Preparation and Information for MFL GCSE

Mock Exams

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Name:_________Tutor Group:_____Teacher:________

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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• 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.

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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 4-5pm 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.

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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)

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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 thingswww.dvolver.comwww.goanimate.comwww.toondoo.comwww.wordle.comwww.imagechef.comwww.voki.com

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General Websites (all years)Linguascope (subscription paid by school)www.linguascope.com (hinchbk/pupil)UK German Connectionwww.ukgermanconnection.orgGoethe Institute Londonwww.goethe.de/londonGerman Embassywww.london.diplo.deHello Mylo (all languages)www.hellomylo.comLanguages Online (all languages)www.languagesonline.org.ukBBC (all languages)www.bbc.co.uk/languagesBBC Class clips (all languages)www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clipsDeutsch Welle - German Newswww.dw-world.deLeo (On-line Dictionary)www.leo.orgWord Reference (On-line Dictionary)www.wordreference.comNGFL Cymru (all languages)www.ngfl-cymru.org.ukMFL Sunderland Schoolwww.sunderlandschools.org/mfl-sunderlandDigital Dialectswww.digitaldialects.com

For the younger learnersOn-line German Pronunciationhttp://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/Politics and Europe can be fun!http://www.kinder.diplo.deChildrens Zone – lots of linkswww.kindernetz.deOlis Wilde Welt (Animal Dictionary)http://www.kindernetz.de/oli/tierlexikon/index.phpZDF TV for kidshttp://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/logo/start/index.htmlLearn with the mousewww.hanisauland.deYou can search for German things usingwww.blinde-kuh.deYou can learn Frenchwww.monjtquotidien.comwww.frenchinaclick.comwww.tv5.org/TV5Site/enseigner-apprendre-francais/accueil_apprendre.phpwww.france24.com/frwww.lsfrench.com/beginners2.htmlwww.zut.org.uk/index.htmlFrench songs and vocabularyhttp://platea.pntic.mec.es/~cvera/hotpot/chansons/index.htmhttp://www.lepointdufle.netYou can learn Spanishwww.childtopia.comwww.chicomania.comRTVE is a Spanish TV channel and this links to the children’s section.www.rtve.es/infantilYou can print your very own posters and vocab cards in French and Spanishwww.sparklebox.co.uk