Please follow this link to this post for new and updated content relating to the new GCSE 2024
I've spent ages comparing 2016+2024 GCSE French German and Spanish specs + specifically AQA and Edexcel French SAMs. My updated blogpost (please follow link) has links to 5 docs which may help people-including very informal, unrefined YouTube videos! (If you watch them, I recommend setting the speed to at least x1.5!) . As always, please tell me if I have to remove / edit / add anything. My main recommendations: don't panic, take your time, and seriously consider what (if anything) you need to change for KS3. Schools are still bound to deliver the National Curriculum or a similarly ambitious curriculum for KS3.
There are some helpful aspects from the perspective of the pupil experience in the new GCSE assessment:
- comprehension questions in English + speaking and writing tasks set in English (so valid + reliable results and more authentic tasks)
- defined grammatical elements (so, not blanket terms such as 'irregular verbs' - the irregularities are defined);
- no surprise words (just such a scandal that exam boards were forced to select from such an unrepresentative corpus of so-called High Frequency words, despite complaints from an extremely wide range of professional associations and many teachers)
- a continuation of being able to talk and write about their OWN experience with equal credit for words outside the list. (At least that battle was won, thanks to overwhelming response to the consultation).
As ever, one of the dilemmas for teachers is that what might be an 'easier' exam nevertheless, because of comparable outcomes, needs to have similar grades and, as a result, there can be clustering of marks/lack of discrimination. However, something like the comprehension questions in English, does make it a more valid test.
