[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-620187-105":3,"doc-detail-620187-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":98},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","gcse-mfl-subject-content-an-aqa-briefing-paper-april-2021","GCSE MFL Subject Content - An AQA briefing paper - April 2021","","AQA briefing paper analyzing the Department for Education’s March 2021 consultation on proposed GCSE Modern Foreign Language subject content for French, German, and Spanish. It evaluates how changes to determining vocabulary lists could affect teaching, assessment validity, reliability, and predictability. The paper explains DfE objectives, outlines revised assessment objectives and weightings, and considers implications for student motivation, curriculum accessibility, and resource impacts across key stages and qualifications.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/gcse-mfl-subject-content-an-aqa-briefing-paper-april-2021/620187/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/gcse-mfl-subject-content-an-aqa-briefing-paper-april-2021/620187.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Margaret","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What change is the DfE proposing for GCSE French, German, and Spanish subject content?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The DfE is consulting on changes to how the vocabulary lists for these GCSE MFL subjects are determined, including a frequency-based approach to vocabulary selection.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Why does AQA object to the proposed limits on vocabulary?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"AQA argues that overly prescriptive vocabulary limits would compromise assessment validity and reliability and make assessments too predictable, while also omitting significant content.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How would the proposed assessment objectives be redistributed?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The paper describes revised objectives under which AO1 would be 35%, AO2 45%, and AO3 20%, reflecting a different balance aligned with AS and A-level approaches.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},620187,1792525453,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":91,"language":92,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":93,"faqs":94,"seo_title":95,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":96,"read_time":97,"preview_page_count":4},137451207643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","GCSE MFL Subject Content  \nAn AQA briefing paper  \nApril 2021  \nCONTENTS  \n1. Introduction  \n2. Evaluating DfE’s Subject Content Proposals  \n3. What do the DfE’s proposals mean for MFL teaching?  \n4. Conclusion  \nAppendix: Questions for MFL teachers  \npage 2  \npage 4  \nPage 9  \npage 11  \npage 13  \nKEY POINTS  \n• The Department for Education launched a consultation in March 2021 on proposed changes to the subject content of GCSE French, German and Spanish. At the core of the proposals are changes to how the vocabulary lists for these subjects are determined.  \n• AQA’s view is that the very prescriptive limits proposed for vocabulary would compromise the validity and reliability of assessments, as well as the ability of exam boards to produce assessments that are not overly predictable. The proposed vocabulary lists also contain a number of significant omissions, which are likely to appear anomalous to many students and teachers.  \n• AQA believes that the frequency-based approach to vocabulary as proposed in the consultation could be beneficial if vocabulary lists were designed in relation to the specific pedagogical contexts of MFL GCSEs, with input from GCSE MFL teachers and learners. However, in the form proposed, AQA does not believe the proposed subject content will achieve the DfE’s objectives.  \n• AQA also believes that the proposals will not provide a motivating and stimulating learning experience for students at all key stages, impacting negatively on take up of MFL at GCSE, A-level and degree level. The proposals are also likely to increase the divergence between GCSE and A-level.  \n• The impact of the proposals on school resources at this point in the lifetime of the current specifications will be significant. Other GCSE languages are not part of the current proposals, which will mean different assessment models for different specifications.  \n• AQA believes that alternative changes could be made to the current GCSE specifications to achieve the aims of the DfE, for example, setting assessment tasks in the Speaking and Writing exams in English.  \n1. INTRODUCTION  \n1.1. Background  \nAQA is an education charity and exam board, and the largest provider of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) GCSEs in England.  \nIn 2019, the national entries for GCSE French were 130,831, German 42,791 and Spanish 102,242 .  \nThe Department for Education (DfE) launched a consultation in March 2021 on proposed changes to the subject content of GCSE French, German and Spanish. 1  \nThe proposals follow a review of language pedagogy carried out by the Teaching Schools Council which was published in 2016 ,2 as well as the recommendations of an expert panel convened by the DfE in 2019.  \nThe exams regulator, Ofqual , launched a parallel consultation on revised assessment arrangements in relation to the proposed subject content.3  \n1.2. The DfE’s Proposals: Objectives  \nIn its consultation document, the DfE has described the objectives of the proposed changes as being to:  \n• “ensure the subject content reflects research in language curriculum and teaching and make language GCSEs more accessible and motivating for students.”  \nThe DfE notes the objective of making GCSE Modern Foreign Language (MFL) courses less burdensome for teachers and students , and in this way, enabling students to be:  \n• “confident that they will only be tested on what they have been taught and exams can only contain what is specified in the content.”  \nThe proposed revised subject content sets out all the vocabulary and grammar that students will need for GCSE. The DfE proposes that the:  \n• “vocabulary specified for teaching will be informed by the frequency of occurrence in the language and, as such, will be well suited to communication about a wide range of common themes and topics. The revised GCSE subject content will require students to understand written texts and spoken extracts comprising defined vocabulary and grammar relevant to tier.”  \nThe DfE proposes that first te","cbCaicsWDZY66lt7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicsWDZY66lt7","pdf",367870,14,"English","# Introduction\n## Background\n## The DfE’s Proposals: Objectives\n# Evaluating DfE’s Subject Content Proposals\n# What do the DfE’s proposals mean for MFL teaching?\n# Conclusion\n# Appendix: Questions for MFL teachers","[{\"question\":\"What change is the DfE proposing for GCSE French, German, and Spanish subject content?\",\"answer\":\"The DfE is consulting on changes to how the vocabulary lists for these GCSE MFL subjects are determined, including a frequency-based approach to vocabulary selection.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does AQA object to the proposed limits on vocabulary?\",\"answer\":\"AQA argues that overly prescriptive vocabulary limits would compromise assessment validity and reliability and make assessments too predictable, while also omitting significant content.\"},{\"question\":\"How would the proposed assessment objectives be redistributed?\",\"answer\":\"The paper describes revised objectives under which AO1 would be 35%, AO2 45%, and AO3 20%, reflecting a different balance aligned with AS and A-level approaches.\"}]","GCSE MFL Subject Content - An AQA briefing paper - April 2021 | PDF",1792463787,35,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":99},[100,104,108,111,116,120,125,130,135,138,142],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},70,"exam",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":121,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":122,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":124},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":127,"show_sort_weight":128,"slug":129},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":134},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":137},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":139,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":140,"show_sort_weight":139,"slug":141},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":143,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":144,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":145},19,"General","general"]