200936 frequently asked questions for 2015 syllabus
Frequently Asked Questions
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520) – first examination in 2015
Are there changes to the syllabus?
What resources are available to support this
syllabus?
Is specimen material for the new 0520
syllabus available on the website?
Are students allowed to take dictionaries
into the examination room?
I have heard that some of the candidates
who sit this paper are native speakers of
French and I am worried that my foreign
language speakers are being judged against
what a first language speaker might achieve.
Paper 1 Listening: how many candidates
may I have in the room for a Listening
examination?
Paper 1 Listening: I should like to listen to
the whole Listening examination to check it
before I play it to my candidates in the
examination. Is this allowed?
Revised August 2015
In 2015 and thereafter a new IGCSE French
syllabus will be examined. Please read the new
syllabus and specimen papers carefully.
The following resources are available on the
Cambridge Teacher Support website:
Defined Content Booklet (provides
guidance on the topic areas, vocabulary
and grammar/structures that are tested on
the question papers) – the minimum core
vocabulary is provided alphabetically and
by topic area.
Speaking Test Training Handbook
(provides guidance on the conduct and
assessment of the Speaking test).
Past Papers.
Past Mark Schemes.
Principal Examiner Reports.
Resource List.
Revised Schemes of Work.
Teachers’ notes booklet in French.
Material from training events held for
Speaking and for the new Writing
paper/mark scheme (includes marked
exemplar work for Writing).
An IGCSE French Listening Resource Booklet
is available from the Publications catalogue.
Specimen papers are available on the main
Cambridge website and teacher support.
In addition, all past papers on the teacher
support website contain material that is valid for
the new examination:
Paper 1: all the material is valid.
Paper 2: all the reading comprehension
exercises are valid; the Section 2 Exercise 2
writing exercise can be used for the new Paper
4 Question 2.
Paper 3: all the material is valid.
Paper 4: the three writing tasks can be used for
the new Paper 4 Question 3.
No. This is an IGCSE Language examination
and dictionaries are not permitted.
You do not need to worry. The level of
performance achieved by a native speaker
candidate will be off the top of the scale of what
is expected from candidates taking this
examination.
We would advise a maximum of 30 candidates
at one sitting.
No. You should spot-check the listening
examination for recording and sound quality on
receipt. Then, in order to check the acoustics,
one of the recordings should be spot-checked
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
1/3
Paper 3 Speaking: must I be accredited by
Cambridge before conducting and
assessing the 0520 Speaking test?
Paper 3 Speaking: what is the period for
conducting the Speaking examinations?
Paper 3 Speaking: When will I receive the
materials for the Speaking examination?
Paper 3 Speaking: What is the deadline for
submitting recorded samples and
paperwork to Cambridge for external
moderation?
Paper 3 Speaking: how should I record my
candidates and present the sample for
external moderation by Cambridge?
Paper 3 Speaking: who marks the Speaking
examination?
Paper 3 Speaking: how should I go about
choosing someone to conduct the Speaking
tests at my centre?
Revised August 2015
in the examination room one working day
before the examination. On neither of the
above occasions may the recording be listened
to in full nor may the recording be removed
from the Centre for checking. After each check
the examination materials must be returned to
your Centre's secure store.
Accreditation from Cambridge is not required in
order to conduct the IGCSE Foreign Language
Speaking test.
However, if you are new to the syllabus, you will
benefit from undergoing distance training using
the Speaking Test Training Handbook
materials, and in the interests of your
candidates we recommend that you do so.
Please see the timetable for the relevant series
for the period for conducting the Speaking
examinations.
The materials for the conduct and assessment
of the Speaking examination are sent out in
February for the May/June examination and in
July for the November examination. They are
sent out on the basis of Centres' Estimated
Entries. If your Centre has not made Estimated
Entries, this may result in you not having the
necessary material to carry out the Speaking
examinations at the specified time.
The necessary paperwork and recorded
samples for external moderation must arrive at
Cambridge by the date specified on the
timetable for the relevant series. However,
once you have completed your Speaking
examinations, please despatch marks and
recordings to Cambridge for moderation as
soon as possible. Do not wait until the end of
the examination period before sending us these
items.
It is preferable for the Speaking examinations to
be recorded using a suitable digital voice
recorder or sound recording program on a
computer. Each candidate’s file must be saved
individually and in .mp3 format. The speaking
tests selected to be part of the sample to send
to Cambridge for external moderation should
then be transferred to a standard format CD.
USB sticks or mini CDs must not be used for
submitting the recorded sample to Cambridge.
Cassettes are still accepted.
It is the responsibility of the person conducting
the Speaking examinations in the Centre to
mark them. The Speaking examinations must
be marked as they are being conducted.
Examiners should mark the 'live' candidate and
not a recording.
