Modern Foreign Languages- Spanish

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GCSE 2009- Delivering the new specification in
September 2009

• Modern Foreign Languages- Spanish

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• FRASER MACDONALD
• CHIEF EXAMINER GCSE

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Aims of Event

• During the course delegates will
• learn about the total package and how it will
  help you achieve better results
• be taken through the impact of the changes to the
  new specification
• develop a full understanding of controlled
  assessment and how Edexcel will support this
  aspect
• understand the assessment implications of the new
  specification
• have the opportunity to explore delivery
  strategies applicable to the new specification.

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GCSE Spanish why change?

• Sept 2004 Change from Foundation to Entitlement
  status led to radical fall
  in overall numbers of language learners.
• Students opted for more relevant and
  exciting and less difficult subjects.
• Dearing Review noted lack of 14-16 students
  engaged in language learning because of
• high stakes assessment
• need for more relevant student-centred
  content
• The new GCSEs are a response to that criticism
  and
• move away from irrelevant, over-familiar
  content
• incorporate content in line with student
  interests, experiences
• and needs
• offer fresh challenges and introduce new
  and fair assessments

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SIGNIFICANT CHANGES 1

• New TOPIC AREAS to make the content more relevant
  and contemporary for the students (pets, what
  you do to help at home, school uniform and
  penfriends for example are gone)
• New weightings for the SKILL AREAS to give
  greater emphasis to PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
• New FLEXIBILITY in allowing students to sit the
  exam in stages
• Option 1 traditional taking all 4 papers
  as a terminal exam
• Option 2 short course to offer 2 skill
  areas at 1 sitting and top up
• later
• eg a) Speaking and
  Listening
• b) Reading and
  Writing

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SIGNIFICANT CHANGES 2

• Students can now re-sit once per skill before
  receiving final certificate but must retake at
  least 40 of the assessment requirements (ie 2
  units minimum)
• Removal of coursework and replacement with
• Controlled Assessments in Speaking and
  Writing
• SPEAKING 2 different task types chosen
  from
• a) open interaction
  (unscripted role-play)
• b) picture-based
  discussion
• c) presentation followed
  by discussion
• WRITING 2 separate writing tasks of no
  more than 1 hour each
• based on a choice of 5
  Topic Areas

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SIGNIFICANT CHANGES 3

• Flexibility to carry our Speaking Controlled
  Assessments at any time during the course.
  Marked by the Centre and Moderated by Edexcel.
• Flexibility in Speaking Assessments to use
  Edexcel material, modified Edexcel material or
  Centre-devised material within the given Topic
  Areas.
• Flexibility in Writing assessments to use Edexcel
  material, modified Edexcel material or
  Centre-devised tasks. Marked by Edexcel.

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Qualification structure
Assessment

Unit/skill
Edexcel marked
Examination
20
Unit 1 Listening understanding Defined common
topic areas
Centre marked/Edexcel moderated
Controlled assessments
30
Unit 2 Speaking Student/teacher choice of
theme(s)
Edexcel marked
Examination
20
Unit 3 Reading understanding Defined common
topic areas
Edexcel marked
Controlled assessments
30
Unit 4 Writing Student/teacher choice of theme(s)
Option of onscreen assessments available from
2011
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Availability of units

• U1 Listening Summer only
• U3 Reading Summer only
• U2 Speaking Winter Summer
• U4 Writing - Winter Summer
• 1st assessment opportunity for all units Summer
  2010
• 1st certification short courses Summer 2010
• full course
  Summer 2011

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LISTENING AND READING

• UNITS 1 3
• Tiered Foundation Higher

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NEW TOPIC AREASUnit 1 (Listening) and Unit 3
(Reading)

• OUT AND ABOUT visitor information
• basic
  weather
• local
  amenities
• 
  accommodation
• public
  transport
• 
  directions
• CUSTOMER SERVICE TRANSACTIONS
• cafés and
  restaurants
• shops
• dealing
  with problems

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NEW TOPIC AREASUnit 1 (Listening) and Unit 3
(Reading)

• PERSONAL INFORMATION general interests
• 
  leisure activities
• 
  family and friends
• 
  lifestyle
• FUTURE PLANS, EDUCATION AND WORK
• basic
  language of the internet
• 
  simple job advertisements
• 
  simple job applications CV
• 
  school and college
• work
  and work experience

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Assessment format (1)

• 2 sets of papers (Foundation and Higher) sent for
  each candidate
• No requirement to write answers in the Target
  Language
• 20 each for Full Course (40 of Short Course for
  one skill). 40 marks per paper.
• For both skills, Foundation Higher Tier papers
  available on paper (from 2010) also onscreen
  (from 2011).
• All questions have English titles rubrics.
• There will be less use of icons.

