Subject Content French German Spanish 2022 compared with 2021 proposal V2

 UP-DATE TO BLOGPOST 16/01/22 .  THIS VERSION INCLUDES ANNEX A - FRENCH 

The DfE published the GCSE Suject Content for French German and Spanish on Friday 14th January 2022.

The focus of this exercise is to see what the changes are between the Proposal  for Subejct Content GCSE MFL published in 2021 and what has been published finally in January 2022.

• Column 1: Detail of proposal in 2021
• Column 2: Detail of final 2022
• Column 3: A commentary based on facts.  Where I have given my personal commentary, this is preceded by my initials- HEM.

It will shortly be completed with a comparison of the SSC and grammar requirements fro German an d Spanish.

There will later be a separate analysis of the differences between the current 2015 Subject content and the  January 2022 Subject content.

Link to download the version 2 document from my Google Drive here.

Or read below

Comparison of proposal (2021) and final French German and Spanish GCSE subject content January 2022

Key

SC 2015 = Subject Content 2015

Para = Paragraph

BP = Bullet Point

NC PoS = National Curriculum Programme of Study

HEM = Helen Elizabeth Myers (me!)

HF = High Frequency

Omissions / changes are highlighted in yellow

 

Commentary.  I have sought to make a factual comparison.  For some particular points where I am expressing a personal opinion these are indicated by ‘HEM’.

 

