GCE A Level
General information (starts with simple voiceover “Welcome to the Pearson Edexcel GCE Paper
3 Speaking exam guide. In this short film, we will explain how to carry out the speaking
test from the teacher/examiner’s viewpoint. We will go into detail about what is needed
to help with preparation and also focus on areas that teacher/examiners have commented
they find most challenging when conducting this test.
The film is not designed as an assessment guide, and by this we mean we are not focussing
so much on the candidate’s responses but rather how the teacher/examiner conducts the
examination. For more information on what is assessed please refer to the specifications,
sample assessment materials and past papers on the Pearson Edexcel website.
“The speaking test in all reformed language qualifications is the same. In this film we
will be using French as the example language and will be subtitled to show what is being
said.”
“When will you get the Oral Assessment Pack? This will be sent to you in March but mustn’t
be opened until up to three working days before the exam but not including weekends and the
pack must be kept in a secure location. In effect, this means that if your exam starts
on Monday, you may open the packs the previous Wednesday.”
First, let’s consider the necessary components to start the exam:
what is needed? - You will need a preparation area near to the testing room for the candidate,
the full selection themes for Task 1, sequencing grid-, a quiet testing room, stop clock/watch,
and recording equipment which has been checked for sound.
The preparation room and the testing room should be devoid of any material in the target
language such as posters.
“How is the exam split up? (Use of slide and bullet points coming up when spoken)
The examination consists of two tasks: Task 1) Discussion on a theme and Task 2) Presentation
and discussion on candidate’s Independent Research Project (IRP). We will look at each
of these tasks in more detail a little later The tasks must be conducted in consecutive
order The total assessment time is 21 to 23 minutes,
(16 to 18 minutes of speaking plus 5 minutes’ preparation time for Task 1). Recommended
timings have been given for each task to enable the candidate to complete each one in sufficient
time to access the full range of assessment criteria for both tasks. We will go into more
detail about each task in a moment The preparation time for Task 1 must be supervised
and must take place outside of the room with an invigilator. The preparation time must
be immediately before the testing time. Candidates can make notes of up to a maximum
of one side of A4 paper for Task 1 only. It is recommended that this is done in short
bullet point form. Candidates may refer to their notes during
the assessment but they should be for reference only and candidates should not read out whole,
prepared sentences. They must not write on any stimulus given
to them by the invigilator. Candidates must not have access to a dictionary,
or any other resource, including a mobile phone, during the preparation and examination
time. Candidates must return their notes and the
stimulus at the end of the assessment. It is your responsibility to ask for these notes
at the end of the assessment. Any notes made during the preparation time
must be kept by the centre until the end of October in the year the assessment is completed,
after which time they should be securely destroyed. It is your responsibility to cover all parts
of each task to ensure that the candidate has the opportunity to access all parts of
the marking criteria. It is the invigilator’s responsibility to
inform candidates of the two sub-themes from which they can make their choice, and for
giving them the correct stimulus card based on that choice.
Once candidate enters the assessment room, press record on the machine and state clearly
the candidate’s name and number.
So, let’s see the assessment in action. First we will look at preparation for Task
1) Discussion on a theme”
Here the invigilator must have access to the sequencing card provided by Pearson (Show
the card). Based on the candidate order number, the candidate is provided with 2 cards on
two different sub-themes following the grid.
“Hi Annabel. You have a choice of two cards. Either the changes in family structures or
The Résistance. Which one would you like? Changes in Family structures.
Ok. There’s your card. Ok, you’ve got 5 minutes to prepare your chosen statement
and you can write notes on this piece of paper only on one side not both sides. You’ve
got 5 minutes to prepare I’m going to start the stop clock now ok?
Hi Annabel. Your 5 minutes is up now so do you want to come with me to the assessment
room? Can you bring all your papers with you? You’ve got all your notes and have you got
your RP3 form there? Let’s go.
This is the GCE French Assessment Paper 3 for summer 2019, 9FRO, teacher/examiner Karine
Harrington. Centre name Pearson Edexcel School, centre number 12345.
