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
-
January 2025 Languages Update
Dear Colleagues,
Happy new year and welcome back. This update includes the latest updates on our languages qualifications including upcoming training and events.
As always, if you need support with any of our languages qualifications, please feel free to reach out to me using the contact details at the bottom of this page or utilize our support portal.
Best wishes,
Rebecca Waker
Subject Advisor for Languages
-
December 2024 Languages Update
Dear Colleagues,
As we approach the end of this term, I hope you find time to relax and recharge. In this update, I am pleased to share links to exemplars for the 2024 GCSE French, German, and Spanish exams, covering writing and speaking. This week we have added further examples of the Read Aloud and Role Play tasks which we hope you will find useful in supporting your understanding of our mark schemes.
Additionally, you'll find information on further training, resources, and exemplars for other Pearson Edexcel Languages qualifications. I am also excited to include links to principal examiner vacancies in two languages, a festive December resource for those celebrating, and new episodes of the "Speaking Your Language" podcast. I hope you find the range on offer in this update both interesting and useful for your teaching.
As always, if you need support with any of our languages qualifications, please feel free to reach out to me using the contact details at the bottom of this page or utilize our support portal.
Best wishes,
Rebecca Waker
Subject Advisor for Languages