Advice to teachers
Controlled assessment speaking and writing
For work submitted in 2016 onwards (spring 2016 v1.0)
This document refers to the following GCSE specifications:
Chinese (Mandarin)
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Urdu
Copyright © 2016 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered
in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
Following the moderation and marking of the assessments for Controlled Assessment Speaking
and Writing submitted for the June 2014 examination series, we hope that the following advice will
be of assistance to teachers when preparing students for future examination series. The advice
reflects the comments made by the senior moderators and senior examiners.
This document has been updated to reflect the introduction of e-Submissions (e-Subs) system to
submit marks electronically for 2016 onwards.
You can find further information about this and our other Languages qualifications at
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages
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Contents
Pages
SPEAKING
General Comments .....................................................................................................................4
Administration .............................................................................................................................4
Recordings..................................................................................................................................5
Tasks ..........................................................................................................................................5
Timing of the Task .....................................................................................................................6
Task Design .............................................................................................................................6-7
The Unpredictable Question/Bullet Point. ....................................................................................7
Task Planning Form ....................................................................................................................8
Conduct of Tests and Question Technique .................................................................................8
Assessments ...........................................................................................................................8-9
Terminology – a Glossary .........................................................................................................10
The Moderaton Process - a Quick Guide....................................................................................... 10-11
Guidance Notes for Moderators ...........................................................................................12-18
Teacher Online Standardisation ...........................................................................................18-19
Language-Specific Reports on the Examination and Mark Schemes ............................................. 19
Boundaries for Controlled Assessment and Coursework Units..................................................19
Pages
WRITING
General Comments ...................................................................................................................20
Administration ......................................................................................................................20-21
Task Design .........................................................................................................................21-23
Task Planning Forms ...........................................................................................................23-24
Drafts ........................................................................................................................................24
Dictionaries. ..............................................................................................................................24
Assessments .......................................................................................................................24-25
Further Support ....................................................................................................................25-26
Advice to Students ................................................................................................................................... 26
Guidance Notes for Examiners ............................................................................................27-36
Language-Specific Reports on the Examination and Mark Schemes ............................................. 36
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Speaking
General comments
On a general note, schools need to be aware of the requirements of the tasks and it is
recommended that teachers are fully familiar with the Controlled Assessment Handbook, the
Frequently Asked Questions and the Instructions for the Conduct of the Examinations documents,
all of which can be found on our website. There are also additional exemplar tasks on the website
which can be used by schools in their entirety or adapted to suit their own students’ interests and
abilities. The Languages team can be contacted at [email protected]
Where answers to particular queries cannot be found, each school can contact its own Controlled
Assessment Adviser who will be able to provide answers to those questions. Schools are informed
every year of their Adviser and contact details. Many teachers have already used this facility and it
has proved to be a valuable provision. Schools can email [email protected] to ask for the details of
their Adviser.
Tasks should allow students to perform to the best of their ability by allowing them to give and
justify opinions, to use different tenses and, probably most importantly, to develop their answers.
Students who answer fewer questions with longer answers are far more likely to achieve marks in
the top bands than those who give shorter answers to more questions.
The English bullet points on the task sheet should be tackled in the same order as they appear on
the sheet, as the task is much more difficult for students if teachers ask the questions in a random
order.
It is very important that teachers are familiar with the assessment criteria, which can be found in
Section 3.4 of the Specification. These criteria must be used to mark the tasks and they also can
guide teachers when they decide what to include in their main bullet points on the task sheet. For
example, for students to score 7 or more marks for Range and Accuracy they must use ‘a variety
of verb tenses’. In practice, this means a minimum of two although more able students will improve
the complexity of their language by using more. So the main bullet points on the task sheet should
enable them to do this. To score 3 or more marks for Communication, students must give a
minimum of two opinions.
When tasks are marked, it is important that the assessment criteria are adhered to and that
different teachers’ marks are standardised within a school. If the marking of individual teachers
within a school is not in line, it makes moderation a very difficult process.
Administration
Schools are requested to note the following points for future series.
•
Errors in additions on Candidate Record Forms were noted at times.
•
Centre Declaration Forms were often correctly enclosed with samples but occasionally had
to be requested.
•
Schools are reminded that task sheets and a list of the unpredictable questions used with
the students in the sample must be provided to the moderator. Moderation cannot take
place without these.
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Recordings
Moderators noted that in several cases there were delays in schools sending materials and some
schools sent the wrong or incomplete materials. Recordings need to be labelled appropriately as
specified in the Instructions for the Conduct of the Examinations booklet available on the
Languages pages of our website and on e-AQA Secure Key Materials (SKM). Teachers should
announce all students in the correct manner at the beginning of the test as specified in paragraph 6
in the section on Controlled Assessment Speaking in the Instructions booklet. However, there were
also a lot of very well organised materials, with memory sticks/CDs generally proving much easier
for moderators to work with. 2013 was the last examination series when cassette tapes were
accepted.
Indeed the quality and media used varied tremendously. Many schools used sound files on
memory sticks or CDs and quality was often very good, although moderators also reported
poor/inaudible recordings, together with examples of intrusive background noise. In some cases
students were not identified and the whole school was recorded as one single sound file which
made finding specific students for moderation very difficult indeed.
Some CDs would not play on computers or CD players and in some cases, sound quality was poor
or very low. Where an external microphone is used, it is essential that both the teacher and student
can be heard clearly. Schools may like to consider using digital voice recorders which are now
available at approximately £30-£40. They are the size of a mobile phone, automatically record in
MP3 format, produce very clear recordings and do not need an external microphone.
Schools are reminded that sound files must be in MP3 (preferred) or WAV format. AUP files will not
be accepted.
It is particularly important that teachers check the quality of the recordings at the time the
assessments take place and not when the moderator requests the sample. The Instructions for
labelling provided in the Instructions for the Conduct of the Examinations must be followed.
Tasks
AQA exemplar tasks were used but many schools had devised their own and used a range of
tasks within the school.
Moderators noted that some schools set the same task to a whole teaching group. This approach
did not always lead to the best outcome, especially in mixed ability groups. It was clear that the
vocabulary and structures used by higher achieving students simply could not be emulated by the
less able ones. A more differentiated approach, which would give all students the chance to
perform at the level appropriate to them, is recommended. Exemplar tasks on our website provide
examples of how tasks can be adapted to suit different ability students and are a very useful
resource.
Furthermore, the whole set approach also led to some very similar answers from most of the
students within a teaching group. It is hoped that, now schools are more familiar with the demands
of the speaking unit, more creative and perhaps motivating tasks may be tackled, offering greater
individuality in their approach. Please consult the additional exemplar tasks mentioned above
which have been added to our website for examples of more innovative approaches.
In most schools, the more able students were able to talk at length and teachers allowed them time
to develop answers fully. This was not always the case however and some teachers asked too
many questions and students appeared to be confused as a result.
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Timing of the Task
The task must last between 4 and 6 minutes for a student to have access to full marks for
Communication. Teachers should remind students to prepare something on all the main bullet
points. The time starts when the teacher asks the first question about the first main bullet point.
Any introduction to the task is ignored, for instance “Now we are going to talk about holidays”. It is
very important that students are aware of the timing so that they know how much to prepare. The
recommendation is that they prepare about 4½ minutes of their own input, thereby allowing time for
the teacher’s questions and for the unpredictable bullet point at the end. Once the unpredictable
question has been asked and answered and the performance is still short of 4 minutes, further
unpredictable questions may be asked in order to reach the minimum time. It must be borne in
mind though that it is the first unpredictable question which determines if this bullet point is covered
or not. Less able students often find it challenging to maintain a reasonable flow of information for
the minimum specified task length of 4 minutes. This sometimes means that Accuracy and Fluency
marks are adversely affected because later bullet points have not been prepared sufficiently. For
such students it may be worth considering using a task with content aimed at approximately 3-4
minutes.
There were also performances which went way beyond the allowed maximum of 6 minutes,
although the tasks consisted of only 5-6 bullet points. In some cases this occurred because
students spoke very slowly. Others seemed to be over-prepared and had so much to say that they
could not squeeze it into the 6 minutes.
Task Design
The task sheet must be in English. There is no upper limit for the number of bullet points allowed,
but 5-6 plus the unpredictable question seem to work well. If there are more than this, more able
students run the risk of running out of time.
The bullet points should be tackled in the order that they appear on the task sheet and the
unpredictable question must always be the last one asked. This was not the case in some schools.
The task must ask explicitly for opinions and, for more able students especially, for the explanation
of at least two opinions. This is because students must give at least two opinions in order to score
3 or more marks for Communication and at least two of those opinions must be explained or
justified in order to score in the top band for Communication.
For students aiming for the highest grades, the task should require the use of at least two tenses,
as this is needed for a score of 7 or more for Range and Accuracy. Unlike the previous
specification, a present tense with a future time marker is still a present tense for the purposes of
Range and Accuracy of Language, though it can count for Communication provided that the
message is conveyed.