Proposal	Final January 2022	Commentary
MFL GCSE Subject Content	French German and Spanish GCSE subject content January 2022	Necessary, as no changes to other MFL e.g. Italian. I will not comment on this change in the rest of the document
Introduction	Introduction
1 This document sets out the learning outcomes and content coverage required for GCSE specifications in modern foreign languages (MFL).	1 This document sets out the learning outcomes and content coverage required for GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish.
2 GCSE specifications in MFL will take account of the national curriculum programmes of study for key stages 2 and 3. They will build on the foundations of grammar, vocabulary and linguistic competence envisaged by the programmes of study for key stages 2 and 3, increasing the level of linguistic and cognitive demand.	2 GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish will take account of the national curriculum programmes of study for key stages 2 and 3. They will build on the foundations of grammar, vocabulary and linguistic competence envisaged by the programmes of study for key stages 2 and 3, increasing the level of linguistic and cognitive demand.	No change
3.Courses designed to support preparation for GCSE specifications will ensure systematic, well-sequenced coverage of the specification’s linguistic content, avoiding overloading students at any given point, and with ample opportunities for practising the content taught at each stage receptively and productively, in the oral and written modalities, with an approximately equal emphasis on each.	3. Linguistic content for GCSE in French, German and Spanish will focus largely but not exclusively on the most commonly occurring vocabulary of each language. Vocabulary and grammatical requirements for each tier will be clearly defined in the specification. Students will be expected to know and use the linguistic content specified receptively and productively, in the oral and written modalities, with an approximately equal emphasis on each.	SIGNIFICANT The original reference to course preparation (systematic, well-sequenced, practice) has been omitted.  This is correct because the proposal had gone beyond DfE remit which should only be describing content to be examined.   Fresh text in final content signalling at early stage the 2 main features of the Jan 2022 which distinguish it from the 2015: 1.      key focus of subject content on high frequency vocabulary (but note, ‘not exclusively’) 2.      Content is defined and  ALL content is to be used productively (i.e. no receptive-only content).
Subject aims	Subject aims
4. GCSE specifications in MFL should provide a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. They should encourage students to develop confidence in, and a positive attitude towards, MFL and to recognise the importance of languages. They should also provide a strong linguistic and cultural foundation for students who go on to study MFL at a higher level post-16.	4. GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish should provide a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. They should encourage students to develop confidence in, and a positive attitude towards, French, German and Spanish and to recognise the importance of languages. They should also provide a strong linguistic and cultural foundation for students who go on to study languages at a higher level post-16.	No change
5. Through studying a GCSE in a modern foreign language, students should develop their ability and ambition to communicate in speech and writing with speakers of the language for authentic purposes and about subjects which are meaningful and interesting to them. The study of a modern foreign language at GCSE should also broaden students’ horizons, encourage them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and develop new ways of seeing the world.	Through studying a GCSE in a modern foreign language, students should develop their ability and ambition to communicate independently in speech and writing with speakers of the language for authentic purposes and about subjects which are meaningful and interesting to them. The study of a modern foreign language at GCSE should also build students’ confidence and broaden their horizons, enabling them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries, develop new ways of seeing the world, and better understand relationships between the foreign language and the English language.	Added ‘independently’ reinstating word used in SC 2015 [Point 3, BP 4]   build confidence: reinstating word used in SC 2015  [3 BP1) – NC PoS aim   relationships between FL + En HEM: I am uncertain of provenance, but seems a helpful addition!
6. It is important that students should be taught the language in the context of the countries and communities where the language is spoken. As they learn the language, students should become familiar with aspects of the contexts of the countries and communities in which the language is spoken. This is because an appreciation of the culture, history, geography and working environments of these countries and communities is an integral part of a well-designed language course and  is likely to be motivating and interesting for students. Such contexts will be referenced in assessment tasks as appropriate.	6. It is important that students following a GCSE course should become familiar with aspects of the contexts and cultures of the countries and communities where the language is spoken. Linguistic content may be developed through a range of broad themes and topics which have, for example, cultural, geographical, political, contemporary, historical or employment-related relevance. Linguistic content which is largely, though not exclusively, determined by frequency will enable material  relating to most broad themes and topics to be used, and will unlock a wide range of spoken and written texts.	SIGNIFICANT Now there is option [‘may’] to group content into themes (examples given – but not prescribed).   HEM: Note that examples do not include reference to a context of  personal + social relevance (which could include for example needing to ask where the toilet is). So apparently not wishing to make the concession that students would be motivated by learning language of immediate relevance to them and their lives.  [BUT I have to note that teachers complaining about ‘boring topics’ have not helped when trying to make this argument.  Beware of what you wish for …!]   SIGNIFICANT Acknowledgment of need for language which is ‘not exclusively’ determined by frequency [HEM: But still worded to imply it is the HF which will unlock, whereas we know that it is the basic core vocab which unlocks meaning [ref: Jim Milton beer/omelette example.. can you mime an omelette? ]
Subject content	Subject content
7. GCSE specifications in MFL should enable students to:	7. GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish should enable students to:	No change
a. Learn, and be able to recall readily and use, the range of vocabulary required for the level at which they are studying. The parameters for specifying the vocabulary to be learnt are set out in paragraphs 13-21 of this document.	a Learn and use the range of vocabulary required for the level at which they are studying. The parameters for specifying the vocabulary to be learnt are set out in paragraphs 13-21 of this document.	Removes words ‘recall readily’. This allows examination of carrying out a function rather than the speed at which it is done.   [HEM: ‘Recall readily’ probably coming from the cognitive science focus on need to give opportunities for ‘recall’ in a sequence of lessons]
b. Learn and be able to use the grammar specified to understand and produce meaning accurately, in oral and written modalities, and to speak with increasing fluency. The grammar to be learnt in each language is set out in annexes 1-3 of this document.	b. Learn and use the grammar specified to understand and produce meaning in written and oral modalities. The grammar to be learnt in each language is set out in Annexes 1-3 of this document.	Removes reference to ‘speak with increasing fluency’. Fluency not necessarily only related to grammar.   HEM: Not sure why oral and written interchanged.  Traditionally, skills are mentioned in the sequence of learning: Listening – speaking – reading – writing. Perhaps another way of signalling that this is ‘different’ just as the word ‘skill’ is perhaps deliberately avoided.
c. Know and be able to apply the principles by which spelling represents sounds in standard or widely used forms of the language, and use clear and comprehensible pronunciation when speaking the language.	c. Learn and apply the principles by which spelling represents sounds in standard or widely used forms of the language, and use clear and comprehensible pronunciation when speaking the language.	HEM Q: Why changed from know to learn?  [should be in terms of what candidates know, understand and can do …]
8. Students should be able to use the language they are learning both receptively and productively, in spoken and written forms, for a range of audiences and purposes, in different genres and in formal and informal contexts which are relevant to their current and future needs and interests, having regard to the likely experiences of a wide social range. They should be able to recall and use language in familiar and new situations and be able to move between the language they are learning and English.	8. Students should be able to use the language they are learning both receptively and productively, in spoken and written forms, for a range of audiences and purposes, in different genres and in formal and informal contexts which are relevant to their current and future needs and interests, having regard to the likely experiences of a wide social range. They should be able to recall and use language in different situations and be able to move between the language they are learning and English.	‘Different’ not ‘new’ HEM: … presumably because the focus is on breadth of situation rather than novelty of situation.
9. GCSE specifications in MFL must require students to:	9. GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish must require students to	No change
a. understand written texts in the language. Texts will comprise defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier and will be of limited complexity at foundation tier.	a. understand written texts in the language. Texts will predominantly focus on the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier and will be of limited complexity at foundation tier.	[reading]
