A webinar with AQA: Looking back to 2022 and forward to 2023 exams

06/02/23

Thank you to AQA for agreeing to repeat the session given by Judith Rowland-Jones at our January event for the benefit of those who could not make it.

Video:

Presentation download:

Helen’s introduction: AQA Jan 23 intro

Ian’s presentation: GCSE French German Spanish Looking back at 2022 and forward to 2023 Spring update IR

Session description

This session will cover:
• National entry picture for French, German, Spanish – 2022 compared to 2019
• Overview of 2022 outcomes and grade boundaries
• Key messages across the skills from the 2022 exams
• Areas of focus for 2023 exams
• GCSE reform update
• Support from AQA

Session presenters:

Ian Rodmell, Curriculum Manager AQA Languages
Ian is the Curriculum Manager at AQA in the Languages Curriculum team, with many years of experience as a former MFL head of department and Senior French editor for Authentik Language Learning before joining AQA.

Sadaf Najib, Curriculum Manager AQA Languages
Helen Myers, Chair, ALL London

Chat transcript:

Lucy  to  Everyone 15:57

Hi everybody from a very sunny East Sussex!

Stuart Glover  to  Everyone 15:58

Also sunny here in Stroud!!!

Annaleena  to  Everyone 15:58

Hi, I am Annaleena. I teach at Sancton Wood School in Cambridge.

Arlene McLeish  to  Everyone 15:58

Sunny but cold in Sheffield

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 15:58

Hi all, I am Sadaf, Curriculum Support Manager for Languages at AQA. I have previously been a Head of Department and teacher of Spanish. I hope to answer any questions you may have in the chat today.

Jasmine   to  Everyone 15:58

It’s even sunny in Liverpool if you believe it!

iPhone  to  Everyone 15:58

Hi Ghania from St Simon Stock Catholic school. Kent

I am Head of MFL.

SandraWard  to  Everyone 15:59

Hi! I’m Sandra from sunny but cold Leicester.

Louise Peace  to  Everyone 15:59

Hello, I am up in Yorkshire, I teach in Huddersfield.  Sunny but cold here too

Chloe Burrows  to  Everyone 16:00

Hello everyone, welcome! I’m Chloe – one of two Curriculum Support Managers for AQA, and a former teacher of French and Spanish. I’ll be joining Sadaf to help with any questions in the chat today.

Ian Rodmell  to  Everyone 16:00

Hi everybody -I’m Ian Rodmell, Curriculum manager for languages at AQA and I’ll be presenting today.   My colleagues Sadaf Najib and Chloe Burrows will be answering questions in the chat during the session so please add any questions at any point.  We’ll deal with as many as we can during the session and will have some time at the end for any we’ve not had time to cover during the session.  Many thanks for coming!

iPhone  to  Everyone 16:04

I can hear now. 😊

jeremy.farinos  to  Everyone 16:04

I’m a member and pleased to be here. Teacher of MFL at Westbourne Academy in Ipswich : )

Louise Peace  to  Everyone 16:05

I’m also a member – it is definitely worthwhile 🙂

iPhone  to  Everyone 16:07

Are you going to sent this presentation out to participants?

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 16:08

Yes, you will receive the slides as well as the recording of the session to watch later if needed.

iPhone 16:09

Brilliant! Thank you.

Sadaf Najib 16:09

No problem!

You  to  Everyone 16:15

Good to see you Louise!

iPhone  to  Everyone 16:23

I just did the higher reading 2022 with my students and they struggled with it.

Sadaf Najib 16:25

Ian is going to say a bit more in the next few slides about the structure of the papers and how questions target different abilities, if that will be helpful?

Shelley Alban  to  You (Direct Message) 16:24

agreed – lots of mine fell off the bottom in their recent mocks

You  to  Everyone 16:31

I think it is helpful to get then word ‘distractor; in our vocabulary rather than ‘traps’!

Sadaf Najib 16:34

I fully agree with you, the distractors are not there to catch the students but rather to reward and differentiate the most able students as Ian has said.

You  to  Everyone 16:34

That’s a really key figure isn’t it?  a third of the marks for 8 (was mid point A + A* I think) and 9 (was A*).  Understanding very important.,., but problem when they are comparing with other subjects where it is not so obvious what they do not understand.

