· web viewmany weaker candidates focus on single items of vocabulary and build answers around...

MARKSCHEMEGCSE French Listening (H)

School

Date:

Time: 1 hour

Total marks available: 60

Total marks achieved: ______

Mark Scheme

Q1.

QuestionNumber Answer Mark

(i) Hubert 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(ii) Justine 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(iii) Roxanne 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(iv) Hubert 1 Listening Transcript

SCHOOL M1 Ecoutons d'abord Roxanne F1 Mon école est très bien équipée. Je l'aime bien mais la journée scolaire est trop longue. La plupart de mes profs expliquent bien mais ils donnent trop de devoirs ! Le soir je n'ai pas le temps de voir mes amis.M1 Maintenant HubertM2 J'habite dans un petit village donc j'aime bien aller au collège pour retrouver mes amis. Certains de mes profs sont très gentils mais il n'y a pas de discipline dans la classe et je n'apprends rien. Les devoirs m'aident à comprendre et à faire des progrès. M1 Et finalement Justine

F2 La journée scolaire est longue mais on a de longues vacances et moi je préfère ça. Par contre je ne comprends pas pourquoi nous avons tellement de devoirs, ils ne m'aident pas.

Q2.


(a) (iii) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(b) (ii) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(c) (i) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(d) (ii) 1 Listening Transcript

SCHOOL Mon nouveau collège est plus petit que la plupart des collèges mais ça c'est bien. Il est près de ma maison. Avant je devais me lever à 6h30 et je prenais le car à 7h maintenant je peux rester au lit jusqu'à 7h30. Je rentre à la maison pour manger, je n'aime pas la nourriture à la cantine.

J'ai plus de devoirs mais ils ne sont pas trop difficiles et j'apprends beaucoup. L'année dernière je jouais pour une équipe de foot et je nageais mais maintenant je n'ai pas le temps de faire du sport. On fait beaucoup de voyages, dans deux semaines on ira en Espagne, on est déjà allés en Angleterre et à Paris.

Q3.

Q4.


(a) (iii) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(b) (ii) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(c) (i) 1

QuestionNumber

Answer Mark

(d) (ii) 1 Listening Transcript MY SCHOOL M2 Mon nouveau collège est assez petit mais ça c'est bien. Il est près de ma maison. Avant je devais me lever à 6h30 et je prenais le car à 7h maintenant je peux rester au lit jusqu'à 7h30. Je rentre à la maison pour manger, mes amis mangent à la cantine mais je n'aime pas la nourriture à la cantine. J'ai plus de devoirs mais ils ne sont pas trop difficiles et j'apprends beaucoup. On fait beaucoup de voyages, dans deux semaines on ira en Espagne, on est déjà allés en Angleterre et à Paris. Pause and repeat.

Q5.

Answer Mark

(i) GAD (1)(ii) NOLWENNE (1)(iii) GAD (1)(iv) SAMIR (1)

MOBILE PHONES IN SCHOOL Qu'en penses–tu Samir ? Les portables sont interdits dans mon école mais c'est bête. Beaucoup d'élèves ne respectent pas la règle, j'ai des copains qui utilisent leur portable en classe, moi je ne le fais pas. Les profs le savent et ils ne disent rien. Et toi, Nolwenne ? Les enfants devraient avoir le droit d'avoir un portable à l'école. Moi et mes copains, nous avons tous notre portable en classe. On s'envoie des textes, c'est rigolo, les profs ne le remarquent même pas. Et Gad ? Dans mon collège, c'est toléré. Beaucoup de profs sont contre parce qu'ils pensent que les élèves vont les utiliser en classe mais on ne le fait pas.Pause and repeat all.

CLASS REPRESENTATIVE

F1 : Je suis déléguée de classe et je vais aux réunions avec les profs pour représenter les opinions de mes camarades de classe. Je crois qu'il est nécessaire d'avoir de bonnes idée pour des projets à faire. Ce n'est pas tout : pour être bien informé, il faut absolument parler ave tous les membres de la classe.

Moi j'ai créé un forum, ainsi même les plus timides dans la classe peuvent poster des messages et donner leurs opinions. L'année dernière j'ai organisé une exposition des dessins des élèves. L'entrée était seulement à 1€. Beaucoup de gens ont visité l'exposition et avec l'argent nous avons acheté de nouveaux ballons de volley.