b. understand spoken extracts comprising the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier which are delivered at a pace which is no faster than a moderate pace, where each word is clearly discernible, and which do not contain extraneous distractions or interruptions;	b. understand spoken extracts comprising the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier which are delivered at a pace which is no faster than a moderate pace, where each word is clearly discernible (as appropriate to pronunciation norms for each language), and which do not contain extraneous distractions or interruptions;	[listening]   Acknowledges nature of the French language where words liaise.  Original proposal impossible.   Note: inferring / deducing meaning NOT reintroduced from SC 2015, unlike reading – see below.
undertake dictation exercises from short spoken extracts, with credit for accurate spelling.	c. Undertake dictation of short, spoken extracts (including some vocabulary from outside the vocabulary list) with credit for accurate spelling.	[phonetics] SIGNIFICANT   HEM: Attempt to make exercise a more valid test of phonics, but will not be reliable as some pupils may know words already.  Perversely, the only way to test reliably would be to dictate made-up words…..!!
c. write text in the language in a lexically and grammatically accurate way, based on simple and familiar stimuli.	d. write text in the language in a lexically and grammatically accurate way in response to simple and familiar stimuli.
d. translate in writing vocabulary items and short sentences or texts, from the language to English and vice versa using a range of the vocabulary and grammar specified for each tier. In this context translation means an appropriate and sufficient rendering of the meaning of the original English.	e. translate in writing short sentences or texts, from the language to English and vice versa, using a range of the vocabulary and grammar specified for each tier. In this context, translation means an appropriate and sufficient rendering of the meaning of the original language.
	f. infer, by using knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar specified for each tier, plausible meanings of single words from outside the Vocabulary List when they are embedded in the context of written sentences.	SIGNIFICANT Re-introducing requirement to infer – but only in reading:  SC 2015 Reading BP 4 [deduce meaning]   Leads to a more realistic authentic task, and allows for exam bodies to introduce words beyond the list – as SC 2015.
	g. speak using clear and comprehensible language to:	[speaking] – added text: clearer signalling of the skill of speaking, giving context for the tasks   HEM: NB it is not in the remit of DfE to specify how things are tested – this is presumably a way around this …
e. read aloud, using clear and comprehensible pronunciation, short sentences from the written form of the language and demonstrate understanding of them (for example by answering questions);	i. read aloud a short written text and undertake a short unprepared conversation relating to the text;	SIGNIFICANT Removal of qualitative element (nature of pronunciation –[presumably allowing positive marking for less than 100%)   Change to task related to the reading aloud    ·  Previously would have required Q/A in English (to be consistent with requirement for comprehension questions to be in English)   ·  Introduces unprepared dialogue in form of conversation (previously missing )
undertake role play simulating a context such as a social conversation where instructions are unambiguous and there are no unexpected questions;	ii. undertake role play(s), including asking and answering questions, simulating a context such as a social conversation, where instructions about what to say are unambiguous;	SIGNIFICANT Allows for more than one role play Re-introduces explicit requirement to ask questions [SC 2015 speaking / BP2 “take part in a short conversation, asking and answering questions,”] Allows for questions to be unscripted BUT ensures no penalty for not understanding question  by requirement to give unambiguous instructions about what to say (HEM: fairer test – not penalised for listening skill)
answer questions about a visual stimulus such as a photograph.	iii. talk about one or more visual stimulus/stimuli, such as (connected) photographs or pictures, and extend this conversation into a short unprepared interaction.	SIGNIFICANT Allows for more than one picture Re-introduces requirement for unprepared interaction (SC 2015 speaking BP4 ‘responding to unexpected questions,’
For these activities students will have time for preparation (without access to reference materials), and vocabulary and grammar expected will be from the defined content for each tier.	Pupils should have suitable specified preparation time for each of the above components without access to reference materials. For spoken and written production, the expected language will be from the defined content (vocabulary, grammar, and sounds) for each tier, with equal credit given for language used that is beyond the defined content but that fulfils the task requirements.	Pupils not students – probably a mistake.   Added “suitable specified” HEM: perhaps to ensure requirement for exam conditions?   Explicit requirement covering speaking + writing that content required will not require language beyond the spec.   SIGNIFICANT Allows credit for language beyond the word list. HEM: This allows validation of language learnt beyond the strict confines of the word list – perhaps even giving scope for students to talk about what matters to them in a productive task?
10.Complexity [1] of language: Spoken and written language (for comprehension and production) will be of limited complexity at foundation tier. At higher tier students will be expected to understand (in listening and reading) and produce (in speech and writing) language at a higher level of complexity. The complexity of the language will be in both cases appropriate to the level of study.	10.Complexity [1] of language: Spoken and written language (for comprehension and production) will be of limited complexity at foundation tier. At higher tier students will be expected to understand (in listening and reading) and produce (in speech and writing) language at a higher level of complexity. The complexity of the language will be in both cases appropriate to the level of study.	No change
[1] Complexity in this sense means the extent to which a text uses features such as multi-clause units (e.g. relative clauses), pronouns, especially multiple pronouns, multiple verbs in one sentence or clause, long sentences, syntax or word order which is very different to English.	[1] Complexity in this sense means the extent to which a text uses features such as multi-clause units (e.g., relative clauses), pronouns, especially multiple pronouns, multiple verbs in one sentence or clause , long sentences, or morphology and syntax (e.g., word order) which is very different to English in form and/or function.	added detail to describe complexity
11.Question types: Where questions are designed to test comprehension of written and spoken texts in the assessed language, these comprehension questions will be in English. Other types of question will be in English or the assessed language as appropriate to the task. Rubrics will be in English.	11.Question types: Where questions are designed to test comprehension of written and spoken texts in the assessed language, these comprehension questions will be in English. Other types of question may be in English or the assessed language as appropriate to the task. Rubrics will be in English.	No change
12.Themes and topics: Because vocabulary specified in this content is informed by the frequency of occurrence in the language it will be well suited to communication about a wide range of common themes and topics, and for different purposes (see paragraphs 5-8 above).	12. Themes and topics: Because most, though not all, vocabulary, defined in specifications is informed by the frequency of occurrence in the language, it will enable access to a wide range of themes and topics. Specifications should identify a limited number of broad themes or topics with relevance to the countries or communities where the language is spoken. These could cover, for example, cultural, geographical, political, contemporary, historical or employment-related aspects, as appropriate to the themes and level of learning. These themes and topics are not intended to be specifically reflected in texts selected for terminal	SIGNIFICANT   High frequency no longer described as ‘well suited to communication about themes’, but changed to ‘will enable access to themes’.  HEM: This is a fundamental acknowledgement and logically should lead to allowing for access to a broader range of words  - but very little concession made in practice, sadly.   Allows for words which are not high frequency.   Repeats aims(para 6)  in describing themes.  HEM: Note, although personal + social not listed as an example theme, I would very much hope that they are included by the exam boards.
Vocabulary	Composition of vocabulary content	Changed. Describes what follows – not the vocabulary itself, but how it is to be selected.
13.Students will be expected to know 1200 lexical items for foundation tier, and a further 500 lexical items for higher tier. Because no vocabulary is specified for KS2 or KS3, the vocabulary list proposed for GCSE must be comprehensive and should make no specific assumptions about vocabulary previously taught	13.Students will be expected to know 1,200 lexical items for foundation tier, and a further 500 lexical items for higher tier. Students will also be required to know words which can be regularly inflected and (for reading only) regularly derived from listed lexical items using the grammar specified in the grammar annex (exemplification at Annex D). Because no vocabulary is specified for KS2 or KS3, the Vocabulary List proposed for GCSE must be comprehensive and should make no assumptions about vocabulary previously taught.	SIGNIFICANT   regularly inflected  - presumably for listening and reading since only the derived seems to be for reading only?   derived - necessary change to accommodate content para 9f: f. infer, by using knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar specified for each tier, plausible meanings of single words from outside the Vocabulary List when they are embedded in the context of written sentences.
