get points as the guidance previously given by exam boards was to use these to work out how much information to give in an answer. There are more multiple choice questions on the AQA paper compared to the Edexcel paper and a bigger difference comes with the form of the translation in these draft specification reading papers: AQA have gone for 5 sentences; with Edexcel opting a paragraph format to translate back into English.
Foundation Writing paper:
| AQA: Paper 4 – Writing | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 4 – Writing in French |
| Total marks: 50 2 sections: Section A – Describing a photograph, 40-word paragraph, Translation into French Section B – 90-word paragraph based on 3 bullet points 1 hour All of section A to be answered; students pick their preferred option for section B. Section A:Photograph Q1: – Visual layout very similar to that of the current AQA specification (8658) – Mark scheme is identical to Q1 of 8658 for this question. 40-words Q2: – Question and stimulus all now provided in English – Rather than having 1-word per bullet point as per the current specification, now more wordy points and in English – Mark scheme, including caps based on amount of bullet points answered, similar to the 8658 specification – Present-tense only – Slight difference in marks – out of 15 marks. Translation into French Q3: – Visual layout identical to that of 8658. – One sentence requires translation of another time frame (perfect tense) – Marked in the same way as the current specification, based on converting a number of ticks into a score. Section B: 90-word piece: – 2 options that contain 3 bullet points written in English, rather than 4 on the out-going specification. – One bullet elicits the past time frame, one the present, and one the future. – Of note is the use of ‘recent’ as a time frame indicator for the past time frame – One bullet elicits an opinion – Marked for AO2 and AO3, rather than Content and Quality of Language – Point caps more or less align with those of the out-going specification, albeit with a slightly higher AO2 mark awarded if you meet only 2 points – No stipulation of a set amount of opinions to be included; however, in order to meet all tasks, an opinion will have to be used. – Stipulation of using the past, present and future time frames, as per the current specification – Slight difference in marks (15 marks in total) | Total marks: 50 4 questions in 1 section Answer all parts of questions 1 and 2 Pick between two choices for questions 3 and 4 1 hour 15 mins Instructions and context given in English Photograph Q1: – Visually similar to that of the current specification. – 2 marks per sentence based on the clarity of a sentence and if it makes sense. 40-50-word task Q2: – Two options to pick from for students. – Three points to answer. – Inclusion of a different time frame for one of the points – A lot more directed in terms of what students must write (where something is, what it looks like) – Mark scheme – caps for points not clearly defined; rather the use of the terms ‘fully, partly’ etc. 80-90-word task Q3: – 2 options that contain 4 bullet points – One point includes the past, one the future and one that elicits an opinion – Past tense more clearly indicated, using the perfect tense in English alongside time markers – Mark scheme – caps for points met again not clearly defined, with terms such as ‘fully, partially’ used. – Specification that past, present and future time frames should be used. Translation into French Q4: – Visually similar to current specification. – One sentence requires the use of the past time frame, one requires the use of the future time frame – Marks awarded for communication and for linguistic knowledge. – No clear guidance on how to mark each sentence for communication, rather ‘meanining of most sentences, words’ used |
Thoughts:
Both papers are visually similar to what already exists which is positive. Unlike in the current specifications where students can use the target language bullets that contain the information that students must use in their answer, students have this information presented to them in English. This means that students can no longer use the stimulus material to help them to form their answers. For questions that require different time frames, especially the past, Edexcel have reinforced the time frame that needs to be used by including an example of the perfect tense along with the time frame indicator in English in their stimulus material; whereas AQA have opted for recently alone, potentially making it harder for students to identify what time frame to use. AQA have kept the mark scheme very much in line with what exists, along with the requirements of each question. Edexcel seems to focus more on time frames, with the 40-50 word task requiring the use of an additional time frame. In terms of application of the mark scheme, identifiable caps that can be more consistently applied, such as a cap for number of points covered, has been used by AQA but not by Edexcel, potentially opening up to gaps in inconsistency with marking.