Ideally, a teacher at the school should conduct
the Speaking examinations. Where this is not
possible and it is necessary to look for
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
2/3
Paper 3 Speaking: what happens to my
(Centre's) Speaking marks when they arrive
at Cambridge?
Paper 4 Writing – Questions 2 and 3: is there
a limit to the number of words the examiner
will mark for either of these questions?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 1: if a candidate
only lists 5 items and not 8 and those 5 are
perfect, can they score the full 5 marks?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 1: do candidates
have to attempt the examples given?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: will words
which have been taken from the
Revised August 2015
someone outside the school, look for someone
who is fluent in the target language, preferably
with teaching experience and with experience
of conducting other oral examinations. The
person appointed must be given the opportunity
to familiarise him/herself with the requirements
of the examination before conducting any 'live'
Speaking tests. Give the examination syllabus
for the relevant year and a copy of the
Teachers’ Notes Booklet and Role Play Cards
from a previous examination session to the
examiner to read before the day of the
examination so that s/he can familiarise
him/herself with the general requirements for
the conduct and assessment of the Speaking
test and there is time to clarify any doubts. On
the day of the examination, arrange for the
examiner to arrive at the Centre 1-2 hours
before conducting and assessing the first
Speaking test, in order that s/he can prepare
the role play situations and read through the
instructions contained in the Teachers' Notes
Booklet for the live session. It is crucial that the
use of an external Examiner does not
compromise the security of the Speaking
examination. For further advice, email
info.@cie.org.uk
When your recorded sample and paperwork
arrive at Cambridge, they are forwarded to one
of our Moderators. The Moderator listens to
your sample and looks at the marks that you
have awarded to ensure that they are in line
with the IGCSE standard. If your marks are in
line, then they will not be changed. If they are
not, then an adjustment will be made to bring
them into line, eg the marks will be raised if you
have marked your candidates severely, or
lowered if you have been too generous. A
report on your conduct and assessment of the
Speaking examination will be sent to your
Centre with the results.
The examiner will mark the number of words
produced by the candidate as long as the
material is relevant. However, candidates
should be encouraged to keep to the number of
words stated on the question paper, and to
allow themselves time to think about what the
question is asking before they start writing, and
for careful checking once they have finished.
Yes. However, advise candidates to attempt 8
items in case they are not right in thinking that
the 5 they have listed are all correct.
No. However the examples have been chosen
because they represent linguistically frequent
items of vocabulary
No.
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
3/3
rubric/question be automatically discounted
by Examiners when they award marks?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: can a
candidate still score the marks for
communication if s/he doesn’t answer in the
tense in which the task is phrased?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: is it still the
case that repeated use of ‘je vais’ + infinitive
for future activity can score two ticks each
time or just one for a different infinitive?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: if a verb is
conjugated incorrectly will it score a tick for
accuracy?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: ‘je l’aime’: is
that one tick only for the verb and no tick for
the pronoun?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: what about if a
negative version of the the same sentence is
also produced… ‘je ne l’aime pas’. Can the
verb score again?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: are ticks
awarded for verbs included in letter
etiquette, eg if the candidate starts the
letter, ‘Dear Jane, How are you? I hope you
are well?’ which verbs if any are rewarded?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: if a candidate
writes ‘la ville est…’ and later in the same
piece of writing writes ‘Jean est…’, it is a
different subject so is the verb rewarded
twice?
Is there any exemplar marked material
available for the new Writing paper?
Revised August 2015
An incorrect time frame will limit the maximum
mark for communication for a task to 1.
See 3.2 (g) of specimen mark scheme.
‘je vais’, used appropriately, can score a tick
just once. A different dependent infinitive would
score each time (but just once per dependent
infinitive)
‘je vais aller au marché et je vais (no tick)
acheter des bananes.’
No.
Yes. The verb is awarded a tick if it is correct in
the context. The correct use of pronouns is
rewarded under ‘other linguistic features’.
No. The first person singular of the present
tense of the verb ‘aimer’ can only score a tick
once. The correct use of negatives is rewarded
under ‘other linguistic features’.
The mark scheme states ‘Do not tick verbs
contained in the ‘letter etiquette’: appropriate
beginnings and endings to letters are
considered for reward under ‘Other linguistic
features’. Examples of letter etiquette are:
‘Thank you for your letter which I received last
week. We are all well and enjoying the
beautiful weather. How is your family? In good
health too I hope.’ (unless of course one of the
stipulated tasks is to enquire as to the health of
the addressees family)
No. In both cases ‘…est’ is the third person
singular of the present tense of the verb ‘être’.
Material from training events held for Speaking
and for the new Writing question paper/mark
scheme (includes marked exemplar work for
Writing) can be found on the French pages of
the Cambridge Teacher Support website (under
Teaching Materials).
