Department For Education
Detail of outcome
We publicly consulted on the proposed permanent removal of the expectation that students engage with unfamiliar and abstract material in modern foreign language GCSEs.
This report is a summary of responses received and the governments response to the consultation.
Read Ofquals response to theirconsultation on changes to the assessment of modern foreign language GCSEs from 2023 onwards. This covers the requirement for the assessment of vocabulary.
Original consultation
Consultation description
We introduced a temporary change to modern foreign language GCSE exams in summer 2022. This change removed the regulatory requirement that exam boards must include unfamiliar vocabulary within their assessments.
This consultation sets out our proposal to permanently remove the expectation that students engage with unfamiliar vocabulary.
These changes will:
- offer exam boards greater flexibility when it comes to assessment design
- make the subject content more consistent between languages
- make assessments fairer and more accessible
Ofqual has also launched its own consultation on amending their subject level conditions, guidance and assessment requirements for all GCSE language qualifications.