It is important to set a task that is suitable for the ability of the student and in mixed ability classes
this may mean having two or more versions of what is basically the same task. It was encouraging
to see that some schools did this and it meant, for example, that less able students did not have to
handle more than one question that demanded the use of a tense other than the present. All too
often, though, the tasks for all students were identical and this meant that problems arose, either
because they did not stretch the more able or because they proved far too challenging for the less
able. Students often performed badly because the subject of the task or part of the task was too
difficult.
The use of sub-divisions within the main bullet points can be very helpful to students and many
schools made use of them. Layout of the task must make it clear which are the main bullets.
Examples of how to arrange such sub-divided tasks can be found on our website. When chosen
carefully, they guided students through the task and enabled them to keep within the 4-6 minute
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time limit. If there were too many of them, it sometimes meant that the task exceeded the 6
minutes which was occasionally detrimental to the mark.
Most of the tasks related to one topic area and there were fewer examples of cross-context tasks.
This is understandable if a teacher wants to set a task at the end of a unit of work which has
addressed one topic area. Some of the cross-context tasks proved to be very successful for those
students who may have found it difficult to have a 4-minute conversation on one topic but who
coped well when discussing a variety of topics.
The Unpredictable Question/Bullet Point
The last main bullet point on the task sheet is an exclamation mark and this signifies that the
teacher will ask a question for which the student has not been able to prepare an answer. There
are several things that the teacher should bear in mind when deciding on the unpredictable
questions for a task:
•
Depending on the number of students doing a particular task, there should be 4-6
unpredictable questions from which the teacher will choose one at random for each of the
students.
•
In order for the student to accomplish the unpredictable bullet point, he/she must answer
the question by using a verb. It is preferable to ask a question that will be easily understood
by the student, maybe using a cognate, and that it can be answered easily by less able
students but will also give scope for the more able to expand their reply. A good question
could be Do you like television / radio / the internet? etc. Why (not)? At a basic level a
student can say Yes it is interesting whereas a more able student may develop the
response by saying something like Yes, I like … but sometimes I think there are too many
adverts between programmes and therefore I prefer channels like the BBC.
•
Teachers are advised not to make the unpredictable bullet point too complicated since this
proved to disadvantage many, in particular the less able students.
•
Under no circumstances should students know in advance the unpredictable question that
they will be asked.
Most schools handled this aspect of the test well. The unpredictable question came last,
occasionally followed up if the initial answer was very short. There was evidence that quite a lot of
schools had followed advice given previously and flagged up the unpredictable question to their
students, eg by saying “And now, the last question”, in the target language.
If the student does not give an answer or the answer is incorrect, the unpredictable bullet point
must be classed as ‘not covered’ and the table in the mark scheme comes into force (See page 12
of this booklet).
Only one unpredictable question should be asked (plus possible follow-up). Schools should have a
bank of unpredictable questions and should vary the question from student to student (or after a
small group of students, eg after every 3rd). Schools must not put the same question to all
students.
Once students have been given their task at Stage 2, they must not be aware of what the
unpredictable question/bullet point may be. This means that it is not acceptable, for example, at
Stage 2 to give students a list of 5 questions and for the teacher to choose one of the 5 as the
unpredictable question.
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Task Planning Form (TPF)
The TPF was, and will continue to be, optional. Most students used one and usually it was of some
benefit to them, provided they set it out neatly and in an ordered fashion.
If the TPF is not completed correctly, students run the risk of failing to gain marks because they
may have received more help than is permissible. If the following advice is adhered to, then they
will not disadvantage themselves, or run the risk of malpractice.
•
Check that the TPF contains no more than 40 words, in the target language and/or English.
•
Check for conjugated verbs (in English or the target language) and insist that the student
obliterates them so they are illegible (teachers are reminded that no credit can be given for
any utterances where these conjugated verbs are still visible and are used in the task
itself). If there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether a conjugated verb is visible or not,
teachers should ask students to fill the TPF in again. It should be noted that some black
market pens do not obliterate the word underneath.
No pictures of any description can be used on the TPF, only whole words are permitted, in the
target language or in English or both. The limit is still 40 words, with no conjugated verbs.
Conduct of Tests and Question Technique
Generally, teachers conducted the tasks well. Most displayed a calm, sympathetic manner; some
overacted their role and almost said more than the student. Sometimes teachers wanted to be
helpful to their students by providing them with vocabulary and/or structures (eg starting a
sentence for the student). No credit can be given to the student for these utterances. Some
teachers corrected their students, a practice which is strongly discouraged.
Best practice would aim to achieve a ‘natural’ conversation, ie asking the student a wide opening
question (depending on the bullet point) and then following this up where necessary.
Some teachers only asked the main bullet point questions. Whilst this worked well for more able
students, less able students were often left to fend for themselves. There were also examples of
very prescriptive tasks leading teachers to put the same list of questions to all students irrespective
of their ability and not taking the student’s answer into account. Often these schools had prepared
their students too narrowly and the answers were all very similar which is not in the spirit of the
GCSE where creativity and an individual approach to the task are required.
A small number of schools did not ask the bullet point questions in the order in which they
appeared on the task sheet. This should be avoided as it could and often did confuse the students.
Teachers are also reminded that the questions should be in the target language, despite the task
sheet being in English.
All schools are sent a feedback form in the autumn term. If there are any issues to be addressed,
they will appear on this form.
Assessments
Many schools were too lenient in awarding marks for Communication, Range and Accuracy and
Pronunciation and Intonation in particular. To access the top bands, teachers must understand the
need for variety of structure (not just the use of two tenses), opinions with explanations and full
responses. Less frequently, teachers were rather severe in their assessment of all the criteria.
Where this happened, it often stemmed from an unwillingness to award full marks to students who
deserved to receive them, but also this was in evidence at the lowest end of the range, where
some less able students were under-marked.
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Sometimes students were given marks for Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation and Intonation
and/or Interaction and Fluency which were more than one band (as opposed to mark) higher than
the band in which the mark was given for Communication; this is not permissible (see page 18 of
this document).
Communication
There was a general tendency to be slightly generous. When deciding on an assessment band the
tendency seemed to be to go to the top mark within a band. This is only justified if all descriptors in
this band have been met. Quite often teachers tend to accept too readily what a student intended
to say rather than what he/she actually said. You can only mark what you really hear, not what you
wanted/expected to hear. Also, errors in pronunciation were often ignored and an utterance which
was incomprehensible even to a sympathetic native speaker was given credit. (see below).
Occasionally moderators came across performances without any points of view/opinions. If this is
the case, the mark for Communication cannot exceed 2 out of a possible 10. It is very important
therefore that opinions are built into the task, as mentioned previously.
Range and Accuracy
There was a similar tendency to leniency with this criterion, in part for the same reasons as above.
Teachers are advised to note the following points.
•
Using two different tenses does not automatically place a student in the top two bands; it
merely gives access to the higher marking bands provided that this is backed by evidence of
satisfying other descriptors in these two bands.
•
In order to be awarded a mark of 7 or higher, there must be evidence of attempts at a range of
vocabulary, structures and verb tenses. There may be errors, but the message is clear.
Pronunciation and Intonation
Quite often, less able students attempted vocabulary with which they were not comfortable. Not
only will this have put a burden on their memory when practising, but more often than not they
failed to pronounce these words comprehensibly and this clearly also affected their mark for
Communication. Many teachers did not reflect this in the mark they awarded for Communication.
Interaction and Fluency
Generally, this criterion caused fewer problems. Some schools were rather lenient, awarding a
slow/sluggish performance a mark of 4, whilst others were perhaps too severe and awarded a
mark of 3 for a fairly fluent delivery just because there were a few hesitations.
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Terminology – a Glossary
Task Sheet
The sheet containing the task bullet points in English which form
the task.
Main Bullet Points
The number of main bullet points which make up the task and all
of which must be addressed by the student.
Unpredictable Question/
Bullet Point
The last question asked by the teacher, which the student has
not prepared in advance. Shown as ! on the task sheet.
Task Planning Form (TPF)
Downloadable from our website, this is the form that a student
uses as a prompt during the task. It is not compulsory.
http://store.aqa.org.uk/admin/crf_pdf/AQA-4600-W-TPF-15.PDF
Recorded Task (SR)
The recording of this task is sent to the moderator if the student
is in the sample. Only one task is sent for moderation.
Unrecorded Task (SU)
This is the second task (which may in fact have been recorded)
but only the marks for this task are sent to AQA and the
moderator, not the recording.
