Preparation and
Information for MFL GCSE
Mock Exams
Name:_________
Tutor Group:_____
Teacher:________
1
Break-Down of Exam
Marks
•
•
•
•
Speaking – 30% (controlled assessments)
Writing – 30% (controlled assessments)
Reading – 20% (exam)
Listening – 20% (exam)
• Please note that you will carry out a total of 6
controlled assessments over the 2 year
course (3 speaking and 3 writing). The best 2
speaking and the best 2 writing assessments
will be used to calculate 60% of your GCSE
mark.
• You will sit one listening and one reading
exam at the at the end of Y11. These exams
will contribute 40% of your overall grade.
2
Frequently Asked Questions
• What do I need to do to prepare for listening and reading
exams?
A: You will need to focus on building up a wide range of
vocabulary from all of the GCSE topics (media and culture,
sport and leisure, travel and tourism or business, work and
employment) covered in Y10 and Y11. You can use the Edexcel
textbook as well as a range of websites (especially
www.vocabexpress.com) to help with this.
You should also carry out exam style exercises using websites
such as www.linguascope.com (intermediate level),
www.languagesonline.org.uk and the BBC bitesized site. You
can also download past papers to practise with from the
Edexcel website:
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/mfl/german/Pages
/default.aspx
• How long do the exams last for?
A: The reading exams lasts for 50minutes and the listening exam
lasts for 40 minutes.
• Am I allowed to bring any notes into the exam?
A: No, you are not allowed to bring anything into the exam
room apart from a pen, pencil and ruler.
• What happens if I am ill on the day of the exam?
A: Get a message to the exams office straight away and they will
advise on the best course of action.
• Do the controlled assessments count towards my final grade?
A: Yes! The formal exams are made up of 20% reading and 20%
listening in the final exams at the end of Year 11.
3
Tips for Success
1. Start preparing for this as early as possible! You really
cannot prepare for this exam the night or even few days
before.
2. Work through the language blocks in vocabexpress.com
each week and go back and revise the ones you have
completed a few weeks afterwards to remind yourself of the
language.
3. Make a list of difficult vocabulary and write them up on
flashcards with the English on one side and the foreign
language on the other. Carry them around with you so you
can revise when you have a spare minute.
4. Change your mobile phone to the foreign language you are
learning.
5. Come to the extra-curricular sessions every Monday from 45pm in the MFL block.
6. Help the Y7 students with their vocab learning at the
Spelling Bee Club in Room 150 every Thursday lunchtime –
this will help you to revise your vocabulary too!
7. Study a little and often – this is the most efficient way for
your brain to process new language.
8. Focus on a grammar point each week, take each tense at a
time. Ensure that you can recognise the difference between
the tenses. Use www.languagesonline.org.uk to help you –
work through the grammar sections.
9. Expose yourself to as much foreign language as possible, put
the foreign radio on whilst you are in your room or on the
bus, download some foreign music and learn the lyrics.
Watch films in the foreign language. Borrow a book from
the MFL collection and read for pleasure.
4
Internet Links
1. Below are some internet sites that are useful to help you
prepare. Aim to use these sites regularly to keep on top of
vocabulary and structures – remember a little but often!
•
•
www.vocabexpress.com Students each have an individual
log in and password
www.linguascope.com
• User: hinchbk
• Pass: student
• Intermediate
•
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
•
www.languagesonline.org.uk
•
www.yjc.org.uk (for Spanish and German only)
5
Below are a selection of websites you might like to use
when learning languages. They are all free and provide
some extra support to your classroom learning. NEVER
use ONLINE translators as they do not HELP, nor do they
give the right information generally.
Other ideas to support your vocabulary learning may be to:
•Make small vocab cards with the English on one side and
the foreign language on the other and put these in a shoe
box or bag, so that you always have them.
•Put post-it notes on your mirror and take them off when
you’ve learnt them.
•Make a vocab tree and hang the words on it once you
know them.
•Get someone at home to test you by saying the English
and you spell and pronounce the German/French/Spanish.
You can make cartoons / interesting things
www.dvolver.com
www.goanimate.com
www.toondoo.com
www.wordle.com
www.imagechef.com
www.voki.com
6
General Websites (all years)
Linguascope (subscription paid
by school)
www.linguascope.com
(hinchbk/pupil)
UK German Connection
www.ukgermanconnection.org
Goethe Institute London
www.goethe.de/london
German Embassy
www.london.diplo.de
Hello Mylo (all languages)
www.hellomylo.com
Languages Online (all languages)
www.languagesonline.org.uk
BBC (all languages)
www.bbc.co.uk/languages
BBC Class clips (all languages)
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clip
s
Deutsch Welle - German News
www.dw-world.de
Leo (On-line Dictionary)
www.leo.org
Word Reference (On-line
Dictionary)
www.wordreference.com
NGFL Cymru (all languages)
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk
MFL Sunderland School
www.sunderlandschools.org/mflsunderland
Digital Dialects
www.digitaldialects.com
For the younger learners
On-line German Pronunciation
http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/
Politics and Europe can be fun!
http://www.kinder.diplo.de
Childrens Zone – lots of links
www.kindernetz.de
Olis Wilde Welt (Animal Dictionary)
http://www.kindernetz.de/oli/tierlexikon/index.p
hp
ZDF TV for kids
http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/logo/start/index.ht
ml
Learn with the mouse
www.hanisauland.de
You can search for German things using
www.blinde-kuh.de
You can learn French
www.monjtquotidien.com
www.frenchinaclick.com
www.tv5.org/TV5Site/enseigner-apprendrefrancais/accueil_apprendre.php
www.france24.com/fr
www.lsfrench.com/beginners2.html
www.zut.org.uk/index.html
French songs and vocabulary
http://platea.pntic.mec.es/~cvera/hotpot/chanso
ns/index.htm
http://www.lepointdufle.net
You can learn Spanish
www.childtopia.com
www.chicomania.com
RTVE is a Spanish TV channel and this links to
the children’s section.
www.rtve.es/infantil
You can print your very own posters and vocab
7
cards in French and Spanish
www.sparklebox.co.uk