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Assessment format (2)

• Crossover questions in Higher Foundation papers
  targeted at
• grades D C.
• Peaks troughs at Foundation Tier
• In the listening papers, the majority of answers
  will not require any full-answer written
  responses.
• Higher Tier reading paper includes a question in
  Spanish
• but no requirement to write in the Target
  Language.

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TIMINGS

• Listening Foundation 25 minutes 5 minutes
  reading time
• Listening Higher 35 minutes 5 minutes
  reading time
• Reading Foundation 35 minutes
• Reading Higher 50 minutes

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Delegate activity

• Sample listening
• Sample reading

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• SPEAKING
• UNIT TWO
• NON-TIERED

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Unit 2 Speaking in Spanish

• TOPIC AREAS
• 1. Media and culture music/film/reading
• 
  fashion/celebrities/religion
• blogs/internet
• 2. Sport and leisure hobbies/interests
• sporting events
• lifestyle
  choices
• 3. Travel and tourism holidays
• accommodation
• eating, food
  and drink

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UNIT 2 Speaking in Spanish

• TOPIC AREAS (cont)
• Business, Work and Employment
• work
  experience/part-time jobs
• product or service
  information
• 5. Centre-devised option
• allowing links to other areas of the
  curriculum not specified in the Topic Areas list.
• (Formal assessments can be carried out in any
  appropriate setting provided that there is no
  replication with Unit 4 Writing. The theme may
  be the same but the purpose of the tasks must be
  different).

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SUGGESTED PATTERN

• PHASE 1
• Teach content linked to an aspect of the chosen
  theme.
• Practise related tasks.
• Unlimited teacher feedback.
• PHASE 2
• Set the specific assessment task.
• Explain the task.
• Candidates prepare the task.

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Assessment format (1)

• 2 different tasks of 4-6 minutes each based on
• Picture-based discussion (picture chosen by
  student)
• 2. Presentation (max.3 mins) follow-up
  discussion
• (for both the above students can refer to
  bullet point notes or mind map of 30 words max.)
• 3. Open interaction (unscripted role-play based
  on a stimulus)
• Focused content both tasks can relate to
  one specific theme

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Assessment format (2)

• Each task 4-6 minutes, conducted in controlled
  conditions
• Centre assessed, Edexcel moderated
• Single assessment criteria grid for all 3 task
  types to facilitate marking - pages 18 19 in
  specification
• Focus on communication (see assessment criteria)

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Speaking controlled assessment

• Task setting
• Edexcel to provide exemplar stimuli
• Teachers may adapt these
• Teachers may create their own (no requirement for
• approval but Ask the Expert facility
  available)
• Tasks should provide opportunities for
  appropriate stretch challenge
• Stimulus in English or Spanish (max 70 words)

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Speaking controlled assessment

• TASK SETTING choose Edexcel stimuli
• adapt Edexcel
  stimuli
• create own stimuli
• All open interaction tasks to be refreshed every
  2 years
• Students can be assessed on repeat occasions but
  must not undertake
• the same assessment task twice if it is being
  counted towards final
• assessment
• Students re-sitting must use different tasks

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Speaking controlled assessment

• TASK MARKING
• Teachers assess own students work and fill
  in a form to show how marks were awarded.
• Edexcel moderates a sample of the work and a
  report is sent to the Centre when final results
  are published.

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Speaking controlled assessment

• TASK TAKING
• The student carries out all assessed work and
  preparation under the
• formal supervision of a teacher to ensure that
  the work is the students
• own.
• Students should have up to 6 hours teaching time
  (within a max. of 2
• weeks) to prepare for their speaking assessment.
• Each task takes between 4 and 6 minutes under
  controlled conditions.
• During the test the student may refer to the
  stimulus (where
• appropriate) and 30 words max. of notes.