Higher Writing paper:
| AQA: Paper 4 – Writing | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 4 – Writing in French |
| Total marks: 50 3 sections: Section A – Translation into Spanish Section B – Overlap 90-word question – 2 options Section C – 150-word question – 2 options 1 hour 15 mins All of section A to be answered; students pick their preferred option for section B and C. Translation appears first. Section A:Translation into Spanish – Marked out of 10 – Now in sentence-form, akin to the Foundation-level translation – Inclusion of past and future time frames – Modal verbs included and the importance of infinitival constructions – Marked on rendering of the original meaning (AO3) and knowledge of vocabulary and grammar (AO3) – Ticks allocated to parts of sentences and ticks converted into marks for the rendering of the original meaning mark – similar to the current specification. Section B: 90-word piece: – 2 options that contain 3 bullet points written in English, rather than 4 on the out-going specification. – One bullet elicits the past time frame, one the present, and one the future. – Of note is the use of ‘recent’ as a time frame indicator for the past time frame – One bullet elicits an opinion – Marked for AO2 and AO3, rather than Content and Quality of Language – Point caps align with those of the out-going specification, albeit with a slightly higher AO2 mark awarded if you meet only 2 points – No stipulation of a set amount of opinions to be included; however, in order to meet all tasks, an opinion will have to be used. – Stipulation of using the past, present and future time frames, as per the current specification Section C: 150-word piece: – 150-word task – Stimuli written in English, along with instructions. – Mark out of 25 – down from 32. – 2-part bullet points have the second element highlighted by the use of bold in connectives introducing the second part, such as and. – Reference to one other time frame – past or future – in the tasks set – Mark scheme – marked for A02 (20 marks) and A03 (5 marks) – Cap for meeting one bullet point only a lot harsher than current specification (12 mark maximum for A02). – No stipulation for the amount of opinions and justifications to be included. | Total marks: 50 3 questions in one section Students pick between two choices for question 1 overlap question (80-90 word task) and 2 (130-150 word task) All answer translation question 3 1 hour 20 minsAll questions to be answered. Instructions and context given in English 80-90-word task Q1: – 2 options that contain 4 bullet points – One point includes the past, one the future and one that elicits an opinion – Past tense more clearly indicated, using the perfect tense in English alongside time markers – Mark scheme – caps for points met again not clearly defined, with terms such as ‘fully, partially’ used. – Specification that past, present and future time frames should be used. 130-150-word task Q2: – 4 points written in English – One point that elicits the future time frame – One point that elicits the past time frame – One that elicits an opinion – Mark scheme: marked on communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy – No suggestion of what caps are if students fail to meet a certain amount of points; rather use of the terminology ‘most/all of the required information’. – Consistency of development – Successful use of past, present and future time frames Translation into Spanish Q3: – Takes the form of a paragraph compared to AQA which uses sentences. – Inclusion of past and future time frames, as well as infinitival constructions, but no modal verbs. – Marked for communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy. – No specific marks for specific clauses correct. |
Thoughts:
Again, both papers are visually similar to what already exists which is positive. AQA have made significant changes to the amount of points each question is worth; as well to the translation. The translation now is the first question that appears on the paper and takes the form of sentences, like Foundation; whereas Edexcel’s translation continues to be the last question and to feature last on the examination. AQA have provided a tick conversion chart to aid the marking of the translation, unlike Edexcel that again could open up to a variation in the application of the mark scheme. Both exams feature an overlap question. AQA have made two-part concealed bullet points more obvious to students by highlighting and if there are two parts to a bullet point.