Le plus difficile est de parler de nos plaintes avec les profs, mais je crois que si on n'est pas contents, il faut expliquer pourquoi. J'ai appris comment présenter nos opinions aux profs pour qu'ils écoutent.

CHANGING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

PART 1

F2:

Le ministre de l'Éducation croit que les huit semaines et demie de vacances d'été sont trop longues. D'après le ministre, ces grandes vacances sont difficiles pour les parents qui travaillent et, quant aux enfants, ils s'ennuient et, encore pire, ils oublient tout ce qu'ils ont appris. Bonne nouvelle pour les jeunes Français : en réduisant les vacances, la journée scolaire pourrait être aussi réduite. Les écoles pourraient en profiter pour permettre aux élèves de faire leurs devoirs à l'école et les enfants n'auraient pas à travailler le soir chez eux.

PART 2

F2:

Cependant, les élèves ne sont pas contents. Dans un sondage récent pour savoir si les jeunes sont heureux d'être à l'école, seulement 53% des élèves français se déclarent heureux. Pourquoi ? La liste des soucis est longue mais, en tête : certains profs qui ne respecteraient pas leurs élèves, la pression des examens, sans parler des disputes à la maison à cause des notes ou du travail scolaire.

Q8.

Answer MarkMIREILLE B GJOACHIM E HSERGE A ENOLWENNE C H

8

VIEWS ON SCHOOLPart (a)

M1 : Ecoutons d'abord Mireille.

F1 : Dans mon collège il y a de bons rapports entre les profs et les élèves, et les élèves se comportent bien. Les professeurs expliquent bien mais les cours ne sont pas très stimulants ; me concentrer en classe n'est pas facile ! On fait beaucoup d'informatique mais pas beaucoup de sport ; c'est dommage parce que c'est ma matière préférée. Au collège je pense que les règles sont importantes mais il y en a trop. Bien sûr mes parents sont d'accord avec l'école ! Mais en gros je m'amuse bien au collège et en plus on peut aussi participer à plein d'excursions. M1 : Et Joachim ? M1 : En général les profs sont gentils et les cours sont bien mais beaucoup d'élèves ne respectent pas les règles et les profs ne font rien donc il est difficile d'apprendre. Il y a plein de clubs de sport et d'informatique, ils sont très populaires et beaucoup d'élèves aiment y aller. On organise aussi des soirées pour les parents. Par contre on ne fait pas beaucoup d'excursions. J'aime bien mon collège parce que j'ai plein d'amis et on s'amuse bien. Part (b) M1 : Écoutons maintenant Serge. M2 : On a une nouvelle cantine et on y mange bien, donc je ne rentre pas à la maison pendant l'heure du déjeuner. On a un petit terrain de sport et j'aime jouer au foot avec mes amis ! Mon collège est moderne mais tout est gris, même s'il y a des posters aux murs. Ce n'est pas accueillant pour les parents ou les élèves. En plus il manque d'équipement sportif et d'ordinateurs mais j'aime bien mon collège, on a assez de liberté et les profs nous traitent comme des adultes. Je vais être triste de le quitter pour aller au lycée. M1 : Et finalement Nolwenne. F2 : Je crois qu'on devrait avoir un terrain de sport parce que pendant l'heure du déjeuner il n'y a pas beaucoup à faire pour les enfants qui ne rentrent pas à la maison. Moi je bavarde avec mes copines. Les bâtiments sont vieux mais il y a des posters et des tableaux partout ; c'est plein de couleurs, c'est très agréable surtout la cantine. Les repas ne sont pas chers mais ils ne sont pas bons. Je vais bientôt quitter mon collège pour aller au lycée, à vrai dire ça me fait peur !

ArrayQ9.

REJECT ANY ANSWERS IN FRENCH

QuestionNumber

Acceptable Answers Reject Mark

(a) - how to be organised/organise - organisation

- personal (skills) - social (skills) -personal and social (skills) - social and personal development - people and social skills (accept competence[s] for skills)

- how to work with others/as a team/in a group - team work/group work

- how to interact with others

Social skills e.g. co- operation= 1 (for social skills, co-operation a harmless addition but doesn't score marks on its own)

(If candidates exemplify the idea of ‘social skills', only allow ‘being

- social studies - life skills (on own) - PSHE - sociology - socialising - work skills - social work skills - people skills (on own)

Co-operation on it's own not enough to score a mark but a harmless

addition with a correct answer

- personal and social skills (e.g. working)=0

1

organised' and ‘working with others'. Do not allow e.g. being on time) e.g. - personal and life skills, like working with others =1