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 16:41

Picking the right tier for your students can be tough. If helpful for anyone, we do have a tiering guide: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/languages/AQA-GCSE-MFL-TG-FH.PDF

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 16:42

Also available as a quick reference poster: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/languages/AQA-GCSE-MFL-TIER-GUIDE.PDF

You  to  Everyone 16:45

These are the posters – A3 https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/languages/AQA-GCSE-MFL-TG-TIPS-EXAM-POSTER.PDF

You  to  Everyone 16:45

A4 handout: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/languages/AQA-GCSE-MFL-TG-TIPS-EXAM-HANDOUT.PDF

You  to  Everyone 16:53

That’s a question often asked.. so it is ok just to  have 4 sentences  ‘il y a + noun’ in French.

Sadaf Najib 16:54

Absolutely!

valentinamandorino  to  Everyone 16:55

Would you kindly share this presentation at the end of the meeting? Thank you

Chloe Burrows 16:55

Hi, yes we’ll be sharing the slides  and the recording too.

You  to  Everyone 16:55

Yes – the video and presentation will be on this pager: https://all-london.org.uk/webinars/a-webinar-with-aqa-summer-looking-back-to-2022-and-forward-to-2023-exams/

You  to  Everyone 16:55

(empty at the moment!)

valentinamandorino  to  Everyone 16:56

Thank you

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 16:57

Interactive vocab list: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/french/AQA-8652FH-SSV.XLSX

Chloe Burrows  to  Everyone 16:58

You can sign up to view the webinar here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse-french-spec-change

Louise Peace  to  Everyone 16:58

My internet died … so sorry to have missed an important half of this webinar!!

Chloe Burrows 16:59

Hi Louise, the recording will be available after this presentation to watch back.

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 17:00

Timeline: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/content/mfl/AQA-GCSE-LANGUAGES-TIMELINE-DFE-CHANGES.PDF

You  to  Everyone 17:02

Louise: please feel free to stay on at the end to check on your question- in case you weren’t there when Ian covered it.

You  to  Everyone 17:03

Here you are, Louise ..!

iPhone  to  Everyone 17:04

I added 2 marks to the grade boundaries

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 17:04

We’ve had a number of enquiries about what grade boundaries to use for mock exams in the run up to the 2023 exam series. Previous grade boundaries should only ever be a guide and this year they are more tentative because of the many variables that could have an influence. These include the gradual return to 2019 awarding standards announced by Ofqual, the removal of advance information and the additional optionality on the GCSE Paper 4 Writing (allowed for 2022 only) and the continuing removal of the Ofqual requirement to test words outside the GCSE vocabulary lists (which was in place in 2019) for the 2023 and future exam series.

Our advice would therefore be:

  • to mirror what will happen in summer 2023 on a national scale – mark all your mock exams, create a rank order for your students and compare this with your outcomes in previous years, and particularly from 2019.
  • to set grade boundaries which would give similar outcomes to those achieved in 2019, making adjustments according to any information you have regarding the relative attainment of the two cohorts and sense checking against actual boundaries over time.

iPhone  to  Everyone 17:05

Resourcing the new specifications

We use Active Learn Studio

Stuart Glover  to  Everyone 17:06

OUP are going to try to keep their book along similar lines to the current one with a section on each theme about culture

jeremy.farinos

Thank you all : )

Mathilde Bouquin  to  Everyone 17:08

Thank you very much for this presentation.

Marina Turmo  17:08

thank you very much!

SandraWard  to  You (Direct Message) 17:09

Thank you so much. That was very clear and helpful.

Severine.Bouclier  to  Everyone 17:09

Thank you very much for the presentation.

jeremy.farinos  to  Everyone 17:09

Thank you all, much appreciated. : )

Stuart Glover  to  Everyone 17:10

Thank you to all for a clear and informative presentation

Annaleena  to  You (Direct Message) 17:10

Thank you very much for the informative presentation.

flynnc  17:10

Thank you very much

erica.danna  to  Everyone 17:11

Thanks!

Janet Smith  17:11

Thank you

KJO   17:11

Thank you!

Sadaf Najib  to  Everyone 17:11

Thank you everyone!

A MULLAN  to  Everyone 17:11

Many thanks

KJO  to  Everyone 17:11

Thank you!

Louise Peace  to  Everyone 17:12

Very big thank you!

smhar 17:12

Thank you very much. Gracias