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
4/3
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520) – first examination in 2015
Are there changes to the syllabus?
What resources are available to support this
syllabus?
Is specimen material for the new 0520
syllabus available on the website?
Are students allowed to take dictionaries
into the examination room?
I have heard that some of the candidates
who sit this paper are native speakers of
French and I am worried that my foreign
language speakers are being judged against
what a first language speaker might achieve.
Paper 1 Listening: how many candidates
may I have in the room for a Listening
examination?
Paper 1 Listening: I should like to listen to
the whole Listening examination to check it
before I play it to my candidates in the
examination. Is this allowed?
Revised August 2015
In 2015 and thereafter a new IGCSE French
syllabus will be examined. Please read the new
syllabus and specimen papers carefully.
The following resources are available on the
Cambridge Teacher Support website:
Defined Content Booklet (provides
guidance on the topic areas, vocabulary
and grammar/structures that are tested on
the question papers) – the minimum core
vocabulary is provided alphabetically and
by topic area.
Speaking Test Training Handbook
(provides guidance on the conduct and
assessment of the Speaking test).
Past Papers.
Past Mark Schemes.
Principal Examiner Reports.
Resource List.
Revised Schemes of Work.
Teachers’ notes booklet in French.
Material from training events held for
Speaking and for the new Writing
paper/mark scheme (includes marked
exemplar work for Writing).
An IGCSE French Listening Resource Booklet
is available from the Publications catalogue.
Specimen papers are available on the main
Cambridge website and teacher support.
In addition, all past papers on the teacher
support website contain material that is valid for
the new examination:
Paper 1: all the material is valid.
Paper 2: all the reading comprehension
exercises are valid; the Section 2 Exercise 2
writing exercise can be used for the new Paper
4 Question 2.
Paper 3: all the material is valid.
Paper 4: the three writing tasks can be used for
the new Paper 4 Question 3.
No. This is an IGCSE Language examination
and dictionaries are not permitted.
You do not need to worry. The level of
performance achieved by a native speaker
candidate will be off the top of the scale of what
is expected from candidates taking this
examination.
We would advise a maximum of 30 candidates
at one sitting.
No. You should spot-check the listening
examination for recording and sound quality on
receipt. Then, in order to check the acoustics,
one of the recordings should be spot-checked
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
1/3
Paper 3 Speaking: must I be accredited by
Cambridge before conducting and
assessing the 0520 Speaking test?
Paper 3 Speaking: what is the period for
conducting the Speaking examinations?
Paper 3 Speaking: When will I receive the
materials for the Speaking examination?
Paper 3 Speaking: What is the deadline for
submitting recorded samples and
paperwork to Cambridge for external
moderation?
Paper 3 Speaking: how should I record my
candidates and present the sample for
external moderation by Cambridge?
Paper 3 Speaking: who marks the Speaking
examination?
Paper 3 Speaking: how should I go about
choosing someone to conduct the Speaking
tests at my centre?
Revised August 2015
in the examination room one working day
before the examination. On neither of the
above occasions may the recording be listened
to in full nor may the recording be removed
from the Centre for checking. After each check
the examination materials must be returned to
your Centre's secure store.
Accreditation from Cambridge is not required in
order to conduct the IGCSE Foreign Language
Speaking test.
However, if you are new to the syllabus, you will
benefit from undergoing distance training using
the Speaking Test Training Handbook
materials, and in the interests of your
candidates we recommend that you do so.
Please see the timetable for the relevant series
for the period for conducting the Speaking
examinations.
The materials for the conduct and assessment
of the Speaking examination are sent out in
February for the May/June examination and in
July for the November examination. They are
sent out on the basis of Centres' Estimated
Entries. If your Centre has not made Estimated
Entries, this may result in you not having the
necessary material to carry out the Speaking
examinations at the specified time.
The necessary paperwork and recorded
samples for external moderation must arrive at
Cambridge by the date specified on the
timetable for the relevant series. However,
once you have completed your Speaking
examinations, please despatch marks and
recordings to Cambridge for moderation as
soon as possible. Do not wait until the end of
the examination period before sending us these
items.
It is preferable for the Speaking examinations to
be recorded using a suitable digital voice
recorder or sound recording program on a
computer. Each candidate’s file must be saved
individually and in .mp3 format. The speaking
tests selected to be part of the sample to send
to Cambridge for external moderation should
then be transferred to a standard format CD.
USB sticks or mini CDs must not be used for
submitting the recorded sample to Cambridge.
Cassettes are still accepted.
It is the responsibility of the person conducting
the Speaking examinations in the Centre to
mark them. The Speaking examinations must
be marked as they are being conducted.
Examiners should mark the 'live' candidate and
not a recording.
