Languages
GCE A Level Chinese and Japanese amendment
We are very pleased to announce that Ofqual have approved our amendments to A level Chinese (9CN0) and Japanese (9JN0), for first teaching from September 2024 (first assessment summer 2026).
These changes reflect an update to the A level subject content set by the Department for Education for both qualifications, which was announced in October 2023 following a consultation.
As a summary, the main changes are:
- Questions and responses to comprehension (listening and reading) tasks now appear in English instead of the target language (unless writing skills are also intentionally being assessed).
- Questions about the literary works and films now appear in both the target language and English. Students will still be required to respond in the target language to these questions.
Other smaller changes are summarised in the Summary of changes table in the Specification for each qualification.
The updated Specification and Sample assessment materials for each language show the changes which have been made.
Subject advisor
Rebecca Waker
Languages
Subject updates
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April 2026 Languages Update
With the exam season now getting closer, many of you are moving from planning into delivery – particularly when it comes to speaking assessments. This update focuses on the things we know matter most right now, along with a small number of wider sector updates to keep on your radar.
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March 2026 Languages Update
Welcome to the March 2026 Languages update. For some international qualifications, speaking exams are now getting underway, while for UK qualifications this is still a time to prepare and get everything in place.
Alongside speaking, this update also flags a small number of wider qualification updates and reminders worth knowing about now, with clear signposting to the support available, so you can focus on what matters most for you and your students.