MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/WH – JUNE 2021
2
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the
... [Show More] 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’ scripts. 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
Copyright information
AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own
internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third
party even for internal use within the centre.
Copyright © 2021 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/WH – JUNE 2021
3
Part 1 – General marking guidance for GCSE MFL Writing Tests
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The
descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level.
Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as
instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the
descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in
the student’s answer 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 answer. With
practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers 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 answer and not look to pick holes in
small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If
the answer 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 response 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 descriptors on how to allocate
marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an
answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This
answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer
with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then
use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example.
You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and
assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate.
Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be
exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points
mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme.
An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks.
MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/WH – JUNE 2021
4
Marks will be allocated in the following way at Higher Tier:
Content Quality of
language
Range of
language
Accuracy Conveying
key
messages
Application of
grammatical
knowledge of
language and
structures
Total
Question 1 10 6 16
Question 2 15 12 5 32
Question 3 6 6 12
Total 25 6 12 5 6 6 60
Higher Question 1/Foundation Question 4
10 marks for Content + 6 marks for Quality of language (16 marks in total).
Candidates write approximately 90 words in total about four different bullet points. All bullet points must
be covered, but there is no need for equal coverage of the bullets.
When deciding a particular mark, it is advisable to identify the band of marks first, and then decide
whether you are tempted by the band above or the band below. This will enable you to award an
appropriate mark within a mark range.
The question is marked for Content and for Quality of language, according to the following criteria.
(NOTE THAT THESE CRITERIA ARE DIFFERENT FROM FOUNDATION QUESTION 2):
Content
Marks Response
9–10 A very good response covering all aspects of the task. Communication is clear and a lot of
information is conveyed. Opinions are expressed.
7–8 A good response covering all aspects of the task. Communication is mostly clear but
perhaps with occasional lapses. Quite a lot of information is conveyed. Opinions are
expressed.
5–6 A reasonable response covering almost all aspects of the task. Communication is
generally clear but there are likely to be lapses. Some information is conveyed. An
opinion is expressed.
3–4 A basic response covering some aspects of the task. Communication is sometimes clear
but there are instances where messages break down. Little information is conveyed. An
opinion is expressed.
1–2 A limited response covering some aspects of the task. Communication is often not clear
and there may be frequent instances where messages break down. Very little information
is conveyed. There may be no opinions expressed.
0 The content does not meet the standard required for a mark at this tier.
MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/WH – JUNE 2021
5
The candidate’s response must be relevant to the bullet points. Any information which cannot be
deemed relevant in the broadest sense must be ignored when awarding the mark for Content.
A minimum number of bullet points must be covered for the award of marks for Content, as follows:
7–10 marks: 4 bullet points
5–6 marks: 3 bullet points
3–4 marks: 2 bullet points
1–2 marks: 1 bullet point
The information that the candidate gives must be clear. If what is written is unclear, this will have a
bearing on the mark for Content. For example, the candidate may convey information in relation to all
four bullet points, but lapses in clarity may mean that a lower mark than the 9 or 10 is more appropriate.
The more lapses in clarity that there are, the lower the mark is likely to be. All of the information that a
candidate attempts to give in relation to a particular bullet point may be unintelligible, in which case that
bullet point will not have been covered, meaning that the maximum mark will be 6.
You must accept any information which is a plausible response to the bullet point, even if it does not
explicitly mention, for instance, a time or place. For example, if the student is asked to say what he/she
does on a typical visit to a shopping centre and they write ‘I buy some clothes and go to see a film’, this
is also an acceptable fulfilment of the task, even though ‘shopping centre’ is not mentioned. Equally, if
the bullet asks what the candidate did last weekend, and he/she writes ‘I went to see my grandparents
and then went to a theme park’, this can feasibly be an account of what happened last weekend, even
though ‘last weekend’ is not mentioned. However, if the candidate were to use an incorrect verb form, for
example the infinitive or an incorrect tense, but the correct person of that tense, then a mention of 'last
weekend' or 'last Saturday/Sunday' would be needed in order to demonstrate that the bullet point had
been addressed. Unsuccessful references to time frames would then be considered under Quality of
Language.
The band refers to the amount of information that is conveyed, as follows:
9–10: a lot
7–8: quite a lot
5–6: some
3–4: little
1–2: very little
All of these have to be considered with reference to the suggested number of words, which is
approximately 90. In other words, a candidate who writes approximately 90 words, clearly
understandable and relevant to all four bullet points, will be able to achieve 10 marks, provided the other
criteria are met. Conversely, a candidate may write much more than 90 words, but the language is so
inaccurate that little or very little information is conveyed successfully and the mark will be much lower.
If a candidate writes considerably fewer than 90 words, ‘a lot of information’ will not be conveyed.
The candidate must give opinions in order to have access to certain marks, as follows:
7–10: two opinions
3–6: one opinion
This is not an automatic mark and the other criteria within a particular band must be met. If there is no
opinion, the maximum mark is 2. An opinion may be expressed simply, for example: ‘I like going
shopping’. Any positive or negative adjective (‘interesting’; ‘boring’, etc) is classed as an opinion. A
neutral or descriptive adjective is only classed as an opinion if it is preceded by something like ‘I think
that’. For example: ‘I think that my town is big’.
MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/WH – JUNE 2021
6
Quality of language
Marks Response
5–6 A variety of appropriate vocabulary is used. Complex structures and sentences are
attempted. There are references to three time frames, which are largely successful. Errors
are mainly minor. Some more serious errors may occur, particularly in complex structures
and sentences, but the intended meaning is nearly always clear. The style and register are
appropriate.
3–4 Some variety of appropriate vocabulary is used. There may be some attempt at complex
structures and sentences. There are references to at least two different time frames,
although these may not always be successful. There may be some major errors, and more
frequent minor errors, but overall the response is more accurate than inaccurate and the
intended meaning is usually clear. The style and register may not always be appropriate.
1–2 The range of vocabulary may be narrow, repetitive and/or inappropriate to the needs of the
task. Sentences are mainly short and simple or may not be properly constructed. There
may be frequent major and minor errors. Little or no awareness of style and register.
0 The language produced does not meet the standard required for a mark at this tier.
The whole of the response must be assessed when awarding the mark for Quality of language, even if
some of it is irrelevant to the bullet points. [Show Less]