Watch out for harmless additions E.g. personal and social skills, confidence (taken from 10C) ANY 1

QuestionNumber


(b) - (half in) school, (half on) work experience ( half at )school,( half at) work/ in the work place - (shared/split between) school and work - (half) lessons, (half) work The idea of half time is not needed

So answers like school/work School and work would = 1

-if they do try and be precise then they need the idea of equally

academic and work experience

Accept: work place, apprenticeship, enterprise, business, firm,

- (half) in school and out of it

2 days in work , three days in school=0 One month in school and one month in work=0 Two weeks in school and two weeks in work =0

1

company, industry

Accept: college

QuestionNumber


(c) Three elements. Accept any two

i) (to give them) (professional) (key) skills/knowledge/competence

ii) – (to give them) confidence (to work) confidence to/in /at/about/for work =1

It is about self confidence, confidence at work/confidence for the future

references to interviews = harmless addition (moved from reject column)

iii) - employment - to get a job/become employed - to find/get them a job - to prepare people/ get people ready for

i) to teach them a profession (on own) to give them qualifications professional training

ii) confidence in the profession=0 professional confidence =0 confidence in other people=0

iii) references to professional in the context of the job e.g. professional job, a profession, business

reject: getting better at work

2

jobs

Distinction between professional skills=1 and becoming professional/ entering a profession =0

Any 2 out of 3

make them competent for work = 1 make them competent at work = 1 confidence at work and key skills (2)

confidence to set up own business (0) and key skills (1) by linking the confidence to incorrect information the candidate has written him/herself out of the mark

to give people the competence to find a job = 2 give them confidence(1) so they are professionally competent = 0 learn the right skills to get a job = 2 become professional (0) to find a job = 1

to boost their confidence (1) and become professional to find a job (0)

learn how to get a job = 1

give them confidence to work =

1 to get a job in the future = 1 when getting a job = 1

Listening Transcript

A NEW INITIATIVE

M2 Ils étudient les maths et le français et on les aide à développer des compétences personnelles et sociales, par exemple, comment s'organiser, comment travailler avec les autres. Ils passent une moitié de leur temps en entreprise et l'autre moitié à l'école. L'objectif est de leur donner des compétences professionnelles et la confiance pour trouver un emploi.

ArrayQ10.

REJECT ANY ANSWERS IN FRENCH

QuestionNumber


(a) Two discrete elements: i) 18-25 year olds ii) not having any/ needing to get qualifications

i) - 18-25 year olds - adults/ young people/ students/ kids(etc) aged 18- 25 (accept figures written out in words)

AND ii) (who have left school) with no qualifications/grades

who have failed at school with no exams who have failed their

exams/grades who are not qualified who haven't got any job qualifications

DON'T FORGET IDEA OF NEEDING/WANTING QUALIFICATIONS who want to retake qualifications/exams

- for people to get qualifications they didn't get at school = 1 - for people 18-25 to get qualifications they didn't get at school = 2

i) adults (on its own) 18-25 people

ii) who have five qualifications who have not taken exams who haven't got enough qualifications who need more/better qualifications not done well not strong enough, idea really that they have failed

Reject references to

not good enough as opposed to no qualifications

Get a second chance on its own=0

1 mark for each element

Total: 2

18-25 year olds, a second chance for them to get qualified = 2

(ignore any references to e.g.: - who were excluded/kicked out from school, - who dropped out off school, etc)

allow calcifications

accept college for school throughout

QuestionNumber


(b) Two discrete elements: i) following school rules ii) making an effort (doing hard work) list principle applies- see examples

i) accept/follow the rules comply with, stick to,

stand by, obey regulations respect the rules, behave well/better, do as they are told

ii) (more) effort/ trying hard/ working hard They know how much effort they have to make They realise how much effort they have to

i) except the rules understand the rules

consideration of the rules rules (on own)

ii) try (on own) reject references to being punctual They want to do it

dedication/commitment/det ermination/initiative (i.e. personal qualities)

1 mark for each element

put in/make They have to work hard/ show that they want to learn/ be keen to learn application / motivation good work ethic want to/ keen to succeed WILLING/KEEN TO LEARN

Bracket references to understanding if the rest is correct Understand and accept the school rules =1

(references to signing a contract = harmless addition)

(show progress/improved work [on own] = 0, but is harmless addition to

correct answer)

College for school

Willingness/keen/eager on own

Understand the school rules on own = 0

Total: 2


A NEW INITIATIVE

M2 L'École de la deuxième chance accueille les adultes de 18 à 25 ans sortis du système scolaire et sans qualification. Pour être acceptés, les jeunes doivent se présenter en entrevue. Ensuite ils ont un mois en période d'essai pour montrer qu'ils acceptent les règles de l'école et comprennent qu'il faut faire des efforts pour réussir.

