GCSE
FRENCH
8658/SH
Paper 2 Speaking Higher Tier
Mark scheme including Guidance for Role-plays
June 2023
Version: 0.3
... [Show More] Post-Standardisation
*236G8658/SH/MS*
3
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the
relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments
made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which
was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme
covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it
in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of
students’ tests. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and
legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which
have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.
It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed
and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future
mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding
principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a
particular examination paper.
Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk
Contents
Page
4 Part One Mark Scheme
6 Section 1: Role-play
9 Section 2: Discussion of photo card
11 Section 3: General conversation
15 Appendix 1: Subject content (Themes)
16 Appendix 2: Speaking Score Sheet
17 Appendix 3: Symbols for annotating Speaking Score Sheet
18 Appendix 4: Marking of photo card – guidance notes
26 Appendix 5: Role-plays – General Principles
27 Appendix 6: Photo cards – General Principles
28 Appendix 7: Photo cards – Guidance on paraphrasing
29 Part Two Mark Scheme
29 Section 1: Role-plays – specific June 2023 mark schemes
5
Speaking Tests –Higher tier
Part One Mark Scheme
Principles of marking
The Speaking Tests are marked in accordance with the assessment criteria provided later in this
document. No allowance can be made for poor teacher conduct of the tests. You can only
assess what you hear.
If a candidate requires a prompt or explanation of any kind, including the provision of an item
of obviously unknown vocabulary, this must be given clearly and audibly by the teacherexaminer without stopping the recording.
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are used in the Photo card and General conversation tasks.
The criteria are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the
level shows the average performance for that level.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the student
performance meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different
qualities that might be seen in the student’s performance for that level. If it meets the lowest level then
go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level
descriptor and the performance. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better performances
you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme.
When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the performance and not look to pick
holes where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the performance covers
different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme, you should use a ‘best fit’ approach for
defining the level and then use the variability of the performance to help decide the mark within the
level, ie if the response is predominantly level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material it would be
placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content.
Step 2 Determine a mark
Once you have assigned a level, you need to decide on the mark. The exemplar materials
used during standardisation will help. You can compare the student’s performance with the
examples marked by the Lead Examiner to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse
than the examples. You can then use this information to allocate a mark for the performance.
You may well need to go back through the test as you apply the mark scheme to assure
yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate.
6
The test as a whole
Each candidate’s speaking test consists of three parts, completed in this order:
Part 1 Role-play – 2 minutes approximately (15 marks)
Part 2 Discussion of photo card – 3 minutes at Higher tier (15 marks)
Part 3 General conversation – 5–7 minutes at Higher tier (30 marks)
Total marks at Higher tier = 60
Nine role-plays and photo cards will be set at each tier in each series for French,
German and Spanish and six for small entry languages.
Marks will be allocated in the following way at Higher tier:
Communication Knowledge Range and Pronunciation Spontaneity Total
and use of accuracy of and and fluency
language language intonat [Show Less]