Candidate Record Form
(CRF)
This form is available on our website and must be filled in for all
students. It includes the breakdown of marks for the recorded
and unrecorded tasks.
http://store.aqa.org.uk/admin/crf_pdf/AQA-4600-3-W-CRF15.PDF
This is also available on our website and is a declaration by the
school that the work is that of the students and has been carried
out in line with the requirements of the specification.
http://store.aqa.org.uk/admin/crf_pdf/AQA-CDS-W-15.PDF
Centre Declaration Sheet
(CDS)
The Moderation Process – a Quick Guide
Send to the moderator the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A recording of the Recorded Task for all students in the sample
A completed and signed Candidate Record Form for all students in the sample signed by
the teacher and the student
The Centre Declaration Sheet (signed)
The Task Sheet for all tasks used by any student in the sample
A copy of the unpredictable questions for all tasks used in the sample, on a separate sheet,
not on the Task Sheet
The Task Planning Form for each student (if used)
Please ensure that the recordings are clearly labelled (see Instructions for the Conduct of the
Examinations. A copy of a checklist which the moderator will send when requesting the sample
can be downloaded from our website and is a very handy reminder of what should be sent to
the moderator, particularly for those schools with 20 students or fewer.
Please use treasury tags to secure the paperwork.
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The main problems with this process concerned the following:
•
Many schools failed to send to the moderator at least one of the items required by the
moderator, the most common omissions being a copy of the task sheet and/or the task’s 46 unpredictable questions. Moderation cannot take place without the task sheet.
•
For CDs or memory sticks, please ensure that the track listing shows the students’ names
and numbers, not just Track 1, Track 2, etc. A more detailed explanation of how to label
recordings can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions document on our website.
•
Check that recordings are clearly audible. This should be done as soon as possible after
the task has been done.
•
Please note that cassette tapes are no longer be accepted.
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Guidance Notes for Moderators
The following guidance, provided to moderators during the moderating period in 2014 is
reproduced below for information. Language-specific examples to illustrate the guidance in the
notes can be found in the mark schemes for the individual languages, available via e-AQA
immediately after the publication of results.
1.
Timings
Timing begins as soon as the teacher asks the first question relating to the first bullet point. From
that point, the task should last between 4 and 6 minutes.
If the task lasts for less than 4 minutes (even 3’ 59”), a student cannot get full marks for
Communication. It would still be possible for this type of performance to achieve a mark of 9 for
Communication. There is no impact on the other assessment criteria.
If the task lasts for over 6 minutes, marking stops at 6 minutes. If, at that point, the student is
speaking, allow him/her to complete that sentence before you finish conducting the test. The only
exception to this would be if you had a student with a disability where the Joint Council for
Qualifications procedures allow you to give up to 25% additional time in order for the student to
complete the task. In such circumstances you should enclose a note to the moderator explaining
why additional time was granted (if the work for the student is called for by the moderator as part of
the sample for your school).
2.
Coverage of main bullet points
In order to be able to score full marks for Communication, students must be able to give
information on all main bullet points on the task sheet. If there are any sub-divisions within the
main bullet points, these are not compulsory.
Students may ask the teacher to repeat/rephrase a question, if they do not understand. Likewise, if
the student starts to give the answer to the wrong bullet point, the teacher is allowed to step in and
repeat and/or rephrase.
If one or more main bullet points are not covered by the student, for any reason*, this will affect the
maximum mark available for Communication, as follows:
Total number of main
bullet points in task
2-3 + ! task
2-3 + ! task
4 + ! task
4 + ! task
4 + ! task
5 or more + ! task
5 or more + ! task
5 or more + ! task
5 or more + ! task
Number of main bullet
points not covered
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
3
4+
Maximum mark for
Communication
7
5
8
7
5
9
8
7
5
*The reasons for a main bullet point not being covered are:
i) The teacher fails to ask anything about that main bullet point within the allotted 6 minutes.
ii) The main bullet point is mentioned by the teacher, but the student cannot answer.
iii) The student gives an answer, but it is unintelligible or not relevant to the main bullet point.
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3.
The unpredictable question/bullet point
In order to accomplish the unpredictable bullet point, the student must answer by using a verb. If
that is not the case, then the bullet point is not covered and the table above must be used in order
to arrive at a mark for Communication.
The clause used, however, need not be totally accurate provided it communicates the required
message in the answer to the question.
Where a wrong person of the verb leads to ambiguity and the message is not communicated, the
unpredictable bullet will not be achieved.
It is unlikely that the answer given in response to the unpredictable bullet point will be as well
developed as the main bullet points. If a student has developed fully answers to the main bullet
points and gives a short answer, including any part of a verb (eg present participle, infinitive) to the
unpredictable bullet point, he/she will still have access to full marks for Communication provided
the response is complete.
If more than one unpredictable question is asked, the first one that is asked is the one that should
be considered when deciding whether it has been answered appropriately, using a verb. Two-part
questions for the same unpredictable bullet point are acceptable practice, for example, ‘Do you
like…? Why (not)?’ or ‘Do you prefer x or y? Why?’ Credit should be given for the language
produced in both parts. If other unpredictable questions are asked, probably to make the task last
at least 4 minutes, these should be taken into account when awarding an overall mark.
If the unpredictable questions are not provided by the centre, then the last question to be asked
counts as the unpredictable question as long as it does not relate to the final main bullet point (in
which case it is considered as a follow-up question).
If the unpredictable question is asked in the wrong place, this should still be credited.
Once the student gives an incorrect answer (either in the target language, in English or in any
other language) then no further rephrases are possible.
If the student gives a partially correct answer in the target language, then the teacher can ask more
questions to elicit further information so that the bullet point is fully covered.
If a student says, in the target language, ‘I don’t understand’ or ‘Please repeat’ (or equivalents)
then this counts as a request for clarification and the teacher is allowed to repeat or rephrase. This
does not count as an answer. (If this were said by the student in English or in any language other
than the one being tested, then it would be an incorrect answer and no more rephrasing would be
allowed).
If the student says, either in the target language, in English or in any other language, ‘I don’t know’
(or equivalents) then this counts as an incorrect answer and no more rephrasing would be allowed.
If the student says nothing in response to a question then the teacher can repeat or rephrase until
the student does respond (or until the 6 minutes are up).
If the teacher asks as the unpredictable question a question which has already been asked as one
of the student’s main bullet points, then the student has not been asked an unpredictable bullet
point and the table in Section 2 (coverage of bullet points) applies.
If, however, the unpredictable question is different from a main bullet point, but elicits some repeat
of information that has already been given in answer to one of the main bullet points, then any
additional information can be credited. For example, the main bullet is 'Tell me about your family'.
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In a long answer, the student says that he/she doesn't get on well with his/her brother. The
unpredictable question is 'Do you normally get on well with your family?' and the student says 'I get
on well with my parents (new info) but not my brother (repeat)'. Although the unpredictable is
connected to one of the main bullets, it is not the same question.
A student is not necessarily required to manipulate language in order to accomplish the
unpredictable bullet point.
4.
The criteria for assessment
All of the criteria should be considered when deciding on a mark, but the following guidelines may
prove particularly useful.
(a) Communication
Must the teacher ask extra questions for the student to gain the highest marks for
Communication?
No. If the student develops fully his/her answers to each main bullet point there will be no need
for extra questions to allow the student access to the highest marks for Communication.
Can students get a high mark even if there is little interaction with the teacher?
Yes. Interaction and fluency are a global concept. Students can have access to full marks with
minimal teacher input as long as they have provided full and developed responses. This is still
true even if there is little interaction with the teacher.
Does an opinion have to be a personal opinion or can it be someone else’s other than
the speaker’s?
It can be a reported opinion.
Example:
What do you think is good about your school?
In my school you have to wear a uniform. There are many opinions about the school uniform
and whether it is good or not. Some people think it’s not good because it’s uncomfortable.
If a student answers a main bullet point eliciting reference to future events by using a
present tense verb, will he/she be penalised under Communication?
No, not if the response successfully communicates what the main bullet point required.
However if aiming for a high mark for Range and Accuracy, the student must make sure
he/she uses at least two different tenses over the task as a whole.
Must a student give some information relevant to the actual question the teacher asks
in order for the bullet point to be accomplished?
Yes. If a student gives an answer that provides information in relation to another bullet in
his/her task but does not contain information relevant to the question the teacher has actually
asked (eg because the teacher and student get out of sequence), the bullet cannot count as
being accomplished. The teacher may ask the bullet again to give the student the chance to
offer relevant information.
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Can the answer still be considered to give some relevant information even if the tense
is wrong?
Yes.
Examples:
What did you do last weekend?
The following answers would be regarded as having some relevant information and would be
acceptable:
‘Football’
‘I play football’.
The following answer would be regarded as unacceptable on the basis that it was clearly not
answering the question being asked: it is not only the tense formation that is wrong. There are
other indications that the student is not answering the question being asked:
‘Next week I will play football’ (using a future tense verb).
If the student gives exactly the same response to more than one bullet point and that
answer gives relevant information in each case, will the response count as having
accomplished the bullet in each case?
Yes.
Example:
Bullet 3 – What did you do last weekend?
‘I play football’
Bullet 5 – What do you normally do at weekends?
‘I play football’
Both bullets will be judged to have been accomplished.
If a student does not wait for the teacher to ask questions but simply delivers his/her
answers to the bullets in the task, will the bullets be judged to have been
accomplished?