Q11.

QuestionNumber


(a)Long day/ long hours school hours are long

It's too long on its own long lessons

1

QuestionNumber


(b) (get) long holidays longer holidays more holidays 1

QuestionNumber


(c)

Children/pupils/students are tired

Don't learn/ can't learn

Can become aggressive some are/become aggressive Any 2 X 1

pupils are tiring

it's difficult to learn

Children are aggressive

1

QuestionNumber


(d)Children of 8 should sleep 11 hours (per night)

Children up to 8 should sleep 11 hours children should go to bed by 11 etc

1


A CHANGE IN FRENCH PRIMARY SCHOOLSF1 Mais le plus grand problème reste la journée scolaire, elle est trop longue. Cela a des avantages, les Français ont la journée scolaire la plus longue mais ils ont aussi les vacances les plus longues. En revanche les enfants sont fatigués et, quand ils sont fatigués, ils n'apprennent pas et ils peuvent devenir agressifs. Les enfants ne dorment pas assez, d'après une étude récente, un enfant de 8 ans devrait dormir onze heures la nuit.

Q12.

QuestionNumber


(a)

2008 two thousand and eight accept any clearly recognisable spelling

ANY ANSWERS IN FRENCH eg deux mille huit ‘08 answers which include additional information which negates e.g. before 2008/ after 2008 roundabout 2008/ about 2008

1

QuestionNumber


(b)

No school on Saturday morning

don't have to go to school on saturday (morning) children don't go /don't have to go to school on Saturday morning any more/ any longer school in Saturday morning has disappeared Saturday morning school has disappeared

school on Saturday morning no longer exists/ is finished/ is over

KEY ELEMENTS NO SCHOOL SATURDAY AFTERNOON MUST HAVE ALL THREE ELEMENTS FO THE MARK

ANY ANSWERS IN FRENCH

no school (on its own) no school at the weekend

no school on Saturday afternoon

Information which contradicts and is not what they have heard eg there is no school on Saturday morning so they do clubs

1

QuestionNumber


(c) Parents want to spend the weekend

Parents want to spend time with their

1

with their children

parents want to be with their children at the weekend

parents don't get to spend enough time with their children at the weekend

Families want to go away / at the weekend

Any 1

children

Parents want to go away at the weekend parents want to leave at the weekend parents want to go out at the weekend with their children


A CHANGE IN FRENCH PRIMARY SCHOOLSF1 Depuis 2008, il y a un grand changement dans les écoles primaires en France. L'école le samedi matin a disparu. Ceci est dû à plusieurs raisons : beaucoup de familles possèdent une maison secondaire et veulent partir le week-end et les parents veulent profiter du week-end pour passer du temps avec leurs enfants.

Examiner's Report

Q1.

The performance on the overlap questions was generally better than at Foundation level. However, the performance of less able candidates was similar to that of Foundation level candidates on these questions. As at Foundation level, this question proved more demanding and only C + candidates scored well.

The questions that were intended to differentiate were suitable challenging and less able candidates found the questions targeted at grade B and above very demanding.

Q2.No Examiner's Report available for this question

Q3.

Parts (iii) and (iv) proved the most accessible. However, in part (i) many candidates failed to match 'on rit bien avec elle' with answer C 'makes her laugh'. And in part (ii), 'En maths c'est plus difficile mais la prof ne se fâche jamais', with answer B 'is patient with her'.



Q6.

As always, the open-ended questions requiring answers in English were a good discriminator. There were some excellent performances from better candidates on these questions but they proved difficult for weaker candidates. This year, however, there were fewer blanks and candidates' responses indicated they had understood the gist of the extract although lack of attention to detail cost weaker candidates marks. Only the better candidates were able to supply the detail and accuracy required at this level.

Some candidates failed to recognise familiar vocabulary in an unfamiliar context. Weaker candidates tended to answer using their experience rather than what was heard, for example, there were many references in part (b) to 'have good marks/have good uniform/good attendance/good attitude/good homework record/good health although none of these are mentioned at all. In parts (b),(f), and (g) there were lots of references to being confident/ being able to speak in front of others/ good at public speaking, none of which were mentioned in the extract. Often answers lacked detail, for example in part (g) where candidates recognised how to present ideas to teachers but omitted the reference to 'pour qu'ils écoutent'.