Foundation Speaking paper:
| AQA: Paper 2 – Speaking | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 4 – Writing in French |
| Total marks: 50 3 parts: 15 minutes preparation time Part 1: Roleplay (1.5 mins) Part 2: Reading aloud passage and short discussion (2.5 mins) Part 3: discussion of 2 photocards (3-5 mins foundation) Sequencing charts must be followed for allocation of all 3 parts. Students can write notes in preparation time and can use their notes at any point during their exam Part 1 – Role-play: – Marked out of 10 – 10 marks for AO1 applied in the same way in which the current specification applies the mark scheme; but without the additional mark for knowledge and use of language. – All instructions and stimulus points are given in English. – Indications of which bullets require a verb are indicated with an *Requirement to ask a question is specified in English next to the relevant point. – One point elicits a question – All points in present tense. Part 2 – Reading aloud and discussion – Takes the form of a paragraph – Text provided to students with spacing between each line. – Reading aloud marked on A03, with each sound spelling correspondence being worth a tick. – Sum of ticks converts into the A03 mark. – Follow-up questions in the present tense, but 2 of which elicit opinions and reasons – Follow-up questions marked for A01 and A03. – Caps for students unable to answer all questions are clearly defined. Part 3 – Photo cards – Students receive 2 photo cards. – No supplementary questions provided that students can prepare. – It would appear that the standard opening is ‘Parle-moi de la photo’. – Following this, a conversation ensues on any topic within the relevant theme. – Photocards marked for A01 (out of 15) AO3 (out of 10). – Focus on clarity and similar to the communication section of the current specification general conversation mark scheme.A03 matches more or less with the current general conversation range and accuracy of language descriptors. – Need to refer to the past, present and future. | Total marks: 50 3 questions in one section 15 minutes preparation time – in which the student can practise speaking aloud the reading text in the last minute Part 1 – read aloud task Part 2 – one role-play Part 3 – one picture task Sequencing charts must be followed for allocation of all 3 parts. Students can write notes in preparation time and can use their notes at any point during their exam Part 1 – Read aloud task and follow-up discussion: – Takes the form of sentences – 2 follow up questions that are unknown to students – Both follow up questions in the present tense – Both follow up questions elicit an opinion. – Read aloud marked out of 8. – Phrasing of the mark scheme and lapses in SSCs is: ‘mostly/sometimes/occasionally clear’ – Follow up questions – marked out of 2 per question – based on whether a message is clearly communicated or not. Part 2 – Role-play: – 5 tasks to complete. – No indication of which points need a verb and which do not; although the stipulation is that one-word answers will not secure full marks. – Students required to ask a question – but no signposting with a question mark. – Mark scheme – each task marked out of 2 based on communication Part 3 – Picture task and conversation – Students presented with two photographs and must describe one or the other – with the description being framed by prompts of what to cover in the description. – Teachers can prompt the discussion – Theme of follow up conversation is specified. – Mark scheme – description of the picture marked on communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy – Focus on clear communication and variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures in photo description – Mark scheme – conversation – marked on communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy – Focus on communication between teacher and student, development of answers. – For linguistic knowledge and accuracy focus is on variety, use of past, present and future time frames and accuracy. |
Higher Speaking paper:
| AQA: Paper 2 – Speaking | Pearson Edexcel: Paper 4 – Writing in French |
| 3 parts: 15 minutes preparation time Part 1: Roleplay (1.5 mins) Part 2: Reading aloud passage and short discussion (3.5 mins) Part 3: discussion of 2 photocards (5-7 mins) Sequencing charts must be followed for allocation of all 3 parts. Students can write notes in preparation time and can use their notes at any point during their exam Part 1 – Role-play: – Marked out of 10 – 10 marks for AO1 applied in the same way in which the current specification applies the mark scheme; but without the additional mark for knowledge and use of language. – All instructions and stimulus points are given in English. – Indications of which bullets require a verb are indicated with an *Requirement to ask a question is specified in English next to the relevant point. – One point elicits a question – One point elicits either the past or the future time frame. – Most answers require 2 details and it would appear that all points require a verb Part 2 – Reading aloud and