Yes. However, in response to any question the teacher does actually ask, the student must
give some relevant information – see above.
9-10 marks
• Students can speak with confidence and narrate events where appropriate. In order to
do this, they will have to develop their answers well.
• They will have to offer ideas / opinions / points of view (minimum 2) and be able to
explain them.
7-8 marks
• The answers will be regularly developed, even though some of them may not be.
However, for the award of a mark in this band, most answers will show some
development.
• There is a requirement to give opinions (minimum 2).
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5-6 marks
• There will still be evidence of an ability to develop some answers.
• There is a requirement to give opinions (minimum 2).
3-4 marks
• Few responses are developed, but for some questions you can expect replies to go
beyond the minimal, even if this is in the form of lists or very simple sentences.
• There is a requirement to give opinions (minimum 2).
1-2 marks
• Very few appropriate responses are developed, but therefore there has to be evidence
of development, however basic, in at least one reply.
0 marks
• No relevant information is communicated, but a student could still give some very
minimal replies and still score zero if there was no development at all.
(b) Range and Accuracy of Language
•
•
•
•
For performances with a large amount of complex language but lots of errors the
following should be noted: the Accuracy strand in Range and Accuracy has a bearing
on communication of intended messages. If communication is not taking place the
marks awarded have to reflect this and a mark of 8 could not be awarded. If for,
example, the Range strand warrants 10 marks and the Accuracy strand warrants 4
marks, then a maximum mark of 7 would be appropriate.
The immediate future counts as a future tense. A present tense verb with a future time
marker does not.
The subjunctive is a mood and not a tense so the present subjunctive, for example,
does not count as a separate tense from the present indicative.
A construction using the present tense to refer to the past counts as the present tense.
9-10 marks
• A variety of tenses must be used. This means two or more. The tenses could come
from the same time frame (for example the perfect, the preterite and the imperfect) but
a greater range of tenses will add to the complexity of the language used and most
students getting marks in this band will probably use three or more tenses, unless the
nature of the task does not allow it.
• There will be complex structures, but remember that this is GCSE level and not higher.
We will not necessarily be looking for the use of the subjunctive or similar grammatical
structures. Complexity will often be achieved by variety of expression.
• There needs to be a wide range of vocabulary. This means that students will not be too
repetitive in the words they use.
• Errors usually appear in complex structures, or they may be minor errors, for instance
of gender, which do not appear too often.
7-8 marks
• Two or more tenses must be used.
• Some complex structures will be used, but the note about what constitutes complexity
for the 9-10 band will apply here.
• There must be a range of vocabulary, so students in this band will again be trying to
avoid repetition of the more common words.
• Errors occur, but the message is clear, so that the type of mistake made will not
prevent communication.
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5-6 marks
• There is no need for students to use more than one tense to be awarded a mark in this
band.
• Sentences are generally simple but occasionally more complex. There will be more
repetition of simple constructions here, but sometimes a more unusual structure will be
used.
• Errors are quite frequent, but the language used is more accurate than inaccurate.
This should be apparent from the annotation used for marking.
3-4 marks
• The sentences are short and simple and probably there will be quite a lot of repetition
of the more common verbs.
• The vocabulary is very limited, so there will probably be quite a lot of repetition of the
same words.
• Errors are very frequent and it will be more inaccurate than accurate, or there will be
relatively little said, so the lack of evidence means we cannot go into a higher band.
1-2 marks
• There are only isolated words of vocabulary with the occasional short phrase. It may
well be that there is quite a lot of silence.
• Errors often impede communication, or there is very little evidence to enable us to form
an opinion.
(c) Pronunciation and Intonation
5 marks
• Consistently good accent and intonation are required. ‘Accent’ ‘means ‘pronunciation’.
Isolated errors in an otherwise full and correct performance can be ignored ie we are
not looking for a 100% flawless performance.
4 marks
• Generally good. It may be that problems arise mainly with the sounds that students
traditionally find more difficult.
3 marks
• Generally accurate, but there is some inconsistency. As well as the more common
mispronunciations, there may be problems with vowel sounds and anglicised words.
2 marks
• What is said is understandable, although comprehension is sometimes delayed. In
other words there will be occasions where we have to listen very carefully to what is
being said in order to get the intended meaning.
1 mark
• What is said is barely understandable and comprehension is difficult. There may well
be very little to go on because not much is said by the student.
(d) Interaction and Fluency
5 marks
• The student responds readily, without significant pause before answering the
questions.
• There is initiative, as the student is able to fully develop answers to the questions.
• The conversation is sustained at a reasonable speed, but clearly not at native speaker
pace.
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4 marks
• The student will again have to answer without hesitation.
• The replies will go beyond the minimum, although there will not be as much
development as in the top band.
• There is some flow of language, even if from time to time there is some pausing for
thought.
3 marks
• There are ready responses, where the student can answer reasonably promptly most
of the time.
• There is little if any initiative, so the student may not develop answers to any great
extent.
• There is an ability to sustain a conversation, so that any hesitation does not break up
the interchange of information too much.
2 marks
• There is some reaction to the teacher’s questions, but the student is sometimes
hesitant. In practice, there will be more sections of the test where the student is
thinking what to say or cannot answer.
• There is little natural flow.
1 mark
• There is little reaction to what the teacher asks and the student is so hesitant that the
conversation becomes disjointed. There will in all probability be lots of silence during
the task.
(e) Limiting marks
•
•
•
•
It is not possible to go more than one band higher than the band in which the
Communication mark was given when awarding marks in the other categories. For
instance, if 5 is awarded for Communication, the highest mark that can be awarded
Range and Accuracy is 8, and for Pronunciation and Intonation and Interaction and
Fluency the maximum mark would be 4.
It is possible to give marks in lower bands for Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation and
Intonation and Interaction and Fluency than the band in which the mark for
Communication was given.
If one mark or more is awarded for Communication, at least one mark must be given in
all other categories.
If zero is awarded for Communication, zero must be given for all other categories.
Teacher Online Standardisation
Teacher online standardisation is available for GCSE Speaking Controlled Assessment as a
replacement for the previous face-to-face teacher standardisation meetings. Teacher online
standardisation is a web-based system available anywhere with an internet connection.
To use the system you:
•
•
•
log on to e-AQA, select ‘teacher online standardisation’ from the list of teacher services and
choose your language
listen to exemplar work, marked and commented on by the Principal Moderator
mark a variety of work, receiving feedback as you go.
Teacher online standardisation offers your school a much wider access to standardisation. Rather
than sending just the one representative to a meeting, you can now all enjoy and benefit from the
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training. You still, of course, have the support of your Controlled Assessment Adviser, assigned
specifically to your school.
You can access the system here: http://www.aqa.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/products-andservices/teacher-online-standardisation
Language-Specific Reports on the Examination and Mark Schemes
Please note that these are available via e-AQA SKM immediately after the publication of results.
Exams Officers have details of how to access them.
Boundaries for Controlled Assessment and Coursework Units
When a specification is well-established, grade boundaries for internally assessed units often
stay the same from year to year. This is because the assessment criteria for these units stay the
same and the tasks are fairly generic, so the marks usually represent the same standard of
performance every year. Grade boundaries can be carried forward from a previous examination
series if this is recommended by the Principal Moderator and supported by statistical and
technical evidence.
However, it is sometimes necessary to move coursework grade boundaries, especially in the early
years of a specification’s life. This may happen if, for example:
•
•
the Principal Moderator finds that increasing numbers of exam schools are marking
generously, but staying within the tolerance, which means their marks are not adjusted
by the moderation process
the awarders find that the tasks which schools set, and students’ responses, have become
too formulaic.
In these situations, if the work which the awarders inspect is of lower quality than work given the
same mark in previous years, the grade boundaries are raised. This is essential in order to
maintain standards – if we didn’t do this, it would be easier for students to gain higher grades than
in previous years. This approach helps us ensure that any improvement in results is genuine, and
has not occurred simply because schools are getting used to a new specification and are becoming
more familiar with the requirements.
A video showing how grade boundaries are set can be viewed on our website at
http://www.aqa.org.uk/news-and-policy/supporting-education/making-the-grades-a-guide-toawarding
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Writing
General Comments
There was a wide variety in the standard of work submitted, ranging from short responses with
simple sentences and occasional opinions through to detailed and generally accurate responses
using a variety of vocabulary, structures and verb tenses. Students who had a sound grammatical
knowledge and made good use of the Task Planning Form (TPF) almost invariably scored highly.
Those who tried to set down from memory something learnt from a pre-prepared piece more often
than not failed to score well. The frequent problem was that they wrote half-remembered
sentences that often contained wrong verb endings or they missed out key items of vocabulary and
what they wrote often failed to communicate.
Titles chosen often had a profound effect upon the outcome. A general title (My holidays, My Home
and Local Area, My Lifestyle, My Free Time) is likely to be most successful since the piece of
writing will be assessed according to its relevance to that title. It is thus crucial that schools provide
bullet points which are relevant to the title chosen; some students were penalised because they
responded to bullet points provided but which were irrelevant to the title.