20. (first part)  Words will be listed in the basic form commonly found in dictionaries. Where different parts of speech are derived from a single root, each part of speech will be listed separately. Further derived and inflected forms of each part of speech should not be separately listed, provided that the defined grammar covers their formation [4]. Inflected and derived forms which follow no regular pattern should be listed as separate items under a section called ‘Highly irregular inflected forms’.	14. Vocabulary lists must include, as part of the 1,200 or 1,700 items, the words listed at Annex E. These are the words which are referenced in the grammar annex for each language and so need to be included. They include irregular forms of high frequency verbs and other parts of speech.	Requirements for listing and counting words now included in a helpful detailed  appendix for each language.   French Foundation: 278 French Higher:329 French Foundation optional: 310 French Higher optional: 282   German Foundation: 268 German Higher:304 German Foundation optional: 139 German Higher optional: 288   Spanish Foundation: 264 Spanish Higher: 334 Spanish Foundation optional: 85 Spanish Higher optional: 85   HEM: Note the difference in numbers between different languages.  What are the practical consequences of this?
[4] 4 For example: French ‘rester’ (verb) and ‘le reste’ (noun); Spanish ‘viejo’ (adjective) and ‘vejez’ (noun); German ‘Regen’ (noun) and ‘regnen’ (verb) all require separate listings in the vocabulary lists as they are different parts of speech. (An important exception to this that a nominalised use of a verb that translates directly as the English gerund (e.g., ‘étudier’ (to study/studying) ‘(das) schwimmen/Schwimmen’ (to swim/swimming) will be listed as one single item. However, where there is a different translation in English for the nominalised verb (e.g. ‘essen’ (to eat) and ‘das Essen’ (food, meal), the words will be listed separately with their different English translations.) In contrast, inflectional and derivational variants within the same part of speech will not be listed as separate items, such as French ‘restait’, ‘restons’; French ‘le reste’, ‘les restes’; Spanish ‘vieja’, ‘viejísimo’; German ‘regnete’, ‘geregnet’, as these can be formed from the lexical items in the vocabulary lists using the specific derivational and inflectional morphology listed in the grammar lists (with only highly irregular inflected forms listed in the vocabulary lists, as specified in the annexes)	Appendix exemplifies these examples.	Appendix now presents this info more clearly
20 continued in new para 17
14 – moved to match new para 18
15 – moved to new para 19
16.There will be an explicit and representative balance of different parts of speech such as nouns (concrete and abstract), pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions.		Removed.   HEM: I think this was there originally because of NCELP’s belief that too few verbs were required in exams.  Helpful to be more flexible.
17. Moved to 16 iii
18. Moved to split between new 15 + new 20
[18.The vast majority of lexical items listed as vocabulary will be single word vocabulary items (with their grammatical gender where appropriate), with the following exceptions: ]	15.In addition to the 1,200 and 1,700 items, the Vocabulary Lists can contain:
b. Up to 20 short phrases that are multi-word units in both the target language and English, usually consisting of no more than five identifiable words in the target language, may be included in the total count of the vocabulary items across both tiers (e.g., il y a’ for there is/are’).	i. up to 30 short phrases that are multi-word units in the target language, usually consisting of no more than five identifiable words in the target language (e.g., ‘il y a’ for there is/are’; ‘s’il vous plaît’ for ‘please’).	SIGNIFICANT Increase of multi-word units permitted.   Removal of requirement for both TL and English to be multiword, hence example where French is multiword (if you please) and English is one word (please)
	ii. up to 20 items (some of which can be multi-word units of up to five words) to refer to relevant geographical or cultural places/events, including the names of countries to be known receptively and productively.	SIGNIFICANT Increase of multi-word units permitted – 20, constrained to cultural aspects.   HEM: This is necessary to accommodate focus on culture where core words will not be high frequency and are likely to be in phrases (e.g. L’Arc de Triomphe, La Tour Eiffel – La Côte d'Ivoire? )
	16.For Reading only:
19.At higher tier students are expected to read texts that may include a small number of words outside the vocabulary list defined by the awarding organisation. English meanings of such words must be supplied adjacent to the text for reference. No more than 2% of words in any given higher tier text may be glossed in this way.	i. Higher and overlapping tier texts may include a small number of words outside the Vocabulary List. English meanings of such words must be supplied adjacent to the text for reference. No more than 2% of words (rounded to the nearest whole word) in any given text may be glossed in this way.	SIGNIFICANT Foundation paper can also include words not on the list (which must be glossed).   NB · if fewer than 25 words in a text, no words can be glossed (because 1 word out of 25, rounded, is more than 2%) · this requirement still makes it unlikely to be able to include authentic texts.   [HEM: Does this contradict the requirement to test inference in reading?]
In addition, for both Foundation and Higher tiers, all proper nouns (such as cities or countries) that are not listed in the most frequent 2,000 words and are not deemed to be easily understood, can be glossed or explained in an adjacent note.	ii. For both Foundation and Higher tiers, all proper nouns (such as cities or countries) that are not on the Vocabulary List and are not deemed to be easily understood, can be glossed or explained in an adjacent note.	Correction to allow for countries within top 2000 to be glossed if not in the vocab list.
17.Where the language being learnt is historically related to English and there are close cognates (words which are very similar or the same in English and the assessed language), students benefit from familiarity with common patterns (in spelling and pronunciation). Cognate words should be included and counted in the defined vocabulary list in a way	iii. Up to 2% of words (rounded to the nearest whole word) of any given text can be comprised of true and exact cognates (2) which are not included in the Vocabulary List.	In a text of greater than 25 words, one cognate does not have to be from vocabulary list.
	(2) These are defined as words which are spelt the same in English and the assessed language (excluding any accents, and where one letter in words of at least six letters could differ from the English spelling) and have the same meaning in both languages.	Definition of cognate given.  Only one letter can differ.   HEM: I wonder where this definition comes from?  It will vary from one language to another.) So in French : géographie, histoire, biologie, académie, vinaigrette, adresse, pharmacie, banque, calendrier, électrique,  would  NOT count.
20 continued …. Words with multiple meanings but with the same part of speech (e.g., the French noun ‘histoire’ that can be translated by the different English words ‘story’ and ‘history’) will be listed as one item in the vocabulary list. All English equivalents that could be tested (e.g. in questions that require working from English to the target language) must be explicitly provided.	17.Words with multiple meanings but with the same part of speech (e.g., the French noun histoire that can be translated by the different English words ‘story’ and history’) will be listed as one entry in the Vocabulary List. All English equivalents that could be tested (e.g., in questions that require working from English to the target language) must be explicitly provided.	No change
14.The vocabulary which students will be expected to know, for both comprehension and production, will be compiled with close and explicit reference for each item on the list to frequency of occurrence in the language. This information about frequency will be taken from a recommended source based on data from one or more large, modern corpus/corpora.	18.The vocabulary which students will be expected to know, for both comprehension and production, will be compiled with close and explicit reference for each item on the list to frequency of occurrence in the language. This information about frequency will be taken from a source based on data from one or more large, modern corpus/corpora. [3]
	When compiling word lists, the information provided in paragraph 20 should be taken into account.	This requirement moved up slightly
These corpora must contain 20 million words or more; be internationally recognised; and should be based on both spoken and written language taken from a wide range of different contexts [2].	[3] These corpora must each contain 20 million words or more; be internationally recognised; and should be based on both spoken and written language taken from a wide range of different contexts.	All reference to corpora in a footnote
When compiling word lists, the information provided in paragraph 18 should be taken into account.
2 Examples, but not a definitive list, of recommended word frequency resources, are: ‘Davies, M., & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). London: Routledge’; ‘Lonsdale, D. & Le Bras. Y. (2009). A frequency dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners. London: Routledge’; and ‘Tschirner, E. & Möhring, J. (2019). A frequency dictionary of German: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). London: Routledge’. More information on the suitability of these word lists can be found here.	Examples, but not a definitive list, of recommended word frequency resources, are: ‘Davies, M., & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). London: Routledge’; ‘Lonsdale, D. & Le Bras. Y. (2009). A frequency dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners. London: Routledge’; and ‘Tschirner, E. & Möhring, J. (2019). A frequency dictionary of German: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). London: Routledge’. More information on the suitability of these word lists can be found here	No change
