New MFL A-level MFL

1. MFL A-LEVEL
YORK PGCE October 2016

2. “Decoupled” AS and A-level
From September 2016 AS-level is a standalone qualification
AS-level can be co-taught with A-level
AS-level a one year course
A-level a two year course with exam at the end
No re-sits
Same grading structure as now: AS-level A-U, A-level A*-U

3. New, more “rigorous” content
DfE asked ALCAB to look at existing A-level and suggest
improvements
ALCAB criticised level of cognitive challenge, inconsistencies across
schools and content too general, too much like GCSE
All content to be rooted in the culture of the target language
cultures
Prescribed list of literary works and films
Reaffirmation of the importance of grammar and translation

4. DfE prescribed content
Topics should come from general themes:
Social issues and trends
Political, artistic and intellectual culture
Grammar
Exam boards have worked within this framework and produced
specifications they think students and teachers will enjoy

5. AS and A-level French content (1) - AQA
• The changing nature of family (La famille en voie de changement)
• The ‘cyber-society’ (La « cyber-société »)
• The place of voluntary work (Le rôle du bénévolat)
• A culture proud of its heritage (Une culture fière de son
patrimoine)
• Contemporary francophone music (La musique francophone
contemporaine)
• Cinema: the 7th art form (Cinéma : le septième art)

6. AS and A-level French content (2) - AQA
• Positive features of a diverse society (Les aspects positifs d’une
société diverse)
• Life for the marginalised (Quelle vie pour les marginalisés? )
• How criminals are treated (Comment on traite les criminels)
• Teenagers, the right to vote and political commitment (Les ados,
le droit de vote et l’engagement politique)
• Demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power? (manifestations,
grèves – à qui le pouvoir? )
• Politics and immigration (La politique et l’immigration)

7. AS and A-level German content (1) - AQA
• The changing state of the family (Familie im Wandel)
• The digital world (Die digitale Welt)
• Youth culture: fashion and trends, music, television (Jugendkultur:
Mode, Musik und Fernsehen)
• Immigration (Einwanderung)
• Integration (Integration)
• Racism (Rassismus)

8. AS and A-level German content (2) - AQA
• Festivals and traditions (Feste und Traditionen)
• Art and architecture (Kunst und Architektur)
• Cultural life in Berlin, past and present (Das Berliner Kulturleben
damals und heute)
• German and the European Union (Deutschland und die Europaïsche
Union)
• Politics and youth (Die Politik und die Jugend)
• German re-unification and its consequences (Die
Wiedervereinigung und ihre Folgen)

9. AS and A-level Spanish content (1) - AQA
• Modern and traditional values (Los valores tradicionales y
modernos)
• Cyberspace (El ciberespacio)
• Equal rights (La igualdad de los sexos)
• Immigration (La Inmigración)
• Racism (El Racismo)
• Integration (La Convivencia)

10. AS and A-level Spanish content (2) - AQA
• Modern day idols (La influencia de los ídolos)
• Spanish regional identity (La identidad regional en España)
• Cultural heritage or cultural landscape (El patrimonio cultural)
• Today's youth, tomorrow's citizens (Jóvenes de hoy, ciudadanos de
mañana)
• Monarchies, republics and dictatorships (Monarquías, repúblicas y
dictaduras)
• Popular movements (Movimientos populares)

11. Literature and film
AS-level
Students do one book or one film
Assessed by a target language essay
A-level
Students do EITHER two books OR one book and one film
All works come from prescribed lists

12. Literary works (French AQA)
• Molière Le Tartuffe
• Voltaire Candide
• Guy de Maupassant Boule de Suif et autres contes de la guerre
• Albert Camus L’étranger
• Françoise Sagan Bonjour tristesse
• Claire Etcherelli Elise ou la vraie vie
• Joseph Joffo Un sac de billes
• Faïza Guène Kiffe kiffe demain
• Philippe Grimbert Un secret
• Delphine de Vigan No et mo

13. Films (French AQA)
• Les 400 coups François Truffaut (1959)
• Au revoir les enfants Louis Malle (1987)
• La Haine Mathieu Kassovitz (1995)
• L’auberge espagnole Cédric Klapisch (2002)
• Un long dimanche de fiançailles Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2004)
• Entre les murs Laurent Cantet (2008)

14. Literary works (German AQA)
• Heinrich Böll Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum
• Bertolt Brecht Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder
• Friedrich Dürrenmatt Der Besuch der alten Dame
• Max Frisch Andorra
• Heinrich Heine Gedichte – Buch der Lieder
• Jana Hensel Zonenkinder
• Franz Kafka Die Verwandlung
• Wladimir Kaminer Russendisko
• Siegfried Lenz Fundbüro
• Bernhard Schlink Der Vorleser

15. Films (German AQA)
• Good bye, Lenin! Wolfgang Becker (2003)
• Das Leben der Anderen Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006)
• Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei Hans Weingartner (2005)
• Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland Yasemin Samdereli (2011)
• Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage Marc Rothemund (2005)
• Lola rennt Tom Tykwer (1998)

16. Literary works (Spanish AQA)
• Federico García Lorca La casa de Bernarda Alba
• Gabriel García Márquez Crónica de una muerte anunciada
• Laura Esquivel Como agua para chocolate
• Ramón J. Sender Réquiem por un campesino español
• Carlos Ruiz Zafón La sombra del viento
• Isabel Allende La casa de los espíritus
• Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Rimas
• Fernando Fernán-Gómez Las bicicletas son para el verano
• Luis de Castresana El otro árbol de Guernica
• Gabriel García Márquez El coronel no tiene quien le escriba

17. Films (Spanish AQA)
• El laberinto del fauno Guillermo del Toro (2006)
• Ocho apellidos vascos Emilio Martínez-Lázaro (2014)
• María, llena eres de gracia Joshua Marston (2004)
• Volver Pedro Almodóvar (2006)
• Abel Diego Luna (2010)
• Las 13 rosas Emilio Martínez-Lázaro (2007)

18. Individual research project
Part of A-level only.
Student chooses own area of interest
Must relate to TL culture
Research must include online sources
Assessed as part of the A-level speaking test (presentation and
discussion)

19. Assessment
AS-level
Three papers, one of them a speaking assessment. Task types
include listening, reading, translation, TL essay (on film or
literature). Individual control of audio.
A-level
Three papers, one of them a speaking assessment. Task types
include listening, reading, translation, TL essay on film or
literature. Individual control of audio.

20. Lesson activities
Discussion from spoken and written
texts
Listening with audio and video (gap
fill, matching, questions, summary,
multi-choice, true/false, etc)
Translation both ways
Grammar exercises (pattern drills,
gap fill, etc)
Studying film and literature
ICT-based tasks
Whole class oral work
Information gap pair work
Task-based activities
Games
Extensive reading
Individual research (reading and
listening)
Preparing for assessment
Essay writing and technique