Many examiners reported that the work from some schools was very similar between students. In
some ways this is to be expected since they will all have been taught the same material.
Nevertheless, students should try to produce a clearly individual response. It should be noted that
students’ work should not be corrected in pencil in order to provide feedback. This also applies to
photocopies of students’ work, because a student could gain unfair advantage if tackling another
similar task at a future date. Any feedback should be of a general and not specific nature. It must
be oral and not written. It must be in English and it must relate to the assessment criteria eg ‘make
sure you express at least 2 opinions’; ‘vary your structures and vocabulary more’; ‘check your
tense formations’.
Administration
Schools’ administration was on the whole very good. Tasks were despatched on time with the
relevant forms included and correctly completed. However, schools are to be reminded of the
following: tasks should be sent to the correct AQA examiner. Some schools sent their Writing tasks
to the Speaking moderator. Schools should ensure that the task titles have been written in all the
appropriate places and that the work itself has been labelled ‘Task 1’ and ‘Task 2’. Schools do not
need to attach a task sheet to each piece of work. Where a number of students have done the
same task, one copy of each task submitted is enough. Schools are reminded to indicate on the
reverse of the Candidate Record Form if a TPF has been used or not.
Schools are encouraged:
•
to collate each student’s work – ie the two tasks - together with the Candidate Record Form
and the TPF. The use of treasury tags to keep portfolios together is preferred as paper
clips and plastic wallets cause significant handling problems
•
to make sure the examiner receives the full task sheet relevant to the student or group marking cannot begin until the examiner knows what the students are writing about.
•
to ensure that the same title is entered on the Candidate Record Form, on the TPF (if used)
and on the piece of work for each task submitted.
•
to remind students to write neatly as poor handwriting can affect marks
•
to send the work in the same student order as on the Attendance List, as would be done for a
terminal examination paper
•
to check that the students have correctly filled in and signed the Candidate Record Form and
the TPF (if used). There were errors with candidate numbers this year.
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•
to ensure students have written the following information on each piece of work
- centre number
- student number
- student name
- component code (eg 46554)
- task title
(NB – it is not a requirement to use examination stationery).
•
to remind teachers that they should not write on the students’ work (eg marks they may have
awarded) and that they must submit originals and not copies.
•
to adhere to the deadline of 7 May by which all materials should be sent to the AQA examiner.
The following items must be sent to the AQA examiner:
-
students’ work (2 tasks per student) clearly labelled as Task 1 and Task 2
the task sheets
Task Planning Forms (if used)
Candidate Record Forms (signed)
It is not possible to submit work electronically to AQA.
Task Design
Task design is obviously important and should take as its starting point the fact that it is the
response to the title which is assessed (not individual bullet points.) This is different from
the Speaking assessment. For the Writing, bullet points have the status of guidance.
Judgements about ‘relevance’ when assessing ‘Content’ relate to the response’s relevance to the
title. For example, if the title is “My dream job,” and there is no reference at all to ‘my dream job’
there is clearly a problem in terms of relevance.
‘A fully relevant response’ should include a response to all aspects of the title. So, for example in a
task with the title “Free Time and Technology” we would expect to see material on both aspects of
the title.
The following information is intended to help when designing tasks.
•
Keep the assessment criteria in mind when designing tasks. Bullet points should aim to
elicit ideas, points of view and reasons and different tenses as required by the assessment
criteria. Open-ended bullet points of this kind will also tend to elicit more complex
structures.
•
6-7 bullet points seem to work well. Over-prescription may be daunting for students if they
think every point needs to be tackled to succeed. Students should be selecting from the
detailed work done at Stage 1 in order to plan and produce their personal response.
•
It is the response to the title which is assessed. Bullet points therefore have the status of
guidance. It is, for this reason, advisable to keep the title separate from the scene-setting. If
the title and the scene-setting are blurred together, it may make it more difficult for the
student to produce a fully relevant response, especially under the demanding conditions of
Stage 3.
•
Additional exemplar material is available for each language on our website. This is updated
regularly.
•
Choose a title which is broad and straightforward enough to ensure that students’
responses are fully relevant to that task and ensure the bullet points provided elicit
information which is also relevant to that title. A key aspect of the Content marking criteria
is the relevance of the response to the task (i.e. the title); as such, the title My education,
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for example, allows for much greater relevant scope than a more restricting title like A day
in my life at school.
•
Choose a task which suits the ability of the students. Tasks which involve students writing
about environmental issues, for example, often suit more able students but cause
difficulties for less able students. On the other hand, a title like Me and my family does not
always give the most able students scope to demonstrate the quality of their written
language. For a very open title, the bullet points may be different for students of differing
ability, so that each student is encouraged to write at an appropriate level.
•
Devise bullet points, each of which will allow students to produce different vocabulary and
structures. Say what you ate yesterday / Say what you usually eat / Say what you will eat
tomorrow may well elicit different tenses but is bound to lead to repetition.
•
When devising tasks, refer to the assessment criteria so that the bullet points you include
set out to elicit these requirements. For example, students should be provided with
opportunities to give opinions and to develop them: a bullet point like, Say if you like your
school will not be as helpful as one which prompts, Say what you think of your school and
why.
•
Ensure that the task title and bullet points are written in English and not in the target
language.
•
Provide a logical sequence of events in the bullet points and encourage students to follow
that sequence; this should bring a well organised structure to the response.
•
Unlike the Speaking Test, the bullet points only have the status of guidance. Students will
not be penalised if they miss out bullet points as long as their response is relevant to the
title.
•
Ensure that students are aware that bullet points are prompts for comments they can make
and develop; they are not questions to be answered. What they write must make sense
without reference to the bullet points.
•
Ensure that the bullet points help students focus on the title. Examiners have seen some
cases where bullet points actually steer students away from the title to write material which
is of dubious relevance. At the same time, they were instructed to adhere to the bullet
points one by one which is not necessary. This was not helpful to students. The closing task
rubric should mention answering the task fully not each bullet point.
It is quite usual to see the same task sheet presented to all students, even when the ability of the
students in the cohort often varies enormously. Sometimes, more able students take simple bullet
points and write about them fully, using impressive vocabulary and structures. All too often,
however, students who are capable of impressive writing resort to listing or simple structures in
their responses as a result of the undemanding bullet points. Equally, over-demanding bullet points
for less able students often lead them to try to learn responses that they do not really understand,
leading them into unclear and inaccurate writing. Some ways of overcoming these problems are
illustrated below under the headings of some common titles.
•
School - ‘describe your school’ and ‘say what subjects you study, giving opinions’ are
suitable bullet points for less able students. However, students aiming at higher grades
might benefit from more stretching bullet points. For example, these two bullet points might
be replaced for more able students with: ‘say what the best and worst features of your
school are and why you feel that way’ and ‘what makes you enjoy some subjects more than
others’.
•
Holidays - the tendency is for students to be presented with bullet points which elicit where
they usually go on holiday, where they went last year, where they will go in the future and
where they would go if they had lots of money. Less able students quite often struggle with
the range of tenses needed (especially in the last task) and resort to the repetition of similar
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activities in attempts at different time frames. More able students often overcome these
problems and write full and effective responses but one very effective title used
successfully by some able students this year was, The Desert Island. Students wrote
imaginative responses that did not hang on pre-learnt phrases: they described how they
came to be there; what they were doing to survive; how they were getting on with others on
the island; what they had done to try to be rescued; what plans they had after being safely
returned home.
•
Me and My Family - This is a title with which more able students regularly struggle to
demonstrate the quality of their written language. Even for less able students, such a piece
often becomes repetitive with name, age, physical and character description being provided
for the student and several family members. For students aiming to demonstrate higher
level skills suggested content could include: if you feel family life is important or not and
your reasons; if you think your relationship with your family/parents has changed since you
were a child and why. While My Life as a Celebrity sometimes gives greater scope for
more able students, some responses resort to no more than descriptions and daily routine
activities with little reference to the celebrity in question.
•
Healthy Lifestyle - This title typically involves eating habits and exercise regimes in the
past, present and future. Again, it may be suitable for less able students, as long as they do
not resort to the same vocabulary and structures in attempts at three time frames. More
stimulating bullet points for more able students might involve: problems/pressures that
affect lifestyle and how the student copes with them; issues concerning smoking / alcohol /
drugs and how the student deals with offers to become involved with these; a school
campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle (in any tense).
•
My Home and Local Area - an ideal task for less able students to describe their house and
local area and what they like / dislike about them. More able students, however, often
employ similarly straightforward vocabulary and structures to provide long descriptions of
their house and various rooms with their contents and then lists of places in their town /
local area. One way to provide greater challenge here is to bring in environmental issues, a
topic with which less able students often struggle. Or, another title on a similar theme that
proved successful for more able students this year was, Finding a Home Abroad.