15.At least 90% of words selected must be from the 2,000 most frequent words occurring in the most widely used standard forms of the language. In some cases, more than one spelling is in common use, including where recent spelling reforms have taken place. In such cases, tolerance should be shown for both versions of the spelling.3	19.At least 85% of words selected must be from the 2,000 most frequent words occurring in the most widely used standard forms of the language. In some cases, more than one spelling is in common use, including where recent spelling reforms have taken place. In such cases, tolerance should be shown for both versions of the spelling.4	SLIGHT CHANGE HEM: Minor concession to the outcry over the narrow restriction of word selection (Some asking for a 50%, exam boards in the consultation asking for 80%)   Would it really have cost them so much to accede to a request for 80% ?
3 Examples here include- French: coût/cout; German: der Fluß/der Fluss; Spanish: sólo/solo	4 Examples here include for French: coût/cout; German: der Fluß/der Fluss; Spanish: sólo/solo	No change
18.The vast majority of lexical items listed as vocabulary will be single word vocabulary items (with their grammatical gender where appropriate), with the following exceptions:	20.The vast majority of lexical items listed as vocabulary will be single word vocabulary items	Detail of how to list now given in appendix
a. Where a compound word or phrase translates a single English word, it should be counted as a lexical item in the vocabulary list (e.g., for French ‘s’il vous plaît’ for ‘please’ will be listed as a single item, ‘le petit déjeuner’ for ‘breakfast’ will be listed separately from ‘petit’ and ‘le déjeuner’). Note, however, that where a compound word or phrase translates a compound English word and can easily be understood from its components, and where the components are already included in the list, there is no need to include such a compound as well (e.g., German Sommerferien’ for ‘summer holidays’).	Where a compound word or phrase translates a single English word, it should be counted as a separate lexical item in the Vocabulary List (e.g., en cambio for ‘however’; see paragraph 15 on multi-word units). However, where a compound word or phrase can easily be understood from its components, and where the components are already included in the list, there is no need to include the compound word as well (e.g., German Sommerferien for ‘summer holidays’, see compound section in the German grammar annex).	Different examples given.
Grammar	Grammar
21.The grammar requirements are set out in two tiers: foundation and higher. The requirements set out for higher tier include everything specified for foundation.	21.The grammar requirements are set out in two tiers: foundation and higher. The requirements set out for higher tier include everything specified for foundation.	No change
22.Students will be expected to apply their knowledge of the grammar specified appropriate to the task set and to the tier of entry.	22.Students will be expected to apply their knowledge of the grammar specified appropriate to the task set and to the tier of entry.	No change
23.For French, German and Spanish, the grammar requirements are in the annexes to the document. Items in brackets are either marked as illustrative using “e.g.,” (they illustrate the grammar point being described for the purposes of clarification and are not listed in the vocabulary list) or they are comprehensive and laid out in full in the brackets (i.e., they indicate the full set of features to be included and this exhaustive set of items must also be included in the vocabulary lists).	23.For French, German, and Spanish, the grammar requirements are in the annexes to the document. Items in brackets are either marked as illustrative using “e.g.,” (they illustrate the grammar point being described for the purposes of clarification and are not listed in the Vocabulary List) or they are comprehensive and laid out in full in the brackets (i.e., they indicate the full set of features to be included and this exhaustive set of items must also be included in the Vocabulary Lists).	No change
Sound-symbol correspondences (core literacy)		No heading
24.The requirements for knowledge about sound-symbol correspondences (SSCs) are the same for both foundation and higher tiers, as laid out in the annexes to this document.	26.The requirements for knowledge about sound-symbol correspondences (SSCs) are laid out in the annexes to this document.	Mistaken numbering?   Removed emphasis that this applies to both tiers.
Grammar content	Grammar content
GCSE students will be expected to develop and use their knowledge of grammar throughout their course.	GCSE students will be expected to develop and use their knowledge of grammar throughout their course.	No change
The grammar requirements for GCSE are set out in two tiers: foundation and higher. Students will be required to use their knowledge of grammar from the relevant lists, appropriate to the language studied and to the relevant tier of entry. Students entering higher tier assessments will be required to apply all grammar listed for foundation tier in addition to the grammar listed for higher tier.	The grammar requirements for GCSE are set out in two tiers: foundation and higher. Students will be required to use their knowledge of grammar from the relevant lists, appropriate to the language studied and to the relevant tier of entry. Students entering higher tier assessments will be required to apply all grammar listed for foundation tier in addition to the grammar listed for higher tier.	No change
These lists describe grammatical features of the most widely used standard varieties.	These lists describe grammatical features of the most widely used standard varieties.	No change
The lists are written from the point of view of English-speaking students of the language, and so include some reference to certain cross-linguistically complex relations with English.	The lists are written from the point of view of English-speaking students of the language, and so include some reference to certain cross-linguistically complex relations with English	No change
Students will be required to demonstrate both receptive and productive knowledge of the grammar from the list	Students will be required to demonstrate both receptive and productive knowledge of the grammar from the list (though the derivational morphology laid out in the grammar annex can only be included for reading).	Change to accommodate requirement to test inference in reading paper.
‘Grammar’ is defined as including the morphology (inflectional and derivational [1] and syntax (rules of word order, relations between words, and obligatory use of specific features).	‘Grammar’ is defined as including the morphology (inflectional and derivational [5] and syntax (rules of word order, relations between words, and obligatory use of specific features).	No change
1 Inflectional morphemes carry grammatical meaning without changing the word’s part of speech. For example, the plural -s in cats, the comparative -er in taller, the past -ed in changed, the 3rd person singular -s in walks.   Derivational morphemes change the meaning and function (and often the part of speech). For example, happy à happiness.	5 Inflectional morphemes carry grammatical meaning without changing the word’s part of speech. For example, the plural -s in ‘cats’, the comparative -er in ‘taller’, the past -ed in ‘changed’, the 3rd person singular -s in ‘walks’.   Derivational morphemes change the meaning and function (and often the part of speech). For example, ‘happy’ → ‘happiness’.	No change
The Vocabulary Lists will lay out the lexicon that is needed to ‘realise’ (or ‘use’) the grammar.	The Vocabulary Lists will lay out the lexicon that is needed to ‘realise’ (or ‘use’) the grammar.	No change
For some grammatical features in the lists below, items are given that fall on the borderline between being categorised as ‘grammar’ or ‘lexicon’ – in all such cases, these items must also be listed in the Vocabulary List. The Vocabulary List must also specify frequent highly irregular forms, within a  grammatical subsystem (i.e., subparts of paradigms where only some forms are irregular). This is because such forms are likely to be learnt and retrieved as individual items rather than as part of a broader grammatical system. Listing them in the Vocabulary List, therefore, reflects the pedagogical attention required for these highly irregular forms.	Some grammatical features in the Annexes below can be perceived as ‘grammar’ or ‘lexicon’ – these items must be listed in the Vocabulary List, as stipulated in the Annexes. The Vocabulary List must also specify highly irregular forms within a grammatical subsystem (i.e., subparts of paradigms where only some forms are irregular), as laid out in the Grammar Annexes. This is because forms, such as irregular stems, are likely to be learnt and retrieved as individual items rather than as part of a broader grammatical system. Listing them in the Vocabulary List, therefore, reflects the pedagogical attention required for these highly irregular forms.	Annexes replace grammar lists.   Clearer definition.
Items below given in brackets which are prefaced with “e.g.” are illustrative, to clarify the description of the grammar features, and so they will not be included in the Vocabulary List. In contrast, items given without “e.g.” are comprehensive, and thus provide all the examples of the grammar that are included in the Subject Content and all of these items must also be contained in the Vocabulary List.	Items below given in brackets which are prefaced with “e.g.” are illustrative, to clarify the description of the grammar features, and so they will not be included in the Vocabulary List. In contrast, items given without “e.g.” are comprehensive, and thus provide all the examples of the grammar that are included in the Subject Content and all of these items must also be contained in the Vocabulary List.	No change
Note that the English equivalents of some of the grammar are given. This is relevant when testing students’ ability to work from English to the target language (e.g., in translation tasks).	Note that the English equivalents of some of the grammar are given in the Annexes. This is relevant when testing students’ ability to work from English to the target language (e.g., in translation tasks).

