Updated AQA Speaking Mark Scheme (Autumn 2025)

22 Oct 25

Guidance for marking the unprepared conversation in GCSE French, German, and Spanish exams, including assessment criteria, examples, and tips for consistent, fair marking:

AQA Updated Speaking Mark Scheme

This document provides updated marking guidance for the GCSE French, German, and Spanish Speaking Exam (Paper 2) — specifically for the “Unprepared Conversation” part of the Photo Card task, effective from Autumn 2025.

It explains:

  • How teachers and examiners should conduct and assess the unprepared conversation section.

  • Expectations for Foundation and Higher tier timings (9 and 12 minutes respectively).

  • How to adapt questions based on students’ ability and interests.

  • Guidance to ensure fairness, consistency, and differentiation between levels of performance.

  • Detailed assessment criteria (AO1) showing how marks are awarded based on clarity, number of responses, and level of development in answers.

  • Worked examples that illustrate how to apply the new marking grids step by step.

Overall, the document ensures a consistent and transparent approach to assessing spontaneous speaking, focusing on genuine conversation rather than memorised responses.