Students wrote to a TV programme abroad asking for help to find a property for their family
to buy there. They wrote about why they wanted to leave their home town / country; what
features they wanted in their new home/area; why abroad was their chosen destination;
details of a visit abroad that encouraged the move.
If in any doubt about the suitability of a task, please take advantage of the service offered
by the AQA Controlled Assessment Advisers. Schools have been provided with the e-mail
address of a specific adviser; this can be sought at [email protected].
Task Planning Forms (TPF)
On the whole, plans were a disappointing feature and, in general, there was no discernable
disadvantage when a plan was not used. The following should be noted:
•
The plan is optional. Students do not have to produce a plan.
•
Plans must consist of no more than 40 full words – no conjugated verbs, no full
sentences, no codes and no pictures of any kind.
•
Some plans were a collection of words which seemed to have little impact on the quality of
final piece of work.
•
Codes are not allowed. If codes are used, zero marks are awarded for the clause(s) which
students produce with the support of these codes.
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•
Conjugated verbs on the TPF were a bigger and more frequent problem. If conjugated
verbs appeared on the plan, the clause or clauses where they appeared were disregarded
for assessment purposes. In the worst cases, this could mean that a significant proportion
of the task had to be disregarded. Teachers are asked to check the TPF very carefully
before Stage 3.
•
If conjugated verbs appear on the TPF, the student should be instructed to obliterate them
so they are illegible. It is not acceptable for the teacher to correct the items in red ink or
pencil – a frequent occurrence – because the student was still able to read the
unacceptable item. If there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether a conjugated verb is
visible or not, teachers should ask students to fill in the TPF again. It should be noted that
some black marker pens do not obliterate the word underneath.
•
40 well chosen words (excluding conjugated verbs) represent a very good opportunity to
provide critically useful markers for the production of the task at Stage 3. Most helpful
practice seemed to involve writing a number of key words next to a series of bullet points
which reflected the bullet points in the task. Advise students to write the target language
words and to check their spelling carefully and remind them that they could include an
English translation alongside a word as long as this is included in the total count.
Drafts
A number of things need to be emphasised.
•
Students are not required to write a draft at Stage 2.
•
If a draft is produced, it must be done under direct teacher supervision, must not be
commented upon and must be kept in school. This also applies to partially-completed
drafts.
•
At Stage 2, students have access to all resources (except the teacher/FLA) to inform their
planning and preparation. This will include, from Stage 1, their own (corrected) written work,
worksheets, text books, on-line resources (other than translation software) etc. All of this is
potentially accessible, within the 6 hours, in school and, with the exception of the draft, at
home.
Knowing their students, teachers will, of course, decide upon the best approach. Clearly, students
must not have access to a draft at Stage 3.
There was evidence that some students had tried to learn a draft word for word. That evidence
took the form of work which deteriorated towards the end of the piece and frequent omissions,
such that sentences ceased to communicate effectively. This even occurred with able students
who rushed to write as much as possible in the time available. In this context, it should be noted
that aiming to write twice the number of words in the recommended guidelines is not necessarily in
the student’s interest.
Dictionaries
Dictionaries must be made available to students at Stage 3. However, given the proliferation of
dictionary errors, students would be well advised to turn to the dictionary as a last rather than a first
resort.
Assessments
Students generally produced good quality work that was interesting and varied. Schools are skilled
in encouraging students to prepare and produce a high standard of written language. The word
counts in the specification are there as a guide only but some schools encouraged students to
write excessively long pieces of work. A few students were able to do this and score highly but on
the whole, the longer the piece of work, the more scope there was for error given that students only
have a single session of one hour in which to produce a response. Equally, short responses are
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unlikely to convey ‘a lot of information’. Teachers are advised to focus on quality rather than
quantity.
Some students were awarded lower marks because their tasks did not offer the opportunity to
display the features required for the various assessment criteria. Schools should make students
aware of the assessment criteria and in all Writing tasks should encourage students to ensure their
piece is fully relevant and contains opinions and, according to their ability, justification of these.
Where possible, students should be encouraged to write longer sentences and to use a range of
tenses.
Content
Students were able to produce relevant, detailed pieces of work. Where they were less successful
was when the tasks included bullet points not totally relevant to the title and, more importantly,
when there were not at least two examples of opinions being justified. The criteria for marks of 10–
15 expect students to express and explain ideas and points of view. Schools are reminded to
encourage students aiming at these marks to include at least two opinions and justifications. In
some instances, inaccuracy impacted on Content marks given that for marks of 7–15 information
has to be conveyed clearly. Sometimes inaccuracy can lead to breakdown of communication.
Range of Language
Students were well-prepared and there was effective use of a variety of tenses, complex structures
and sentences and a range of connectives. Students are allowed access to dictionaries for this
component and schools should be mindful of the fact that many students are not skilled in using
dictionaries effectively. Examiners found that in many cases marks for Range of Language were
adversely affected by dictionary misuse.
Accuracy
On the whole, students produced work that was more accurate than inaccurate. An issue for many
students was the transposition of infinitives from the TPFs. Teachers are advised to train students
to form verbs from the infinitives they may use on the TPF. Students could also be reminded of the
usefulness of verb tables found in most dictionaries.
Further Support
Some further points to provide help to schools.
•
The guidance provided to examiners is published at the end of this document for your
information.
•
At the time of publication of results, schools will receive the total mark out of 60 for Unit 4 as
well as the UMS score for the unit. In order to access the breakdown of the mark out of 60 (ie
the mark out of 30 per task and the mark awarded for each assessment criterion), schools
must register with e-AQA and use the Enhanced Results Analysis (ERA). It is only through
ERA that a breakdown of marks will be made available.
•
Following a JCQ agreement, externally assessed Controlled Assessment Writing scripts will
follow the normal procedures for externally assessed components and will not automatically be
returned to schools. Schools can request the return of Writing scripts, as they can for any other
externally marked component, through the Access to Scripts service. Please note that this
service is chargeable.
•
Further examples of completed Writing tasks with marks and commentaries are available on
our website.
•
Teacher Support videos are available in e-AQA Secure Key Materials (SKM). Here you can
view the senior examiners for French, German and Spanish explaining the assessment criteria
and then applying the assessment criteria to exemplar work.
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Advice to Students
Below is some advice you may wish to provide to your students:
•
Once you know the title of your task and your teacher has given you the bullet points to use
in your task, think carefully about how you intend to write about each one and prepare to
write as much as you can and as clearly and accurately as you can.
•
It will improve your mark if you can use a variety of vocabulary and structures, if you can
express opinions clearly and, when you can, justify these opinions by giving a reason. It
also helps if you can use different tenses by saying what you did in the past, and/or what
you are going to do or will do in the future, for example.
•
You are allowed to use a Task Planning Form (TPF) on which you may write up to 40
words (in the target language and/or English) and you may use this form at Stage 3 (once it
has been checked by your teacher). Be sure to spell words accurately on this sheet so that
they will be accurate when you write up your piece of work. It might be wise to include the
same order of bullet points on your TPF as the teacher gave you on the task sheet and
then jot down a few words next to each one. If you are worried you may forget what a target
language word means, you could write the English translation next to it, as long as the
English word is included in your final count. Remember not to use conjugated verbs (parts
of verbs in whichever tense); if you want to jot down verbs, you can only include infinitives
and past/present participles.
•
You are allowed to use a dictionary when you write up your piece of work. You should use
this to look up occasional words, but do not waste too much time looking up lots of words;
you only have 60 minutes and you need to write as full a response as you can. Remember
that your dictionary is likely to contain verb tables and you could always use it to check that
you have written the part of the verb/the tense of the verb accurately.
•
Be sure that everything you write is relevant to the title.
•
Try to write as much as you can about each bullet point but keep an eye on the clock.
Remember you only have 60 minutes. If you follow the order of the bullet points provided,
this should bring a well-organised structure to your piece, but if time is running out you
might choose to round off the piece neatly even if you have to cut short what you were
intending to write.
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Guidance Notes for Examiners
The following guidance, provided to examiners during the marking period in 2013, is reproduced
below for information. Language specific examples to illustrate the guidance in the notes can be
found in the mark schemes for the individual languages, available via e-AQA immediately after the
publication of results.
1.
Exactly what do examiners mark?
•
•
•
2.
They mark the student’s response to the title.
They do not mark a response to the bullet points which have the status of guidance.
The student may choose to ignore the bullet points completely.
The response must be relevant to the title.
Must the title relate directly to the Contexts defined in the specification?
No. The title can be anything.
3.
How do examiners identify the title?
•
•
•
4.
What is a relevant response?
•
•
5.
The response must be relevant to the task.
Students are not penalised for not responding to the scene setting details.
And what if there is a significant amount of irrelevant material?
•
•
6.
The title is the task.
The task and the scene-setting may seem blurred or merged together. The focus is
the task.
See examples in Additional Exemplar Tasks: Controlled Assessment Writing and
Speaking on our website within the Teaching and learning resources for your
language, where the task and scene setting are clearly separated
It would affect the mark for CONTENT.