discussion – Takes the form of a paragraph – Text provided to students with spacing between each line. – Reading aloud marked on A03, with each sound spelling correspondence being worth a tick. – Sum of ticks converts into the A03 mark. – Follow-up questions elicit another time frame as well as opinions. – Follow-up questions marked for A01 and A03. – Caps for students unable to answer all questions are clearly defined. – Students have the follow up discussion theme highlighted to them. Part 3 – Photo cards – Students receive 2 photo cards. – No supplementary questions provided that students can prepare. – It would appear that the standard opening is ‘Parle-moi de la photo’. – Following this, a conversation ensues on any topic within the relevant theme. – Photocards marked for A01 (out of 15) AO3 (out of 10). – Focus on clarity and similar to the communication section of the current specification general conversation mark scheme. – A03 matches more or less with the current general conversation range and accuracy of language descriptors. – Need to refer to the past, present and future. | 3 questions in one section – 15 minutes preparation time – in which the student can practise speaking aloud the reading text in the last minute Part 1 – read aloud task Part 2 – one role-play Part 3 – one picture task Sequencing charts must be followed for allocation of all 3 parts. Students can write notes in preparation time and can use their notes at any point during their exam Part 1 – Read aloud task and follow-up discussion: – Takes the form of sentences – 2 follow up questions that are unknown to students – Both follow up questions in the present tense – Both follow up questions elicit an opinion. – Read aloud marked out of 8. – Phrasing of the mark scheme and lapses in SSCs is: ‘mostly/sometimes/occasionally clear’ – Follow up questions – marked out of 2 per question – based on whether a message is clearly communicated or not. Part 2 – Role-play: – 5 tasks to complete. – No indication of which points need a verb and which do not; although the stipulation is that one-word answers will not secure full marks. – One point will elicit a different time frame – Students required to ask a question – but no signposting with a question mark. – Mark scheme – each task marked out of 2 based on communication Part 3 – Picture task and conversation – Students presented with two photographs and must describe one or the other – with the description being framed by prompts of what to cover in the description. – Teachers can prompt the discussion – Theme of follow up conversation is specified. – Mark scheme – description of the picture marked on communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy – Focus on clear communication and variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures in photo description – Mark scheme – conversation – marked on communication and content and linguistic knowledge and accuracy – Focus on communication between teacher and student, development of answers. – For linguistic knowledge and accuracy focus is on variety, use of past, present and future time frames and accuracy. |
Thoughts:
The administration of dealing with 2 photocards in the sequencing for AQA may create more admin for staff preparing before the exams. Teachers need to have a list of follow up questions for each theme and sub theme prepared in order to follow up both Edexcel and AQA photocards with conversation questions. The use of two photographs on one card for Edexcel may cause some students confusion, especially if they decide to describe both photographs. The formatting of the Edexcel role-play is not as clear as the signposting that AQA have included is not to the same level; however, the sentence approach to the reading aloud task for Edexcel may serve to help students more in this task. The timings for AQA are similar to what already exists – with the reading aloud lasting around the same as the current photo cards and the photo cards and discussion lasting around the same as the general conversation in the 8658 specification.
Conclusions:
Exam boards have tried to align to the current exams for consistency and knowledge for examiners and students. There are certain aspects that are more accessible on Edexcel, such as the reading aloud task being separated onto separate lines and points to frame the description of photos; however, AQA have moved translations into separate sentences from paragraph form for the higher tier and also for foundation tier into English. The formatting for AQA seems better and more clear for students to access; and the mark scheme for translations and dictations using a conversion chart and ticks, seems to be more conducive to examiners being able to more consistently apply the mark scheme. These specifications are not yet to be approved and are not gospel, and goal posts may, and I fully expect, will change. Either way, I believe both exam boards have done a good job in spite of having their hands somewhat tied by the GCSE review panel and have managed to avoid the exam becoming one giant vocabulary test.
Cordero's Classroom 