Candidate’s name: Annabel Conway, candidate number 1234.
“Alors Annabel, ca va? “So Annabel, how are you?”
“Oui ca va bien, merci” “I’m fine thank you”
“Alors qu’est-ce tu as choisi?” “So what have you chosen?”
“J’ai choisi les changements dans les structures familiales, Declaration A”
“I’ve chosen changes in the family structure, Declaration A”
“D’accord, alors...comment est-ce que la vie des femmes a changé pendant ces dernières années en France?
“Ok, so, how has the life of women changed in recent years in France?”
“oui, en faite, la vie des femmes a changé beaucoup” “Yes, in fact, the life of women has changed a lot”
“Est-ce que ces changements sont responsables
du déclin de la famille traditionnelle française, pourquoi ou pourquoi pas?”
“Are these changes responsible for the decline of the traditional French family?”
“Répetez s’il vous plait” “please repeat that”
“Est-ce que ces changements sont responsables du déclin de la famille traditionnelle française,
pourquoi ou pourquoi pas?” “Are these changes responsible for the decline of the traditional French family?”
“Oui, d’un côté je pense que les changements
sont responsables parce que…” “Yes on one hand I think these changes have been responsible because…”
“Oui mais comment est-ce que l’attitude des français envers le mariage a changé récemment?”
“Yes but how do you think the attitude of the French towards marriage has changed recently?”
“Hmmm, les attitudes des Français envers le mariage a aussi beaucoup changé”
“Hmmm, the attitudes of the French towards marriage has also changed a lot”
“Ok, merci Annabel...nous avons parlé des changements dans la famille francaise, mais
pour toi, quelles sont les changements les plus importants dans l’éducation en France?”
“Ok, thank you Annabel, we have talked about the changes in French families, but for you, what are the most important changes in education in France?”
“Pour moi, les changements plus importants c’est…”“For me, the most important changes are…”
“Ok, merci Annabel, alors maintenant, nous
allons parler de ton projet personnel, d’accord, alors, est-ce que tu peux commencer avec ta
présentation s’il te plait”?
“Okay, thank you Annabel, so now we are going to speak about your independent research project alright? Can you start with your presentation please?”
“Oui je voudrais parler de…” “Yes I would like to talk about…”
“Mais je ne pense pas que ca soit une priorité en France” “But I don’t think that it is a priority in France.”
“Ok, merci. Alors...mais quelles sont les conséquences de ce changement climatique
sur la population en France?” “Okay, thank you. So...what are the consequences of climate change on the French population?”
“Er.. je crois..” “I think…”
“Ok, merci Annabel c’est fini pour aujourd’hui, est-ce que tu peux me donner tes cartes et
tes notes s’il te plaît? “Okay, thank you Annabel, that’s the end for today. Can you give me your cards and notes please? “End of test”
Finally a few points to remember:
Stop recording after each candidate Centre must ensure that a candidate’s complete
speaking assessment is recorded as one single track. Do not stop recording between tasks.
Keep an eye on the clock. It’s your responsibility to ensure timings are correct and fall within
total overall time. All candidates’ recordings must be saved
as an mp3/.wav/.wma file and saved to a USB memory stick or CD
All CDs must be clearly labelled with candidate names, numbers and the centre number.
The following naming convention should be used:
Qualification number_centre number_candidate name_candidate number E.g. 8FRO/3_12345_Joe
Bloggs_0012 The memory stick must have the centre number
and exam code written clearly on them. Ensure you send the recording and all relevant
documentation to Lowton House no later than 3 days after the final test which could be
at any time within the assessment week window. If you have a visiting examiner or will be
using London Centre of Oral Assessment (LCO), please ensure they have received all your
candidates’ Independent Research Project Forms (RP3) and Candidate Speaking Authentication
Sheets (CS4) at least three weeks before the exam.
If you are carrying out the speaking test yourself at a centre, please send the RP3
and CS4 forms together with the recorded material. Do ensure you keep a copy of all recordings
in case of loss in the post or damage to the memory stick or CD in transit.
For more information please refer to the Pearson Edexcel website.