Any French GCSE teachers around? What do you know about the new mark scheme, I need help with downbeat daughter please!

[forcryinoutloud]

Hi, I'd be really glad if anyone could tell me the answer to this as my DD has worked really hard at her French but is currently thinking 'what's the point?' due to what she'd heard about the mark scheme.

She seems to think that she needs to get (for the Higher tier) at least a grade 4 in each one of the 4 components (listening, speaking, reading,writing) to get at least an overall grade 4. She believes if she gets a grade 9 in 3 of the components and a grade 3 in one then it drags her overall mark down. This doesn't make sense to me and from what I have read there is a % out of 25 given for each component and the final mark will be added up from each.

Can anyone clarify please? Thanks a lot.

Edexcel’s French GCSE specification says:

“This GCSE qualification will be graded and certificated on a nine-grade scale from 9 to 1 using the total subject mark where 9 is the highest grade. Individual papers are not graded. For Foundation tier, grades 1–5 are available and for Higher tier, grades 4–9 are available, however if the mark achieved is a smaller number of marks below the 4/3 grade boundary, then a grade 3 may be awarded.”

I can’t imagine it would be any different for the other exam boards.

Yeah what noble says.

If she got 3 x 9 and one x3, sure she wouldn't get a 9, but not a 3 either! Each paper has a weighting of 25% (I know about AQA) so I guess those marks would give her a 7 maybe?

Is there one area in particular where she feels she is struggling? Is it speaking? if so, that is obv the one to focus on!

(caveat; I am no longer a teacher, left in December, but I have done a lot of work on the new GCSE)

Thank you giraffe and clary that is reassuring and I thought my way of thinking made more sense but I couldn't convince my daughter otherwise!

She is struggling more in the listening so I directed her to the BBC bitesize this morning...thank you.

Ah ok, listening, yes that can be a bastard.

Bbc is ok but not always up to date. Have you got the workbook for her course? www.amazon.co.uk/Revise-GCSE-French-Revision-Workbook/dp/1292131357/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=GCSE+French+workbook&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1522787990&sr=8-1 is the AQA one, includes listenings

I will check tomorrow, pretty sure she has, thank you Clary

It's hardly surprising your daughter is downbeat - the specimen papers are challenging beyond belief (I teach AQA).
If this summer's papers are anything like the specimen papers the grade boundaries are going to be spectacularly low.