RESPONSE FROM VOICE THE UNION
AS and A level Modern Foreign
Languages
Consultation on Conditions and Guidance
covering:
French
German
Spanish

February 2015
Ofqual/15/5622
AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
Guidance
How to respond to this consultation
The closing date for responses is 27th March 2015.
Please respond to this consultation in one of three ways:

complete the online response at www.surveygizmo.co.uk/s3/2027485/as-and-alevel-modern-foreign-languages-consultation-on-conditions-and-guidance

email your response to [email protected]
Please include the consultation title (Modern Foreign Languages Consultation
2015) in the subject line of the email and make clear who you are and in what
capacity you are responding; or

post your response to: Modern Foreign Languages Consultation 2015, Ofqual,
Spring Place, Coventry Business Park, Herald Avenue, Coventry, CV5 6UB.
Evaluating the responses
To evaluate responses properly, we need to know who is responding to the
consultation and in what capacity. We will therefore only consider your response if
you complete the information page.
Any personal data (such as your name, address and any other identifying
information) will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and
our standard terms and conditions.
We will publish the evaluation of responses. Please note that we may publish all or
part of your response unless you tell us (in your answer to the confidentiality
question) that you want us to treat your response as confidential. If you tell us you
wish your response to be treated as confidential, we will not include your details in
any published list of respondents, although we may quote from your response
anonymously.
Please respond by 27th March 2015.
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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3. Responding to the consultation
Your details
To evaluate responses properly, we need to know who is responding to the
consultation and in what capacity. We will therefore only consider your response if
you complete the following information section.
We will publish our evaluation of responses. Please note that we may publish all or
part of your response unless you tell us (in your answer to the confidentiality
question) that you want us to treat your response as confidential. If you tell us you
wish your response to be treated as confidential, we will not include your details in
any published list of respondents, although we may quote from your response
anonymously.
Please answer all questions marked with a star*
Name*
Michael Sadler
Position*
Professional Officer (Education)
Organisation name (if applicable)*
Voice, the union for educational professionals
Address
2 St James’ Court
Friar Gate
Derby
DE1 1BT
Email
[email protected]
Telephone
01332 372337
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
Guidance
Would you like us to treat your response as confidential?*
If you answer yes, we will not include your details in any list of people or
organisations that responded to the consultation.
( ) Yes
() No
Is this a personal response or an official response on behalf of your
organisation?*
( ) Personal response (Please answer the question “If you ticked ‘Personal
response’…”)
() Official response (Please answer the question “If you ticked ‘Official response’…”)
If you ticked ‘Personal response’ which of the following are you?
( ) Student
( ) Parent or carer
( ) Teacher (but responding in a personal capacity)
( ) Other, including general public (Please state below)
If you ticked ‘Official response’, please respond accordingly:
Type of responding organisation*
( ) Awarding organisation
( ) Local authority
( ) School or college (please answer the question below)
( ) Academy chain
( ) Private training provider
( ) University or other higher education institution
( ) Employer
() Other representative or interest group (please answer the question below)
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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School or college type
( ) Comprehensive or non-selective academy
( ) State selective or selective academy
( ) Independent
( ) Special school
( ) Further education college
( ) Sixth form college
( ) Other (please state below)
Type of representative group or interest group
( ) Group of awarding organisations
() Union
( ) Employer or business representative group
( ) Subject association or learned society
( ) Equality organisation or group
( ) School, college or teacher representative group
( ) Other (please state below)
Nation*
() England
() Wales
() Northern Ireland
() Scotland
( ) Other EU country: _____________________
( ) Non-EU country: ______________________
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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How did you find out about this consultation?
() Our newsletter or another one of our communications
( ) Our website
( ) Internet search
( ) Other
May we contact you for further information?
() Yes
( ) No
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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Questions
Question 1
Do you have any comments on the draft Conditions for new A levels and
AS qualifications in modern foreign languages (French, German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
Naturally it makes sense to apply the same restraints to MFL as to other subject
groupings.
The comment at 1.3 raises more questions than it answers, by suggesting that there
could well be an intention, somewhere down the line.
Question 2
Do you have any comments on the draft conditions, requirements and
guidance on assessment for new A levels and AS qualifications in modern
foreign languages (French, German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
In noting that currently the ABs have different approaches to vocabulary lists and
seeking to harmonise them, it is slightly strange to suggest that then the ABs are “not
precluded from publishing” but also “not required to publish” vocabulary lists.
The restriction on the use of candidates’ own texts makes sense.
The requirement to translate both out of and into the MFL is welcomed, as before.
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Question 3
Do you have any comments on the draft conditions and requirements for nonexam assessment for new A levels and AS qualifications in modern foreign
languages (French, German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
As this is the portion of the assessment where it is less easy to ensure total objectivity,
the constraints proposed all make sense.
It may, however, be difficult for centres to guarantee total consistency in the way that
the assessment is carried out with each candidate, so external supervision by the AO
is preferable.
Question 4
Do you have any views on our proposed approach to the recording of nonexam assessments for new A levels and AS qualifications in modern foreign
languages (French, German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
There should be no difference between the merits of a candidate whether recording is
audio-only or audio-visual. There is, however, merit in the suggestion that an audiovisual recording is more likely to deter potential malpractice.
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Question 5
Do you have any comments on the draft conditions on access to dictionaries
for new A levels and AS qualifications in modern foreign languages (French,
German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
Continuity with GCSE in terms of the non-use of dictionaries is appropriate. It makes
sense to forbid the use of them during the ‘preparation time’ prior to an assessment,
since to use a dictionary would give a natural advantage to those who have a greater
facility in finding their way around such a volume.
Question 6
Do you have any comments on the draft Guidance on assessment objectives
for new A levels and AS qualifications in modern foreign languages (French,
German and Spanish)?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
As previously observed, the new proposals lend rigour and credibility to this subject
area. A candidate is going to be required to demonstrate a more thorough and
comprehensive understanding of the language(s) and will develop a deeper
understanding of each language in its social context.
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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Question 7
We have not identified any ways in which our proposals would impact
(positively or negatively) on persons who share a protected characteristic14
(beyond those we have considered in earlier consultations). Are there any
potential impacts we have not identified?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
It has to be assumed that under ‘disability’, consideration has been given to
candidates who may be blind or partially sighted, deaf or partial hearing, or who has
dyspraxia, dyslexia, aphasia or autistic spectrum characteristics.
Question 8
Are there any additional steps we could take to mitigate any negative impact
resulting from these proposals on persons who share a protected
characteristic?
( ) Yes
() No
If yes, please comment on the additional steps we could take to mitigate
negative impacts:
If the points raised at qu.7 have been addressed.
14
‘Protected characteristic’ is defined in the Equality Act 2010. Here, it means disability, racial group,
age, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, sex, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
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AS and A level Modern Foreign Languages: Consultation on Conditions and
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Question 9
Have you any other comments on the impacts of the proposals on persons
who share a protected characteristic?
() Yes
( ) No
If yes, please provide them here:
In addition to points raised at qu.7, it is to be assumed that consideration will be given
to a candidate studying one of these three MFLs, but whose native language is not
English.
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© Crown copyright 2015
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Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at:
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