 

 

Helen Myers.

16^th January 2022

 

Spanish + German SCC and Grammar appendices to follow shortly.

Note that there have been changes.

ANNEXES

 Annex A: French grammar and sound-symbol correspondences (foundation and higher tier)

FOUNDATION TIER

 NB presented in the order of 2022.  Some changed position in the list, but I am not commenting on this

 

Proposal	Final January 2022	Commentary
NOUN PHRASES	NOUN PHRASES
Formation of feminine nouns (highly frequent irregulars will be listed in the Vocabulary List as separate items, e.g., chef, cheffe; héros, héroïne; Juif, Juive; travailleur, travailleuse) • Add -e • No change (article changes only) • -eur  -rice • -er  ère • -el  -lle • -en  -nne	Formation of feminine person nouns (highly frequent irregulars will be listed in the Vocabulary List as separate items, e.g., chef, cheffe; héros, héroïne; Juif, Juive) • Add -e • No change (article changes only) • -eur ➜ -rice and / or -euse depending on which relevant base words (masculine forms) are included in the Vocabulary List • -en ➜ -nn	Reduced
Formation of plural nouns (highly frequent irregulars will be listed in the Vocabulary List: œil, yeux) • Add -s to most nouns • Add -x to masculine nouns ending in -(e)au and -eu • Masculine nouns ending in -al change to -aux • No change for nouns ending in -s, -x, -z	Formation of plural nouns (highly frequent irregulars will be listed in the Vocabulary List: œil, yeux) • Add -s to most nouns • Add -x to masculine nouns ending in -(e)au and -eu • Masculine nouns ending in -al change to -aux • No change for nouns ending in -s, -x, -z	No change
Infinitive used as a noun i.e., as equivalent of -ing (gerund) in English	Infinitive used as a noun i.e., as equivalent of -ing (gerund) in English.	No change
Determiners: Articles	Determiners: Articles
Agreement of articles with noun for gender and number (le, la, les; un, une, des)	Agreement of articles with noun for gender and number (le, la, les; un, une, des)
Contraction of definite article (le/la à l’) before singular nouns that start with a vowel or h muet	Contraction of definite article (le/la ➜ l’) before singular nouns that start with a vowel or h muet	No change – (except position)
Functions of definite and indefinite articles, including where their use or omission differs from English (e.g. La santé est importante; le mercredi)	Functions of definite and indefinite articles, including where their use or omission differs from English (e.g., La santé est importante; le mercredi)	No change – (except position)
	Use of definite article before an adjective to form a noun, including addition of a capital letter where the resulting noun is a nationality (e.g., seul ➜ le seul; anglaise ➜ l'Anglaise)	No change – (except position)
Partitive articles when distinguishing between parts and wholes; after jouer with musical instruments; after faire with sports	Partitive articles when distinguishing between parts and wholes; after jouer with musical instruments; after faire with sports	No change – (except position)
Use of de (and omission of article) before nouns following a verb in negative and after expressions of quantity	Use of de (and omission of article) before nouns following a verb in negative and after expressions of quantity
Contraction of de to d’ when before a word beginning with a vowel	Contraction of de to d’ before a word beginning with a vowel	moved from prepositions
Other determiners
Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces	Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)	No change
Possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, son, sa, ses, notre, nos, votre, vos, leur, leurs)	Possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, son, sa, ses, notre, nos, votre, vos, leur, leurs)	No change
Interrogative adjectives (quel, quelle, quels, quelles)	Interrogative adjectives (quel, quelle, quels, quelles)	No change
Agreement patterns for indefinite adjectives (chaque, plusieurs, même(s), autre(s), tout(e)(s), tous, quelque(s))	Agreement patterns for indefinite adjectives (chaque, plusieurs, même(s), autre(s), tout(e)(s), tous, quelque(s))	No change
Pronouns	Pronouns
Pronouns will be listed in the Vocabulary List (including on, and vous as formal ‘you’). Their grammar (agreement, position) are laid out in this Grammar Annex.	Subject pronouns (je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous (as singular and plural formal ‘you’), ils and elles) will be listed in the Vocabulary List. Their grammar (agreement, position) is laid out in this Grammar Annex.	clarification
Preverbal position of direct object pronouns (me, te, le, la) (not juxtaposed with indirect object pronouns)	Preverbal position of singular direct object pronouns (me, te, vous, le, la) (not juxtaposed with indirect object pronouns)	clarification
Preverbal position of indirect object pronouns (me, te, lui) (not juxtaposed with direct object pronouns)	Preverbal position of singular direct object pronouns (me, te, vous, le, la) (not juxtaposed with indirect object pronouns)	clarification
Preverbal position of singular reflexive pronouns (me, te, se)	Preverbal position of singular reflexive pronouns (me, te, se)	no change
Contraction of pronouns (me ➜ m’, te ➜ t’, le/la ➜ l’, se ➜ s’) before a vowel or h muet	Contraction of pronouns (me ➜ m’, te ➜ t’, le/la ➜ l’, se ➜ s’) before a vowel or h muet	no change
Use of emphatic pronouns moi and toi after prepositions (as listed in the Vocabulary List)	Use of emphatic pronouns moi and toi after prepositions (the pronouns and relevant individual prepositions will be listed separately in the Vocabulary List)	changed order
Use of relative pronoun qui in subject relative clauses	Use of relative pronoun qui in subject relative clauses	changed order
VERB PHRASES	VERB PHRASES
Verbs that do not fit into the grammar detailed here can still be listed in the Vocabulary List to be learnt in the infinitive form only.	Verbs and verb forms that do not fit into the grammar detailed here can still be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Removed constraint to confine to infinitive (appendix detailes how irregular verbs should eb entered in list)
Negation
Word order of verbal negation with ne … pas and ne … jamais. Jamais, rien, and personne will be listed in the Vocabulary List as they can occur as isolated words (never, nothing, nobody).	Syntax of verbal negation with ne…pas, ne…jamais, ne…rien (as equivalent of ‘not verb anything’ and ‘verb nothing’), and ne…personne (as equivalent of ‘not verb anyone/body’ and ‘verb nobody’)	Removed reference to single words.
Interrogatives	Interrogatives
Interrogatives expressed through: • intonation with SV word order, including when followed by a wh-word (i.e., question words including ‘how’); • (wh-word followed by) est-ce que followed by SV word order; • (wh-word followed by) VS word order	Interrogatives expressed through: • intonation with SV word order, including when followed by a wh-word (qui, quand, quoi, pourquoi, comment, combien, où); • wh-word (qu’, quand, pourquoi, comment, combien, où) followed by est-ce que followed by SV word order; • wh-word (que/qu’, quand, pourquoi, comment, combien, où) followed by VS word order	More detail given
Inflectional morphology	Inflectional morphology
Specific irregular inflected forms (e.g., faites, vont), as a minimum those specified below, will be listed in the Vocabulary List under a section called ‘Irregular inflected verb forms’.	Specific irregular inflected forms (e.g., faites, vont), as a minimum those specified below, will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Removed requirement for heading
Some verbs change the spelling in their stems (e.g., accents change (mener, je mène); consonants are doubled (jeter, je jette), softened (manger, nous mangeons; commencer, nous commençons) or lost (mettre, je mets). Such spelling changes will not be credit-bearing.	Some verbs change the spelling in their stems (e.g., accents change (mener, je mène); consonants are doubled (jeter, je jette), softened (manger, nous mangeons; commencer, nous commençons) or dropped (mettre, je mets). Such spelling changes will not be credit-bearing.
Regular -er and high frequency patterns* in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular and plural for:	Regular* and four very high frequency irregular** patterns in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular and plural for:	Error perhaps? Should it be 7?
*Seven clusters of high frequency verbs that all pattern following seven ‘anchor’ verbs: choisir, entendre, lire, offrir, prendre, partir, venir (the infinitives within each of these clusters will be listed in the Vocabulary List).	*-er verbs (e.g., parler); clusters of high frequency -ir verbs that all pattern following one of these four ‘anchor’ verbs: choisir, partir, venir, ouvrir; clusters of high frequency -re verbs that all pattern following one of these three ‘anchor’ verbs: entendre, prendre, traduire.	Grouped as 4 anchor verbs -ir and 3 anchor verbs -re   HEM: Note move from trad regular er / re / ir’ (parler  - choisir – entendre) being distinguished from irregular)   ouvrir replaces offrir as an example lire removed traduire added
	*aller, avoir, être, faire (including use of avoir where the English equivalent is ‘BE’ e.g., + froid, + chaud, + an(s), + faim, + soif, + peur)	Changed order Added idioms requirement to be listed in vocab list referenced in appendix
Present indicative, as equivalent of the English simple (I walk) and ongoing (I am walking) functions.	Present indicative, as equivalent of the English simple (I walk) and ongoing (I am walking) functions, and (with time adverbs) for expression of the future as equivalent of the English simple (the holidays start tomorrow) and continuous (I am working this evening)	Added function of present tense to express future
Inflected forms of four very high frequency irregular verbs (aller, avoir, être, faire) will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Irregular inflected forms of the four very high frequency irregular verbs (aller, avoir, être, faire) will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Changed order
• Perfect tense, as equivalent of the English simple past (I walked, he went) and present perfect (I have walked, he has gone); including past participle formation for -er verbs and the seven verb clusters listed above.	Perfect tense, as equivalent of the English simple past (I walked, he went) and present perfect (I have walked, he has gone); including past participle formation for -er verbs and the seven verb clusters listed above.
Irregular past participles of high frequency verbs (été, eu, fait) and any other irregular past participles (e.g., lu) will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Irregular past participles of three very high frequency irregular verbs (été, eu, fait).
Periphrastic future expression (aller + infinitive), as equivalent of the English ‘BE + going to + verb’ and ‘will + verb’	Periphrastic future expression (aller + infinitive), as equivalent of the English ‘will + verb’ and ‘BE + going to + verb’	No change
Imperative (2nd person singular and plural only; not être; not reflexive)	Imperative (2nd person singular and plural only, including aller and faire; but not avoir, être; not reflexive)	Detailed inclusion of aller + faire Excluded imperative of avoir
Regular -er pattern in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only for:	Regular patterns (see * above) and four very high frequency irregular patterns (see ** above) in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only (excluding ‘you’ formal for:
Imperfect for habitual (only for equivalent of English ‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (BE + ing) functions.	Imperfect for habitual (only for equivalent of English ‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (BE + ing) functions.
o Four high frequency irregular verbs (allais, allait; avais, avait; étais, était; faisais, faisait) will be listed in the Vocabulary List	o Irregular inflected forms of three very high frequency irregular verbs (avais, avait; étais, était; faisais, faisait) will be listed in the Vocabulary List	Removed aller
Additional English equivalent functions will be listed in the Vocabulary List as follows: étais, était (to mean ‘was + adjectival complement’); avais, avait (to mean ‘had’); il y avait (to mean ‘there was / were’, as a multi-word unit)	Additional English equivalent functions will be listed in the Vocabulary List as follows: étais, était (to mean ‘was, were + adjectival complement’); avais, avait (to mean ‘had’ and ‘was, were’)	Removed il y avait from here – moved to impersonal verbs (sensible)
Other irregular inflected forms:	Other irregular inflected forms:
Present indicative forms in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only of eight high frequency verbs (boire, connaître, courir, croire, écrire, rire, suivre, and voir) and their past participles will be listed in the Vocabulary Lis	Present indicative forms for 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons, in singular only, of nine high frequency verbs (boire, connaître, courir, croire, écrire, recevoir, rire, suivre, voir). Their present indicative, past participle, imperative forms, and the infinitives will be listed in the Vocabulary List. Any other irregular present indicative forms, their past participles, imperative forms, and the infinitives will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Added recevoir   Includes imperative forms
Conditional forms in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only of five high frequency verbs (aurais, aurait; ferais, ferait; irais, irait; serais, serait; voudrais, voudrait), as equivalent of English ‘would + verb’, will be listed in the Vocabulary List		Moved down to modals
Impersonal verbs	Impersonal verbs
Il y a (listed in the Vocabulary List as a multi-word unit to mean ‘there is’ and ‘there are’) Il y aura to mean ‘there is going to be’ or ‘there will be’ will be listed in the Vocabulary List as a multi-word unit. il y avait (to mean ‘there was / were’, as a multi-word unit)	Il y a to mean ‘there is / are’, il y avait (to mean ‘there was / were / used to be’) and il y aura (to mean ‘there is going to be / are going to be / will be’ will be listed in the Vocabulary List as multi-word units	Groups il y a in all tenses here Added meaning ‘used to be’ Added plural to future
Il (fait) + weather-related expressions (as listed in the Vocabulary List, as multi-word units where necessary)	Il fait + adjective (e.g., il fait beau, il fait froid). Any adjectives that would be used in this construction will be listed in the vocabulary list.	Expanded – not restricted to weather
	Il + weather-related expressions (e.g., il neige, il y a du soleil) will be listed in the Vocabulary List, as multi-word units where necessary	Added
Il faut + infinitive	Il faut + infinitive	No change
Il est for telling the time	Il est for telling the time	No change
Modals in in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular and plural	Modal verbs	Changed position
Use of modals in present indicative (devoir, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir) + infinitive (with highly irregular inflected forms of the modals listed in the Vocabulary List)	Present indicative forms for 1 st, 2nd, 3rd persons, in singular and plural of modals devoir, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir followed by infinitive. All inflected forms of the modals will be listed in the Vocabulary Lis	Changed to all inflected forms- presumably because all forms of modals are irregular and  inflected.
Conditional forms in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only of five high frequency verbs (aurais, aurait; ferais, ferait; irais, irait; serais, serait; voudrais, voudrait), as equivalent of English ‘would + verb’, will be listed in the Vocabulary List	Conditional forms in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons, in singular only (excluding ‘you’ formal), of vouloir (voudrais, voudrait), as equivalent of English ‘would like (to) + verb’, will be listed in the Vocabulary List	moved to modals   Moved  avoir, faire, aller and être to higher tier
Reflexive use of verbs	Reflexive use of verbs
Singular only, for 1st, 2nd, 3rd person	1 st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular only	Slight re-wording
ADJECTIVAL PHRASES	ADJECTIVAL PHRASES
Agreement for gender and number with nouns following regular patterns (of adjectives listed in the Vocabulary List):	Agreement for gender and number with nouns following regular patterns (of adjectives listed in the Vocabulary List):	No change
Gender add -e no change with adjectives ending in mute -e -x -se -el  -lle -en  -nne -f  -ve -er  -ère -et -ète	Gender Add -e No change with adjectives ending in mute -e -x ➜ -se -el ➜ -lle -en ➜ -nne -f ➜ -ve -er ➜ -ère	Removed et / ète
(High frequency irregulars, or those that follow regular patterns other than those listed above, will be listed in the Vocabulary List as separate items, e.g., net/te, bon/ne, nouveau/elle, pareil/le, travailleur/euse)	(Highly frequent irregulars will be listed in the Vocabulary List as separate items, e.g., net/te, bon/ne, nouveau/nouvelle, pareil/le, travailleur/travailleuse)	Removed need to include above in list.   HEM: NB – will add significantly to list .. all those eur / euse words!
• Number add -s no change for masculine forms already ending in -s and -x -al à -aux for masculine	Number Add -s No change for masculine forms already ending in -s and -x -al ➜ -aux for masculine	No change
(Irregulars beau/x and nouveau/x in the Vocabulary List as separate items)	(Irregulars beau/x and nouveau/x will be listed in the Vocabulary List as separate items	No change
Position of adjectives in relation to the nouns they refer to: mostly after nouns; before nouns only for the defined set in the Vocabulary List.	Position of adjectives in relation to the nouns they refer to: mostly after nouns; before nouns only for the defined set in the Vocabulary List.	No change
Use of regular comparative structures (plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que), with irregulars (meilleur, meilleure, meilleurs, meilleures and pire, pires) listed in the Vocabulary List	Use of regular comparative structures (plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que), with irregulars (meilleur, meilleure, meilleurs, meilleures and pire, pires) listed in the Vocabulary List	No change
ADVERBIAL PHRASES	ADVERBIAL PHRASES
Adverbs and adverbial phrases will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Adverbs and adverbial phrases will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	No change
Position of adverbs of time, manner, place	Position of adverbs of time, manner, place	No change
Use of regular comparative structures (plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que), with the irregular forms (mieux and pire) listed in the Vocabulary List.	Use of regular comparative structures (plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que), with the irregular adverbial forms (mieux and pire) listed in the Vocabulary List.	No change
PREPOSITIONS	PREPOSITIONS
À / de needed in certain multi-verb phrases before an infinitive. These verb + preposition combinations will be listed in the Vocabulary List alongside the verb entry (e.g., finir ‘to finish’; finir de + infinitive ‘to finish + verb’). Where the preposition changes or adds to the meaning of the verb, English translations will be listed (e.g., arriver ‘to arrive’; arriver à ‘to manage to’).	À / de can be needed before a noun or a second verb following some verbs. These verb + preposition combinations will be listed in the Vocabulary List alongside the verb entry (e.g., finir ‘to finish’; finir de + infinitive ‘to finish + verb’; dépendre ‘to depend’; dépendre de ‘to depend on + noun’). Where the preposition changes or adds to the meaning of the verb, English translations will be listed (e.g., arriver ‘to arrive’; arriver à ‘to manage to’).	moved up   clarification, additional example
Appropriate usage of en / à with proper nouns for places (countries, regions/states, cities)	Appropriate use of en / à with proper nouns for places (e.g., countries, regions/states, cities)	moved down
Contraction of definite article when used with à and de to agree with the gender and number (à, à la, au, aux; de, de la, du, des)	Contraction of definite article when used with à and de to agree with the gender and number (à, à la, au, aux; de, de la, du, des)	moved from determiners / articles
	De to indicate possession (e.g., le sac de Léa)	moved down
	Prepositions (pour, sans) + infinitive	aDDED
HIGH FREQUENCY PATTERNS OF DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY	DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY	Changed title
Patterns listed here indicate that only one core stem (e.g., rapide) would need to be listed in the Vocabulary List	For Reading only. Derivational morphology listed here indicates that even if only the base form (e.g., rapide) is listed in the Vocabulary List, a derived form that follows one of the patterns listed here (e.g., rapidement) may be included in reading texts (or if only the specific affixed form is listed, the base form may be included in reading texts). Note, if derived forms are included in listening material or required for production, they will be listed separately in the Vocabulary List.	Change: allows for reading texts to contain words which derive from or are the base form of those in vocab list.
	Uniformly applicable derivational morphology that changes meaning	New title
	Ordinal numbers created by adding -ième (or by dropping -e and adding -ième) to cardinal numbers, e.g., deux – deuxième; quatre – quatrième. Irregular forms premier and première will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Added.  Otherwise the vocabulary list could made up solely of cardiunal numbers! (pointedout by exam boards)
	Other highly frequent patterns
	Morphology that changes meaning	Added
Prefixes:	Prefixes:	Same
Adjectives: in- only where the English equivalent is ‘un-’, or meaning ‘opposite of’ Verbs: dé- only where the English equivalent is ‘de-’ or meaning ‘not	• Adding in- or im- to adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, only where the English equivalent is un- or in-, or means ‘opposite of’, e.g., également ➜ inégalement; sécurité ➜ insécurité; possible ➜ impossible	changed order (seems logical somehow!!!)   added ‘im’ removed ‘de’
	Morphology that changes the part of speech	clarification
Suffixes	Suffixes
Adverbs: -ment or -ement only where the English equivalent is -ly	Adjectives created by adding -able or -eable to the verb stem, only where the English equivalent is -able or -ible, e.g., porter ➜ portable; changer ➜ changeable • Nouns created by adding -ion or -ation to the verb stem, only where the English equivalent is -ion or -ation, e.g., préparer ➜ préparation; continuer ➜ continuation • Adverbs ending in -ment, only where the English equivalent is -ly, created by: o adding -ment to the feminine form of adjectives e.g., première ➜ premièrement o by dropping -ant(e) /-ent(e) from an adjective and adding -amment /- emment e.g., courant ➜ couramment; patient ➜ patiemment)	Considerable additions.   (helps with showing similarities with English grammar?  cf NC KS2)