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Support for speaking

• Sample Assessment Materials
• Teachers Guide
• Edexcel GCSE Spanish textbook and linked
  materials
• SSAT-led programme of training events local
  network support meetings for controlled
  assessment
• Further exemplar student work commentaries

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Delegate activity

• Picture based discussion
• Listen to sample
• Discuss performance
• Raising the bar?
• Questioning techniques?
• Open-interaction
• Listen to sample
• Discuss performance
• Differentiation?
• Questioning techniques?

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WRITING

• UNIT 4
• NON-TIERED

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Unit 4 Writing in Spanish

• TOPIC AREAS
• Media and culture music/film/reading
• 
  fashion/celebrities/religion
• 
  blogs/internet
• Sport and leisure hobbies/interests
• sporting
  events
• lifestyle
  choices
• Travel tourism holidays
• accommodation
• 
  eating/food/drink

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Unit 4 Writing in Spanish

• TOPIC AREAS (Cont)
• Business, work and employment
• work
  experience/part-time jobs
• product or service
  information
• Centre-devised option (linked to other areas of
  the curriculum not specified in the Topic Areas
  listed above)

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Writing more freedom

• The new specification gives centres greater
  flexibility to create assessment materials to
  suit the strengths and interests of their own
  candidates.
• The specification also allows for greater focus
  all speaking and writing can be linked to one
  theme if desired. However, note that the purpose
  of the tasks set must be different.
• Tasks may be word-processed or hand-written.

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Assessment format - writing

• Differentiation is by outcome.
• 60 marks are available each task is marked using
  the grids for Communication and Content (15),
  Knowledge and Application of Language (10) and
  Accuracy (5).
• Candidates produce two separate writing tasks
  which may be linked to the same topic area.

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Assessment format - writing

• It is anticipated that candidates will produce at
  least 100 words for each task.
• However, candidates aiming for grade C or above
  are expected to produce over 200 words in each
  task.
• All work will be marked by Edexcel

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Writing controlled assessment

• Candidates must complete the two long or four
  shorter writing tasks in
• controlled conditions in two separate assessment
  sessions lasting no
• more than 1 hour each.
• Controlled assessments may be undertaken at any
  time during the course.
• Teachers should make sure that candidates have
  enough breadth of language available to access
  the full mark range before setting an assessment
  task.

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Writing controlled assessment

• SUGGESTED PATTERN
• PHASE 1
• Teach content linked to an aspect of the chosen
  theme.
• Practise related tasks.
• Unlimited teacher feedback.
• PHASE 2
• Set the specific assessment task.
• Explain the task.
• Candidate prepares the task.
• (In controlled conditions students may refer
  to a dictionary or on-line dictionary, the
  relevant stimulus and brief notes in bullet point
  or mind map 30 words maximum).

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Setting your own tasks

• You may use material from previous examinations.
• Edexcel tasks may be used as they are or adapted.
• Tasks may be set in English or in Spanish.
• Ensure that the tasks set are appropriate for the
  candidates ability.
• If in doubt about the suitability of the task you
  are setting, you may use the AskTheExpert service.

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Terminal Rule in GCSE 2009

• QCA has a Terminal Rule for unitised
  qualifications. Unitised qualifications offer
  individual unit assessment. Candidates are able
• to resit each unit once.
• The rule states that
• at least 40 of the assessment must be taken in
  the final exam session
• the final exam session is the session in which
  candidates are claiming their award.
• the results from these terminal attempts must be
  used for the calculation of the final grade.

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Support for writing

• Past papers can be used or adapted.
• Sample assessment material.
• Edexcel GCSE Spanish textbook and linked
  materials
• Programme of SSAT support meetings
• Further assessment material will be made
  available as teaching begins.

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Delegate activity

• Exemplar writing assessment
• Stimulus
• Differentiation
• Candidate performance
• Raising the bar?

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Resources and support

• http//www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/mfl/spani
  sh/Pages/default.aspx
• Edexcel Subject Advisor GCSE Languages
• 0844 576 0035 and LanguagesSubjectAdvisor_at_edexc
  elexperts.co.uk
• gcsespanish_at_edexcelexperts.co.uk
• Further examples of controlled assessment tasks
  available in September 2009

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