Some answers were too vague, for example, in part (d) raise money for charity/organise a charity event/a fund raiser, without any reference to how ie the art exhibition. This lack of attention to detail loses marks. The accurate understanding of key basic items of vocabulary and structures is also important, and weaker candidates do not have this, for example in part (f) many rendered, 'présenter nos opinions aux profs' as 'present the opinions of the teacher', in part (b) 'avoir de bonnes idées pour des projets à faire' was rendered as 'have ideas for the project', in part (e) 'nous avons acheté de nouveaux ballons de volley' was rendered as 'bought a new volley ball'.

Many weaker candidates focus on single items of vocabulary and build answers around the recognition of single word, for example, in part (a) the word réunion gave rise to answers such as organise a class reunion, in part (d) the word dessin gave rise to answers such as organise art sessions/art classes for the pupils, go on an art trip etc. In part (e) the reference to 'volley' gave rise to answers such as buy new volley ball nets, build a volley ball court, create a volley ball team. In part (g) 'si on n'est pas content, il faut expliquer pourquoi', gave rise to answers such as the teachers are not happy/the teachers want to know why.

There was also evidence of mishearing with the word volley in part (e) being heard as vole, and hence references to stopping theft and even vélo with answers referring to buying bikes/ a bike shed. The word 'exposition' in part (d) was heard by many as expedition and there were many incorrect answers referring to going on expeditions/ art expeditions. In part (f) 'plaintes' was heard as plans, with answers such as, tell the teacher their plans. There were a surprising number of candidates who rendered 'professeur' as professor despite the context of the extract

Q7.

On the whole the performance of the better candidates on the paper was characterised by:

careful reading of the rubric listening to the whole rather than honing in on individual items of vocabulary recognising the use of negation attention to detail, giving full rather than partial answers good knowledge of vocabulary expressing themselves clearly and unambiguously when writing in English and relating their answers to facts in the extract applying logic reading over and correcting their answers

Q9.

The open-ended questions requiring answers in English differentiated suitably and this question proved very demanding for less able candidates. However, there was evidence that, generally, candidates were better prepared for this question type and tended to score better than in previous years.

There were some excellent performances from more able candidates who were able to supply the detail and accuracy required at this level of assessment. Many candidates understood the gist of the extract but were often unsuccessful due to a lack of attention to detail. The performance of less able candidates was characterised by a misinterpretation of the extract, a lack of attention to detail, an inability to write clearly and unambiguously in English and an overuse of imagination.

There was some evidence that, despite the fact that the recording made reference to this question and another, some candidates completed both sets of questions after the extract for the first question question only. A small number of queries were received about the pre-pauses of the recorded material for these questions. The issue was discussed at the Award meeting and Edexcel has reviewed the procedure for applying pre-pauses to recorded material to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged.

In part (a), candidates were reasonable successful interpreting a correct response to the other skills that students at the school have to learn. However, there were some imaginative incorrect responses, such as ICT, Music. PE, Maths, English.

Some candidates struggled with the comprehension of the extract and were not awarded marks for misinterpretation of language, such as 'des compétences sociales' which was translated as 'social work'. In addition, some candidates interpreted 'sociales' as socialising.

In part (b), many candidates understood the basic idea of time in school and time in work or work experience but added incorrect information, such as 'school in the morning', 'work in the afternoon'. Many candidates misinterpreted 'moitié' as 'mois' which led to incorrect responses, such as 'a month in school and then a month in work.

In part (c), the majority of candidates were able to respond accurately but some candidates struggled to either understand or express their ideas unambiguously in English. More surprisingly, there were several answers referring to opera.

Candidates were not awarded marks for confusing separate elements of the extract in one answer. For example, the extract 'leur donner des compétences professionnelles et la confiance de trouver un emploi' was often interpreted as, 'to give people confidence to become a professional'.

Q10.

The open-ended questions requiring answers in English differentiated suitably and this question proved very demanding for less able candidates. However, there was evidence that, generally, candidates were better prepared for this question type and tended to score better than in previous years.

There were some excellent performances from more able candidates who were able to supply the detail and accuracy required at this level of assessment. Many candidates understood the gist of the extract but were often unsuccessful due to a lack of attention to detail. The performance of less able candidates was characterised by a misinterpretation of the extract, a lack of attention to detail, an inability to write clearly and unambiguously in English and an overuse of imagination.

