GCSE French 8652/WF Paper 4 Writing Foundation Tier - Mark scheme

Sep 5, 2026

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Mark scheme document for GCSE French 8652/WF Paper 4 Writing (Foundation Tier). It describes how level of response marking works, including assigning a level using descriptor ladders, determining a mark within the selected level, and comparing responses with exemplar standardisation materials. The text explains standardisation procedures for associates, handling amendments and unusual answers, and using indicative content as guidance rather than an exhaustive list. Copyright and permitted internal copying terms are also included, alongside referenced tooling used to inform the document.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Mark scheme

Version and standardisation process

Level of response marking instructions

Foundation Tier question allocation

| GCSE
FRENCH 8652/WF Paper 4 Writing Foundation Tier | | --- | | Mark scheme | Version: 1.0 Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ 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](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 © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. This document was informed, directly or indirectly, by use of the tool: Finlayson, N. , Marsden, E. , & Anthony, L. (2022) . MultilingProfiler (Version 3) [Computer software] . University of York. Accessed 2022/2023 at [https://www.multilingprofi](https://www.multilingprofi)[ler.net/](ler.net/) 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

FAQs

What is the purpose of the standardisation process described in this mark scheme?

It ensures the mark scheme covers students’ responses and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. Associates analyse scripts, discuss alternative answers, and escalate unusual answers to the Lead Examiner if needed.

How does an examiner determine the level for a student answer?

Start at the lowest level and move upward using the descriptor for each level as a ladder. Continue until the answer matches the best-fit level descriptor based on overall quality.

How are marks allocated after selecting a level?

After assigning a level, the examiner decides the mark using the guidance provided by the descriptors. Exemplar answers from standardisation materials—awarded by the Lead Examiner—are used for comparison, and the examiner may re-read the response to confirm the chosen level and mark.

Sep 5, 2026

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