Only the material which is relevant should still be assessed for RANGE OF
LANGUAGE and ACCURACY.
What if a student has omitted an entire aspect of the title?
A student with the task ‘Home, local area and special occasions’ who writes nothing about
home area, for example, could be considered to have completed two thirds of the task. The
piece could therefore be eligible for the 10-12 band for Content, assuming the piece fulfils
the criteria for that band in other ways. This would still allow the student access to all mark
bands for language.
7.
What if there is a significant duplication of material across the two pieces of work
submitted?
•
•
8.
The same material cannot be credited twice.
Incidental and occasional overlap do not count as duplication.
What if it is clear the student’s entire response is identical (ie exactly the same, word
for word) to model answers in a textbook or to the wording of tasks from other
students at the same centre?
The work would be referred to AQA’s Irregularities/Malpractice Department.
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9.
Does the number of words affect assessment?
•
•
•
•
10.
11.
The quality not the quantity of work affects the assessment outcome.
200-350 words across both tasks if aiming at grades D-G, 400-600 if aiming at
grades A*- C, is for guidance only.
Obviously, the shorter the assignment, the more difficult it becomes to meet the
upper bands of assessment criteria for CONTENT (and therefore other categories).
There is no upper limit on the number of words. The whole piece will be read and
marked by the examiner.
How does the CONTENT mark affect the marks for RANGE OF LANGUAGE and
ACCURACY?
Content Mark
Maximum Mark for Range
of Language
Maximum Mark for
Accuracy
0
0
0
1–3
1–4
1-2
4–6
1–6
1-3
7–9
1–8
1-4
10–12
1–10
1-5
13–15
1–10
1-5
The criteria for assessment
All of the criteria should be considered when deciding on a mark, but the following guidelines will
prove particularly useful.
(a) CONTENT
GENERAL OVERVIEW
If the descriptor fits the piece exactly, then the examiner will award the middle mark in the band. If
there is strong evidence of the descriptors and/or the examiner had been considering the band
above, the highest of the three marks would be awarded. If there is just enough evidence and/or
the examiner had been considering the band below, then the lowest mark in the band would be
awarded.
13-15 marks
• Students provide a fully relevant and detailed response with almost all information
conveyed clearly and developed.
• They must offer ideas / opinions / points of view (minimum 2) and at least two of them must
be explained or justified.
• The piece should have a well organised structure, ie a sound ordering of ideas but not
necessarily a formal essay structure or an introduction, conclusion, etc.
10-12 marks
• The response will be mostly relevant and a lot of information will still be provided and
conveyed clearly and will generally be developed.
• There is a requirement to give and explain ideas / opinions / points of view (minimum 2)
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7-9 marks
• The response will be generally relevant with quite a lot of information conveyed clearly.
• There will still be evidence of an ability to develop ideas.
• There is a requirement to give opinions / points of view (minimum 2).
4-6 marks
• The response is limited but some relevant information will be conveyed.
• There will be some development of basic ideas.
• There is a requirement to give opinions (minimum 2). These could be very simple, eg: ‘I like
French. I like Spanish. France is good.’ = 3 simple opinions.
1-3 marks
• The response is very limited with little relevant information conveyed.
• There will be no real structure.
0 marks
• No relevant information is communicated in a coherent fashion. If zero is awarded for
Content, zero must also be awarded for Range of Language and Accuracy.
DETAILED CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES
i) Relevance This refers to relevance to the title (ignoring scene-setting, etc). Examiners look out
particularly for the following scenarios:
• The piece on a specific topic that strays into other areas (eg My School Routine should not
have long digressions on work experience or future career).
• The piece with a title covering a range of topics which only mentions one of them (eg the title
is School and Future Career but the student only mentions ‘school’).
• The piece which starts with a long preamble about the student which is not relevant to the
title.
• Work where there is a significant duplication of material across the two tasks submitted. The
same material cannot be credited twice. Examiners do not count incidental and occasional
overlap as duplication.
• Examiners are aware of the principle of balance. The piece on My holiday last summer which
includes a couple of sentences on what the student generally does/will do next year is
perfectly acceptable but if the student takes ⅓ of the piece talking about what (s)he usually
does and ⅓ of the piece dealing with next year’s plans then the work should not be judged
‘fully relevant’ unless the student has been able to link this material clearly to the title.
Similarly with the task on My Work Experience where a large part of the piece is taken up
with what the student will do next year.
• Irrelevant material in the work is taken into account in awarding the marks, even if there is
sufficient relevant material to meet the recommended word length. For example, if a student
has written 600 words and 300 words are relevant to the title, the examiner cannot simply
ignore the 300 words of irrelevant material and deem the piece to be fully relevant.
In practice, the vast majority of tasks will be fully relevant but many will not score in the top band
for Content because of other limitations. However, any piece which is not judged fully relevant
cannot be awarded a mark in the top band. Where it is obvious from the task sheet that the bullet
points have led the student into including irrelevant material, the examiner will treat the lack of
relevance as leniently as possible. Material which is deemed irrelevant will be discounted when
assessing Range of Language and Content.
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ii)
Information conveyed
• It is necessary to consider the amount of information given and the extent to which it is
developed. (Development of information/ideas means going beyond a basic response to
give additional detail.)
Note that a piece which does not reach the recommended length specified in the
specification (minimum 200 words across both pieces for grades G-D, minimum 400 words
across both pieces for grades C-A*) is unlikely to score highly for Content, ie a piece of less
than about 100 words is likely to fall into the Limited or Poor band, a piece of less than
about 200 words is unlikely to score above the Sufficient band. However, a piece of 200+
words will in theory have access to the full mark range. The examiner is assessing primarily
quality rather than quantity and precision and clarity of expression are more important than
the number of points made.
• There is no upper limit on the number of words. The whole piece will be read and marked.
iii) Expression and explanation of ideas/points of view/opinions
• Ideas, points of view and opinions must be viewed as one notion and are the same for
assessment purposes.
• To score 4+ for Content there must be at least two opinions/points of view/ideas
expressed.
• To score 10+ for Content, at least two opinions must be expressed and explained /
justified. At a basic level, explanation of an opinion is most likely to consist of a statement
of the opinion followed by because…, but more able students may find more subtle ways of
justifying their opinions. For example, the explanation may come before the opinion (see
below).
iv) Clarity of expression In order to gain a mark of 7+ for Content, there is a requirement that
information, opinions and development of points be conveyed clearly. The following are the
factors most likely to affect clarity of expression:
• incorrect choice of vocabulary/dictionary errors
• gross grammatical errors which hinder communication. Errors with verb endings,
particularly the wrong person of the verb, are particularly important here.
• omissions of words, phrases or whole sentences. These generally occur where the student
has attempted to learn by heart a draft version of the task and remembered it imperfectly so
that the sense of the sentence or paragraph is impaired.
• (occasionally) gross errors of punctuation
v)
Organisation For the top Content band there is a requirement that the piece should have a
well organised structure. Pieces scoring in the bottom band may have no real structure.
Note the following points:
•
A well organised structure means a sound ordering of ideas but not necessarily a formal
essay structure with an introduction, conclusion, etc.
•
Students are, however, required to produce a continuous piece of writing rather than a
series of answers to the bullet points on the task sheet. A piece which cannot be fully
understood without reference to the task sheet is unlikely to demonstrate a well organised
structure.
•
In the vast majority of cases, the requirement for a piece placed in the top band for Content
to have a well organised structure will not be an issue. It will be other factors which
determine whether it scores in the top band and many pieces placed in lower bands will
also be well organised.
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CONTENT – SUMMARY
•
•
•
•
•
Content not fully relevant Examiners will not award a mark above 12
Structure obviously not well organised Examiners will not award a mark above 12
Fewer than 2 opinions explained Examiners will not award a mark above 9
Only one opinion or no opinions expressed Examiners will not award a mark above 3
Deciding on a mark within the Content band If the descriptor fits the piece exactly
examiners will award the middle mark in the band. If there is strong evidence of the descriptors
and/or examiners considered the band above, then examiners will award the highest of the
three marks; if there is only just enough evidence and/or examiners considered the band
below, then examiners will award the lowest mark.
In the top (Very Good) band, a performance which matches the descriptor exactly will be
awarded the middle mark of 14; the top mark (15) comfortably fulfils all of the criteria and
may even go beyond them.