There was some evidence that, despite the fact that the recording made reference to this question and another, some candidates completed both sets of questions after the extract for this question only. A small number of queries were received about the pre-pauses of the recorded material for these questions. The issue was discussed at the Award meeting and Edexcel has reviewed the procedure for applying pre-pauses to recorded material to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged.

In part (a), the number of candidates who failed to recognise the numbers '18-25' was disappointing. Answers ranged from '5-18', '18-21', '18-50', '18-15' to '18-80'. The second part of this question was intended to test reference to the people at which the school was aimed. Unfortunately, the use of 'sans' was challenging for a number of candidates with some imaginative response, such as, 'they haven't got 5 A-Cs'.

Some candidates had interpreted 'chance' as 'danse', (despite the fact that it was in the title) and thought that the extract referred to a dance school. Other more imaginative incorrect answers referred to a school for, 'criminals', 'advanced scholarship', 'autistic children' and 'children with disabilities.'

In part (b), many candidates understood the reference to accepting the rules and behaving well but fewer recognised the need to make an effort to succeed, 'il faut faire des efforts pour réussir.' Candidates who found the extract challenging tended to focus on individual items of vocabulary and created their own answers, for example, 'ils doivent se présenter en entrevue' became, they have to do a presentation. Similarly, other incorrect responses were based on their own experience of school, such as 'good attendance', 'punctuality', and 'attend regularly' (taken from règle).

Q11.

The open-ended questions requiring answers in English were a good discriminator and this question proved difficult for weaker candidates. There were some excellent performances from the better candidates but only the better candidates were able to supply the detail and accuracy required at this level. Many candidates did not understand the gist of the extract, of those that did, lack of attention to detail often cost them marks. The unfamiliar context seems to have thrown many candidates who failed to recognise simple vocabulary such les vacances les plus longues, la journée scolaire, many confusing this with travel to school.

In part (a) of this question the journey is too long, it takes too long to get there were common incorrect answers. In part (b) children learn more was a common incorrect answer, again based largely on mishearing, inability to recognise common core vocabulary and guesswork. Part (c) proved more accessible with many candidates scoring one mark for the children get tired, few picked up ils n'apprennent rien and only the best candidates successfully understood the importance of ils peuvent in the phrase ils peuvent devenir agressifs. Many rendered agressifs as violent. Part (d) was not well done despite, it's relative simplicity (un enfant de 8 ans devrait dormer onze heures la nuit) and gave raise to many answers such as children should be in bed by 8 o'clock or 11 o'clock. Some candidates did understand but their answers lacked the precision and accuracy needed at this level with answers such as children under 8 need 11 hours sleep, all children should sleep 11 hours per night. Some candidates confused the reference with learning more and wrote answers such as 8 hours study is not enough they should do 11 hours per day. This lack of precision was also present in part (a) with answers such as It is

too long without clear reference to the school day or hours. It would seem that many candidates lacked experience and practice at answering questions in English at this level.

Q12.

The open-ended questions requiring answers in English were a good discriminator and this question proved difficult for weaker candidates. There were some excellent performances from the better candidates but only the better candidates were able to supply the detail and accuracy required at this level. Many candidates did not understand the gist of the extract, of those that did, lack of attention to detail often cost them marks. The unfamiliar context seems to have thrown many candidates who failed to recognise simple vocabulary such les vacances les plus longues, la journée scolaire, many confusing this with travel to school.

This question proved difficult. In part (a) 2008 was variously rendered as 1998, 1980, 17th of January, last month, this morning and many other random answers. In part (b) very few understood L'école le samedi matin a disparu, in fact, many believed thought it meant the complete opposite that school on Saturday was being introduced. This led in part (c) to answers based on opinion and imagination rather on what was actually heard with answers such as, so parents can go away, so that parents who work can have free child minding, (from profiter?) because children have too much free time, because children don’t learn enough, to get better results (possibly based on personal experience). There was also evidence of French sounds being changed into English words eg partir le week-end became incorrectly so parents can party at the weekend. There were quite a lot of references to parking. Sécondaire in maison sécondaire was thought by many to mean secondary pupils who spend too much time at home at the weekend, even though the question title and questions refer clearly to primary schools. Many left part (c) blank.

· web viewmany weaker candidates focus on single items of vocabulary and build answers around...

Documents