 

 

 

FRENCH HIGHER TIER

 

NB presented in the order of 2022.  Some changed position in the list, but I am not commenting on this

 

Proposal	Final January 2022	Commentary
NOUN PHRASES	NOUN PHRASES
Determiners: Articles	Determiners: Articles
Partitive articles with uncountable and abstract nouns	Partitive articles with uncountable nouns	added
Use of article with dans; omission of article with en	Use of article with dans; omission of article with en	no change
Other determiners	Other determiners
Use of negative adjective determiner aucun, aucune	Use of negative adjective determiner aucun(e)	no change
Use of indefinite adjective determiners tel, telle, tels, telles and certain, certaine, certains, certaines		removed
Pronouns	Pronouns
Preverbal use of pronouns y and en (not juxtaposed with other object pronouns, except in the phrase ‘il y en a’, ‘il y en avait’ and ‘il y en aura’)	Preverbal use of pronouns y and en (not juxtaposed with other object pronouns, except in the phrase ‘il y en a’, ‘il y en avait’ and ‘il y en aura’)	no change
Preverbal position of direct object pronouns (nous, vous, les) (not juxtaposed with indirect object pronouns)	Preverbal position of plural direct object pronouns (nous, vous, les) (not juxtaposed with indirect object pronouns)	changed description
Preverbal indirect object pronouns (nous, vous, leur) (not juxtaposed with direct object pronouns)	Preverbal position of plural indirect object pronouns (nous, vous, leur) (not juxtaposed with direct object pronouns)	changed description
Use of emphatic pronouns (lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) for emphasis and with même(s)	Use of emphatic pronouns (lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) after prepositions	moved up Omits même, adds clarification
Preverbal position of plural reflexive pronouns (nous, vous, se).	Preverbal position of plural reflexive pronouns (nous, vous, se	no change
Negative subject pronouns personne ne + verb and rien ne + verb (as equivalent of English nobody + verb and nothing + verb)	Negative subject pronouns personne ne + verb and rien ne + verb (as equivalent of English ‘nobody + verb’ and ‘nothing + verb’)	Moved down
Subject relative clauses using wh- pronouns (où, quand)	Relative clauses using wh- pronouns (où, quand, and que	No distinction subject / object que
Object relative clauses using que		omitted / combined with above
Position and agreement of singular demonstrative pronouns (le mien, la mienne, les miens, les meinnes ; le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes ; le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes)		Omitted
VERB PHRASES	VERB PHRASES
Syntax of negation with ne … rien (as equivalent of ‘not verb anything’ and ‘verb nothing’), ne … personne (as equivalent of ‘not verb anyone/body’ and ‘verb nobody’), ne… plus, ne … ni … (ni …), ne…pas encore, ne … que	Syntax of négation with ne…plus, ne…ni… (ni …), ne… pas encore, ne…que	Moved to foundation
Passive voice in the present (full form only i.e., with par	Passive voice in the present (full form only i.e., with par)	no change
Impersonal verbs in phrases (il est difficile/facile/interdit de + infinitive;	Impersonal verbs with adjectives + de (e.g., il est difficile/facile/interdit de + infinitive). Any adjectives used in impersonal phrases will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Changed description Some omitted
il manque + noun; il vaut mieux/ la peine de + infinitive)	Impersonal verbs in phrases il manque + noun; il vaut mieux + infinitive; il vaut la peine de + infinitive	Separated
Periphrastic time expressions être en train de (as equivalent of ‘BE [in the process of] + verb-ing’) and venir de (as equivalent of ‘HAVE just done + verb’)	Periphrastic time expressions être en train de (as equivalent of ‘BE [in the process of] + verb-ing’) and venir de (as equivalent of ‘HAVE just done + verb’)	No change
Verbs used with plural reflexive pronouns, with reflexive and reciprocal meanings (e.g., nous nous écrivons; vous vous parlez; ils se regardent)	Verbs used with plural reflexive pronouns, with reflexive and reciprocal meanings (e.g., nous nous écrivons; vous vous parlez; ils se regardent)	No change
Inflectional morphology	Inflectional morphology	no change
Present indicative (in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons, singular and plural) and past participle formation of three clusters of high frequency verbs that all pattern following the ‘anchor’ verbs: connaître, écrire, reçevoir [SIC] (the infinitives within each of these clusters will be listed in the Vocabulary List).	Two additional clusters of high frequency verbs that all pattern following the ‘anchor’ verbs connaître and écrire, in the forms as specified at Foundation: Present indicative (in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons, singular and plural); perfect tense; periphrastic future; imperative (2 nd person singular and plural only; not reflexive); imperfect (in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons, singular).	recevoir moved to foundation irregular [not an anchor veb]
Present tense with depuis (as equivalent of ‘have been + ing’ for ‘x time’)	Present tense with depuis (as equivalent of ‘have been + ing’ for ‘x time’)	no change
Perfect tense of modals (devoir, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir) (with past participles listed in the Vocabulary List)	Perfect tense of modals (devoir, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir) (with past participles listed in the Vocabulary List)	no change
Inflectional future for regular -er, singular and plural forms (1st, 2nd, 3rd persons), as equivalent of both ‘BE + going to’ and ‘will’ o Singular forms of four high frequency irregular verbs (aurai, auras, aura; ferai, feras, fera; irai, iras, ira; serai, seras, sera) will be listed in the Vocabulary List. o Any other regular or irregular inflected forms will be laid out as separate items in the Vocabulary List	• Inflectional future for regular -er verbs in 1st, 2nd, 3rd persons in singular and plural, as equivalent of both ‘will + verb’ and ‘BE + going to + verb’ o Singular forms of four high frequency irregular verbs (aurai, auras, aura; ferai, feras, fera; irai, iras, ira; serai, seras, sera) will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	detail about list removed - made clear elsewhere in appecdix
Conditional of regular -er singular forms only (1st, 2nd, 3rd persons)	Conditional of regular -er singular forms only (1st, 2nd, 3rd persons) in singular and plural	Added plural conditional
	Singular forms of four high frequency irregular verbs (aurais, aurait; ferais, ferait; irais, irait; serais, serait) will be listed in the Vocabulary List	Moved from foundation tier
Imperfect for regular -er plural forms, for equivalent of English habitual (‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (‘BE -ing’) o For all other regular or irregular verbs, inflected forms will be laid out as separate items in the Vocabulary List.	Imperfect for regular (-er, and the nine ‘anchor’ verb patterns) verbs 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural forms for equivalent of English habitual (‘used to + verb’) and ongoing (‘BE -ing’). This includes the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural forms of the three very high frequency irregular verbs (avoir - to mean ‘had, were’; être - to mean ‘were + adjectival complement’; faire)	Added nine anchor ‘regular’ verb patterns to compulsory elements: i.e. four ‘anchor’ verbs: choisir, partir, venir, ouvrir; clusters of high frequency -re verbs that all pattern following one of these three ‘anchor’ verbs: entendre, prendre, traduire. PLUS  connaitre + écrire   Should be ‘in addition’ rather than ‘this includes’?:   Added explicitly 3 irregular verbs to be included avoir, être and faire
Imperative of 2nd person singular and plural of être (sois and soyez, each listed in Vocabulary List), and of regular verbs 1st person plural (not reflexive), with the function ‘Let’s + verb!	Imperative of 2nd person singular and plural of être (sois and soyez, each listed in Vocabulary List), and of regular (-er, and the nine ‘anchor’ verb patterns) verbs 1st person plural (not reflexive), with the function ‘Let’s + verb	Regular clarified ( - er + 9 anchor patterns)
Present participle of regular (-er, and the ten ‘anchor’ verb patterns) verbs after en	Present participle of regular (-er, and the nine ‘anchor’ verb patterns) verbs after en, including adjectival use where relevant o Irregular present participles of three very high frequency irregular verbs (étant, ayant, faisant) will be listed in the Vocabulary List.	Changed number of anchor verb patterns. (recevoir removed and changed status from ‘anchor verb patter’ to ‘irregular’   Added adjectival use.   Added être, avoir + faire
ADJECTIVAL PHRASES	ADJECTIVAL PHRASES
Use of regular superlative adverb structures (and irregulars as listed in the Vocabulary List)	Use of regular superlative adjective structures (irregulars le meilleur, la meilleure, les meilleurs, les meilleures, le pire, la pire and les pires will be listed in the Vocabulary List)	Added required superlative structures I think (‘will be rather than ‘if used,. Should be …’)   Words defined
ADVERBIAL PHRASES	ADVERBIAL PHRASES
Use of regular superlative adverb structures (and irregulars as listed in the Vocabulary List)	Use of regular superlative adverb structures (irregulars le mieux and le pire will be listed in the Vocabulary List)	Added required superlative structures I think (‘will be rather than ‘if used,. Should be …’)   Words define
PREPOSITIONS	PREPOSITIONS
Preposition (avant de, pour, sans) + infinitive	Preposition (avant de) + infinitive Preposition (après avoir) + past participle	après avoir added pour + sans moved to foundation
	DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY
	For Reading only. Derivational morphology listed here indicates that even if only the base form (e.g., porter) is listed in the Vocabulary List, a derived form that follows one of the patterns listed here (e.g., porteur) may be included in reading texts (or if only the specific affixed form is listed, the base form may be included in reading texts). Note, if derived forms are included in listening material or required for production, they will be listed separately in the Vocabulary List.	Change: allows for reading texts to contain words which derive from or are the base form of those in vocab list.   (As Foundation level – overlapping tier)
	Morphology that changes the part of speech	New
	Suffixes:	New
	• Agent nouns created by adding -eur or -ateur to a verb stem, e.g., porter ➜ porteur; consommer ➜ consommateur	New

 

French sound-symbol correspondences

Proposal	Final January 2022	Commentary
The list which follows specifies key differences in sound-spelling correspondences between French and English which students will need to learn at GCSE to be able to read and transcribe with sufficient accuracy at this level.	The list which follows specifies key differences in sound-spelling correspondences between French and English which students will need to learn at GCSE to be able to read out loud and transcribe with sufficient accuracy at this level.
It is not an exhaustive list of the all [SIC]sound-spelling orrespondences in the French language.	It is not an exhaustive list of the all [SIC] sound-spelling correspondences in the French language.
Where a letter or combination of letters is pronounced (or a sound spelt) in approximately the same way in French as in English, it is not listed.	Where a letter or combination of letters is pronounced (or a sound spelt) in approximately the same way in French as in English, it is not listed.
	Students will be expected to pronounce words with stress patterns that allow their speech to be clear and comprehensible.	Added.    HEM: Intonation still not required.
The use of hyphens indicates the position of the letters in a word, when position is relevant to the sound: xx- (at the beginning of a word); -xx- (in the middle of a word); -xx (at the end of a word).	The use of hyphens indicates the position of the letters in a word, when position is relevant to the sound: xx- (at the beginning of a word); -xx- (in the middle of a word); -xx (at the end of a word).
silent final consonant a i/y eu e au/eau/closed o/ô ou u silent final e é (-er, -ez) en/an/em/am on/om ain/in/aim/im è/ê/ai oi/oy ch ç (and soft 'c') qu j -tion -ien s-liaison t-liaison n-liaison x-liaison h um/un -gn[1]r open eu/œu open o -s[1]th -ill-/-ille -aill-/ail -eille-/-eil -euill-/-euil/-ueill-/-ueil/-œill-/-œil -ouill-/ouil	silent final consonant a i/y eu e au/eau/closed o/ô ou u silent final e é (-er, -ez) en/an/em/am on/om ain/in/aim/im è/ê/ai oi/oy ch ç (and soft 'c') qu j -tion -ien s-liaison t-liaison n-liaison x-liaison h um/un -gn[1]r open eu/œu open o -s[1]th -ill-/-ille -aill-/ail	10 removed