Information
conveyed
Relevance
Very Good
13-15
marks
Fully relevant
Detailed
response –
almost all
information
developed
Mainly
relevant
A lot of
information generally
developed
Sufficient
7-9 marks
Generally
relevant
Limited
4-6 marks
Poor
1-3 marks
Good
10-12
marks
0 marks
Opinions
expressed /
explained
A number (at least
two) opinions
expressed and
explained in some
detail
Clarity of
expression
Organisation
Almost all
information
conveyed
clearly
Well organised
structure
At least two
opinions expressed
and explained
A lot of
information
conveyed
clearly
Quite a lot of
info - some
development
At least two
opinions. Some
development of
opinions
Some
information
conveyed
clearly
(Structure less
well organised
– can only be
fully
understood by
reference to
the task sheet)
Some
relevant
information
Limited
responsesome
information –
some
development
At least two basic
opinions expressed
Clarity of
expression
generally a
problem
Little relevant
information
Very limited little
information
Few or no basic
opinions expressed
No real
structure
No relevant information communicated in a coherent fashion
(b) RANGE OF LANGUAGE
GENERAL OVERVIEW
9-10 marks
• A variety of tenses must be used successfully. This means two or more tenses and a
minimum of one instance of a tense use which is other than the default tense used. The
tenses could come from the same time frame (for example the preterite and the imperfect)
but a greater range of tenses will add to the complexity of the language used. An overall
judgement needs to be made as to whether “verb tenses are used successfully”. There
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needs to be evidence that the student can communicate messages successfully in more
than one tense. There may be minor spelling errors (and in German occasional word order
errors) but provided they do not prevent communication they can be credited.
•
The use of different tenses is not a ‘passport’ to the 9-10 band.
•
There must be evidence of successful use of complex sentences. This could be:
- use of subordinating conjunctions (but this is not an absolute requirement)
- use of adverbial phrases
- use of infinitive constructions after a preposition, after an adjective or after a verb
- a range of different structures leading to longer, more varied sentences
- use of pronoun objects
- use of adverbial conjunctions or prepositional phrases
- regular use of connectives to form longer sentences.
However, this is GCSE so even in the highest mark band examiners are not necessarily looking for
use of the subjunctive or similar grammatical structures.
•
There needs to be a wide range of vocabulary. This means that students will not be too
repetitive in the words they use.
7-8 marks
• Mainly successful use of complex sentences. The note above about what constitutes
complexity for the 9-10 band will also apply here.
• No specific requirement to use more than one tense but the use of different tenses may
constitute evidence of ‘more complex sentences.’
• There must be a good range of vocabulary, so students in this band will again be trying to
avoid repetition of the more common words.
5-6 marks
• There will be some attempts made at longer sentences using appropriate linking words. At
this level this will often mean repeated dependence on simple connectives such as ‘and’ /
‘but’, though ‘because’ will also be found fairly frequently when students attempt to explain
ideas and points of view. Use of other forms of complex sentences will often not be wholly
successful.
• There should be some variety of vocabulary, though students will generally be using a
more basic range of vocabulary than in the higher bands and there may be more repetition.
3-4 marks
• Language will be basic, with short, simple sentences. Attempts at longer sentences and
more difficult constructions will usually not be successful.
• Vocabulary will generally be appropriate to the basic needs of the task but will be limited,
with a lot of repetition and overuse of a few common verbs such as to be, to have, to like, to
go.
1-2 marks
• Little understanding of language structure shown with just the occasional short phrase
which is correctly used.
• Vocabulary will be very basic, with only isolated words correctly used. Vocabulary will often
be anglicised.
DETAILED CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES
i) Variety of vocabulary
Consider particularly:
•
use of synonyms
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•
•
use of ‘Higher Tier’/more sophisticated vocabulary – though this may vary somewhat from
centre to centre depending on course books used, etc.
dictionary use – frequent poor dictionary use is likely to have a limiting effect on the mark
available
ii) Variety of structures
Consider:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
use of infinitive constructions introduced by prepositions, adjectives, nouns and after verbs
use of object pronouns
use of connectives
use of adverbs and adverbial phrases
use of comparative expressions
use of demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
use of complex sentences and a range of tenses
iii) Use of complex/longer sentences
Consider:
•
use of subordinate clauses
•
use of the present subjunctive after verbs of wishing, command, request, emotion
and, when considering use of longer sentences:
•
use of co-ordinating conjunctions
iv) Use of tenses
•
•
•
•
•
•
To score 9 or 10 marks for Range of Language a variety of tenses must be used
successfully. This means two or more tenses and a minimum of one instance of a tense
use which is other than the default tense used. The tenses could come from the same time
frame (for example the preterite and the imperfect). A greater range of tenses will add to
the complexity of the language used.
An overall judgement needs to be made as to whether “verb tenses are used successfully.”
There needs to be evidence that the student can communicate messages successfully in
more than one tense. There may be minor spelling errors but provided they do not prevent
communication they can be credited.
The immediate future counts as a separate tense (and a different tense from the future). A
present tense verb with a future time marker does not.
The present subjunctive does not count as a separate tense from the present indicative. A
construction using the present tense to refer to the past counts as the present tense.
Similarly a construction using the present tense to refer to the future counts as the present.
The imperfect subjunctive and the passive voice are not required for active use in this
specification but should be credited if used.
The use of different tenses is not a ‘passport’ to the 9-10 band.
Below the 9-10 band, use of a range of tenses is a factor to take into consideration when
judging use of a variety of structures/complex language.
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RANGE OF LANGUAGE – SUMMARY
• Only one tense used Examiners do not award a mark above 8
• Only one or no longer/complex sentences Examiners do not award a mark above 4
• The Range of Language mark must not be more than one band higher than the mark
awarded for Content.
Variety of vocabulary
9-10
marks
Wide variety of
vocabulary. Avoidance of
repetition. Use of ‘Higher
Tier’/more sophisticated
vocabulary
7-8
marks
Good variety of
vocabulary – some
attempts to avoid
repetition
5-6
marks
3-4
marks
1-2
marks
0
marks
Variety of
structures
Wide variety of
structures used
successfully
Use of complex /
longer sentences
Successful use of
complex sentences –
handled with
confidence to produce
a fluent piece of
coherent language
Mostly successful use
of complex sentences
Good variety of
structures used
with some
success, enabling
the student to
communicate with
some degree of
precision.
Some variety of
Some variety of
At least two attempts
vocabulary but repetition structures, though at longer sentences
of some common words
more difficult
using appropriate
structures may
linking words
not always be
used successfully
Limited vocabulary but
Basic language
Sentences mainly
appropriate to the basic
using simple
short and simple.
needs of the task. A lot
structures which
Attempts at longer
of repetition. Overuse of
are rarely linked.
sentences may be
common words. There
Attempts at
flawed
may be poor dictionary
difficult
use.
constructions will
often be
unsuccessful
Very limited vocabulary,
Little
often anglicised or
understanding of
containing many
language
cognates. Incorrect use
structure. An
of some words.
occasional short
Sometimes, only isolated phrase or
words used correctly.
sentence may be
correctly used.
No language produced which is worthy of credit
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Use of tenses
At least two
tenses used
successfully
No requirement to
use more than
one tense, but,
when used, a
range of tenses
can be
considered under
variety of
structures
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(c) ACCURACY
GENERAL OVERVIEW
NB. Range of tenses is assessed under RANGE OF LANGUAGE. The range of tenses is not
considered when assessing Accuracy.
5 marks
• Largely accurate.
• Major errors only usually appear in complex structures.
• There may be some minor errors (eg gender).
• Verbs and tenses are secure.
4 marks
• Errors occur but the piece is generally accurate. Mistakes made will not generally impede
communication.
• Verbs and tenses are usually correct.
3 marks
• More accurate than inaccurate, though there will often be fairly frequent errors.
• The intended meaning is clear.
• Verbs and tenses are sometimes unsuccessful.
2 marks
• Many errors.
• Mistakes often impede communication.
• Verbs are rarely accurate.
1 mark
• Frequent errors.
• Mistakes regularly impede communication.
• Limited understanding of basic linguistic structures.
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DETAILED CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES
•
There are only 5 marks available to cover the whole range of ability (ie 8 grades). Each
mark will therefore cover a relatively wide range of performance and a mark of 5 will
represent more than an A* performance.
•
The mark awarded for Accuracy must not be more than one band higher than the mark
awarded for Content.
•
Examiners are not over-influenced by the standard of accuracy in the last part of a piece –
this will probably be the most inaccurate bit. If in doubt, they re-read the whole piece.
•
A repeated major error (ie one where communication is impeded) should be considered
each time it occurs. Repeated minor errors will incur no further penalty after the first
occurrence.
Major errors
5 marks Largely accurate Hardly any, usually
only in attempts at
more complex
sentences
4 marks Generally
A few, usually only in
accurate
attempts at more
complex sentences
Minor errors
Verbs/tenses
A few (eg mistakes
of gender, minor
spelling mistakes)
Secure
Some
Mostly correct
3 marks More accurate
than inaccurate
Some gross errors but Fairly frequent
the intended meaning
is clear
Sometimes
correct
2 marks Many errors
Many –
communication is
often impeded
Rarely correct
1 mark
Frequent – errors
regularly impede
communication
Many errors – most
sentences contain
mistakes
Frequent – Limited
understanding of
basic linguistic
structures
No
language
produced
which
is
worthy
of
credit
0 marks
Little, if any understanding of the most basic linguistic structures
Frequent errors
Limited
understanding
Language-specific Reports on the Examination and Mark Schemes
Please note that these are available via e-AQA SKM immediately after the publication of results.
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