Ideally, a teacher at the school should conduct
the Speaking examinations. Where this is not
possible and it is necessary to look for
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
2/3
Paper 3 Speaking: what happens to my
(Centre's) Speaking marks when they arrive
at Cambridge?
Paper 4 Writing – Questions 2 and 3: is there
a limit to the number of words the examiner
will mark for either of these questions?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 1: if a candidate
only lists 5 items and not 8 and those 5 are
perfect, can they score the full 5 marks?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 1: do candidates
have to attempt the examples given?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: will words
which have been taken from the
Revised August 2015
someone outside the school, look for someone
who is fluent in the target language, preferably
with teaching experience and with experience
of conducting other oral examinations. The
person appointed must be given the opportunity
to familiarise him/herself with the requirements
of the examination before conducting any 'live'
Speaking tests. Give the examination syllabus
for the relevant year and a copy of the
Teachers’ Notes Booklet and Role Play Cards
from a previous examination session to the
examiner to read before the day of the
examination so that s/he can familiarise
him/herself with the general requirements for
the conduct and assessment of the Speaking
test and there is time to clarify any doubts. On
the day of the examination, arrange for the
examiner to arrive at the Centre 1-2 hours
before conducting and assessing the first
Speaking test, in order that s/he can prepare
the role play situations and read through the
instructions contained in the Teachers' Notes
Booklet for the live session. It is crucial that the
use of an external Examiner does not
compromise the security of the Speaking
examination. For further advice, email
info.@cie.org.uk
When your recorded sample and paperwork
arrive at Cambridge, they are forwarded to one
of our Moderators. The Moderator listens to
your sample and looks at the marks that you
have awarded to ensure that they are in line
with the IGCSE standard. If your marks are in
line, then they will not be changed. If they are
not, then an adjustment will be made to bring
them into line, eg the marks will be raised if you
have marked your candidates severely, or
lowered if you have been too generous. A
report on your conduct and assessment of the
Speaking examination will be sent to your
Centre with the results.
The examiner will mark the number of words
produced by the candidate as long as the
material is relevant. However, candidates
should be encouraged to keep to the number of
words stated on the question paper, and to
allow themselves time to think about what the
question is asking before they start writing, and
for careful checking once they have finished.
Yes. However, advise candidates to attempt 8
items in case they are not right in thinking that
the 5 they have listed are all correct.
No. However the examples have been chosen
because they represent linguistically frequent
items of vocabulary
No.
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
3/3
rubric/question be automatically discounted
by Examiners when they award marks?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: can a
candidate still score the marks for
communication if s/he doesn’t answer in the
tense in which the task is phrased?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: is it still the
case that repeated use of ‘je vais’ + infinitive
for future activity can score two ticks each
time or just one for a different infinitive?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: if a verb is
conjugated incorrectly will it score a tick for
accuracy?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: ‘je l’aime’: is
that one tick only for the verb and no tick for
the pronoun?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: what about if a
negative version of the the same sentence is
also produced… ‘je ne l’aime pas’. Can the
verb score again?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: are ticks
awarded for verbs included in letter
etiquette, eg if the candidate starts the
letter, ‘Dear Jane, How are you? I hope you
are well?’ which verbs if any are rewarded?
Paper 4 Writing – Question 3: if a candidate
writes ‘la ville est…’ and later in the same
piece of writing writes ‘Jean est…’, it is a
different subject so is the verb rewarded
twice?
Is there any exemplar marked material
available for the new Writing paper?
Revised August 2015
An incorrect time frame will limit the maximum
mark for communication for a task to 1.
See 3.2 (g) of specimen mark scheme.
‘je vais’, used appropriately, can score a tick
just once. A different dependent infinitive would
score each time (but just once per dependent
infinitive)
‘je vais aller au marché et je vais (no tick)
acheter des bananes.’
No.
Yes. The verb is awarded a tick if it is correct in
the context. The correct use of pronouns is
rewarded under ‘other linguistic features’.
No. The first person singular of the present
tense of the verb ‘aimer’ can only score a tick
once. The correct use of negatives is rewarded
under ‘other linguistic features’.
The mark scheme states ‘Do not tick verbs
contained in the ‘letter etiquette’: appropriate
beginnings and endings to letters are
considered for reward under ‘Other linguistic
features’. Examples of letter etiquette are:
‘Thank you for your letter which I received last
week. We are all well and enjoying the
beautiful weather. How is your family? In good
health too I hope.’ (unless of course one of the
stipulated tasks is to enquire as to the health of
the addressees family)
No. In both cases ‘…est’ is the third person
singular of the present tense of the verb ‘être’.
Material from training events held for Speaking
and for the new Writing question paper/mark
scheme (includes marked exemplar work for
Writing) can be found on the French pages of
the Cambridge Teacher Support website (under
Teaching Materials).
IGCSE French – Foreign Language (0520)
4/3