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The GCSE in Applied French
Organisational issues
Teachers need the commitment of the senior leadership team and support of members of the languages department in order to successfully introduce an Applied GCSE French course as there are some important aspects to consider:
Planning the course - timetabling and staffing
- It is essential that the staff selected to teach the Applied French course fully embrace the fact that the course is work-related and that this will need a change of approach if the course is to be successful. Staff need to understand that the French needs to be taught in the chosen specialist context (business, media and communication or leisure and tourism).
- Time will need to be allocated to plan detailed schemes of work to ensure that there is full coverage of the generic topic areas within the chosen specialist context.
- Language staff need to be trained in how to deliver and assess the Applied French course so it is important to consider funding for INSET in the summer term prior to the introduction of the course. Edexcel offers training courses at different locations around the country and can also organise bespoke training for individual schools or groups of schools wishing to begin the course. Ongoing training will be necessary to ensure that staff are familiar with the assessment requirements especially for the oral and written components which are teacher-assessed and externally moderated.
- ICT staff will need to be familiarised with the requirements for the on-screen tests. It is important to do this at a early stage to ensure that that the computer system is appropriate to cope with the demands of the test and that there are sufficient computers to enable the students to sit the examinations.
- Timetable allocation for the Applied GCSE French is the same as for the conventional GCSE course. It is desirable for some lessons to be timetabled in a computer room if possible in order to give students practice for the on-screen tests. However most lessons should not need ICT access. A typical model might be one lesson in every four or five taking place in a computer suite or a short block of lessons (eg four or five) to complete a particular project which might be internet based.
- Visits, links with companies/tourist attrractions and trips abroad should be planned in order to set the course in an authentic work-related context. Contacting the local Education Business Partnership may help with this. If you are unsure of local contacts, consult the National Education Business Partnership Network.
- Be sure to obtain all available support materials including the candidate kit (rtf 1.77 MB) to facilitate delivery of the course.
The on-screen tests
Before beginning the course it is important to consult with ICT staff to familiarise them with the technical requirements (pdf 76 KB) to ensure that everything is in place. The ICT staff should contact Edexcel and may receive specific training and instructions to suit individual circumstances. The majority of schools have appropriate equipment to be able to conduct the tests. Passwords need to be obtained from Edexcel and it is the responsibility of ICT staff to understand how to do this in good time.
It is essential to conduct practice tests before undertaking the real on-screen examination. This will enable any possible technical problems to be sorted out in advance and should mean that the real exam will run smoothly. ICT staff should ensure that they provide full support for the duration of the exam in case of problems.
Schools have devised different methods of ensuring individual privacy in the on-screen tests. Some have invested in individual booths so that candidates cannot see other screens. Others seat pupils well apart to prevent pupils being able to see neighbouring screens. Some schools seat a pupil entering the listening examination next to a pupil entering the reading examination and then let them sit the next examination (either reading or listening) immediately afterwards. Students will need to have headphones for the listening examination.
If large numbers of pupils are involved in the on-screen tests, it may be necessary to hold some pupils in a waiting area if there are insufficient computers available. As the tests each last only 40 minutes, this should not cause a problem.
Key points about conduct of the spoken interactions
- Samples are supplied by awarding body for all three specialist contexts - Business (doc, 632KB), Leisure and Tourism (doc, 2.11MB), Media and Communication (doc, 370KB).
- Schools may create their own or adapt the sample interactions provided by the awarding body.
- Stimulus material for the interaction may be in English or French with visuals, symbols, photographs etc (if the stimulus is in French, students cannot be rewarded for language lifted from the stimulus).
- Students have three days in which to prepare for the spoken interaction.
- Three spoken interactions must be recorded for each student. The final one of these must be recorded in a window of time specified by the awarding body. It is recommended that five are conducted and the best three are selected from these. Planning will need to be made in advance as to how these recordings are going to be achieved at suitable points throughout the course. The support of senior management is essential for this process to be successful as time will need to be allocated.
- All three interactions must be marked by the teacher in line with the assessment criteria. Teachers should fully familiarise themselves with the assessment criteria well in advance and if possible attend training on the conduct and marking of the speaking component.
- The marks for all candidates for their three best interactions must be submitted to the awarding body.
- Recordings of candidates selected by the awarding body must be sent to the moderator along with the stimulus material used for the interactions.
Recording the presentation
In the formally assessed presentation conducted in the assessment window, students will not be allowed access to a script although they will be able to refer to a printout of key bullet points or a 'spider diagram' (no larger than an A5 piece of paper and containing no more than 30 words). It is important to note that the content of the presentation should be different to any written coursework.
Most schools record the presentation on the same occasion as the spoken interaction. It will be necessary to plan appropriate oral examination time slots to enable the students to carry out the prepared spoken interaction and the presentation. The presentation should last 1-2 minutes with 1-2 minutes of follow-up questions. Therefore the slot required for each candidate including conduct of the spoken interaction would be around 10 minutes.
The Applied GCSE French microsite
Your examinations officer will know how to gain access to the Applied French GCSE microsite and on this site you will be able to obtain valuable information on the conduct of the examination and how to enter marks online.
Document for exams officers on secure online content (pdf 45 KB)
Document for teachers on secure online content (pdf 44 KB)
