Discussion of GCSE: CA Chinese Mandarin Exams plus A2 RBE

in theory & practice

Xiuping Ligetwish88@yahoo.co.uk

23/02/2013

ELC Chinese (Mandarin)http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/elc/languages/chinese_notice

board_new.php?id=09&prev=09

FCSE Chinese (Mandarin)http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/fcse/fcse_chinese.php

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin)http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/newgcses/languages/new/chi

nese_materials.php?id=08&prev=08

AQA: ELC FCSE GCSE

欢 迎

2013 AQA Exam Timetable

• ELC: the deadline for final entries is 21 February

the deadline for submission of work is 15 May• FCSE: the deadline for final entries is 21 February• the deadline for submission of work is 31 May until

2013, and 15 May from 2014 onwards.

• GCSE: final entries: 21 February

submission of Speaking and Writing CA: 7 May

Listening: 22 May 2013 pm

Reading: 22 May 2013 pm

GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)

Possible Qs to be discussed

1. What is the specification like?(full picture)

2. What are the contexts /or topics?

3. Any prescribed textbooks or materials?

4. What does the exam board wants/requires for CA?

5. What should we give/submit for CA?

6. How to prepare students to give of their best? (any shortcuts?)

Q1.Specification at a Glance – Short Course

Unit 1: ListeningExamination – 40%

EitherFoundation Tier: 30 minutes (+5 minutes reading time)

orHigher Tier: 40 minutes

(+ 5 minutes reading time)

Unit 3: Speaking

Controlled Assessment – 60%(internally assessed)

Two tasks submitted for moderation

Unit 2: Reading

Examination – 40%

EitherFoundation Tier: 30 minutes

orHigher Tier: 50 minutes

Unit 4: Writing

Controlled Assessment – 60%

(externally assessed)

Two tasks submitted for marking

Chinese (Mandarin)

Short Coursein Spoken Language

Chinese (Mandarin)

Short Coursein Written Language

PLUS

PLUSPLUSPLUS

Q1. Short Course

Spoken Language - Speaking/Listening

Written Language – Writing/Reading

*These can be combined to make a Full Course qualification

Q1.Specification at a Glance – Full Course

Chinese(Mandarin)Full Course

Unit 1: ListeningExamination – 20%

EitherFoundation Tier: 30 minutes (+5 minutes reading time)

orHigher Tier: 40 minutes

(+ 5 minutes reading time)

Unit 3: Speaking

Controlled Assessment – 30%(internally assessed)

Two tasks submitted for moderation

Unit 2: Reading

Examination – 20%

EitherFoundation Tier: 30 minutes

orHigher Tier: 50 minutes

Unit 4: Writing

Controlled Assessment – 30%(externally assessed)

Two tasks submitted for marking

Q1. Full Course• Listening/Reading tests:

- set and marked by AQA- two tiers: (F: C- G); (H: A*- D)

• Speaking (two tasks)(untiered: A*- G)- Teacher marks tasks- AQA moderates tasks

• Writing (two tasks)(untiered: A*- G)- AQA marks tasks

Q1. Full Course

• Controlled Assessment Speaking/Writing:

- choice of using AQA-set tasks (see Appendix E, & F) or adapted or teacher devises own task

- opportunity for students to speak and write about their personal interests

- - untiered tasks covering grades A*- G

Q2. contexts /or topicsLifestyle• Health• Relationships and Choices

Leisure• Free Time and the Media• Holidays

Home and Environment• Home and Local Area• Environment

Work and Education• School/College and Future Plans• Current and Future Jobs

Q3. Any prescribed textbooks?

• Flexible, get most suitable ones

• Free choice of core TB + supplementary/or(reference)materials

where appropriate/necessary to contribute /or serve the purposes

• Gram. Voc. List; Online exemplar tasks (inc. commentaries),handbook, FAQs

Q4.What does the exam board wants/requires for CA?Similarities

Speaking 30%, 60Mark• 2 tasks (task sheet for each)• Task title & bullet points in E• 3 stages:

Stage 1 general Teach/Learn

Stage 2 prepare for the tasks

Stage 3 produce final version• TPF: Task Planning Forms (if

used, 40 words, C or E)• CRF: Candidate Record

Forms (one per student) • Annual deadline : 7 May

*2 opinions,3 timeframes,De, Ex

Writing 30%, 60Mark• 2 tasks (task sheet for each)• Task title & bullet points in E• 3 stages:

Stage 1 general Teach/Learn

Stage 2 prepare for the tasks

Stage 3 produce final version• TPF: Task Planning Forms (if

used, 40 words, C or E)• CRF: Candidate Record

Forms (one per student) • Annual deadline : 7 May

*2 opinions,3 timeframes,De, Ex

Q4.What does the exam board wants/requires for CA?Differences

Speaking • Submit: 2 tasks, 1 recorded• Both tasks: a form of dialogue• Centre marks for moderation• Response: Must to each bullet

point, ‘!’ as last element• Stage3:only TPF & task sheet

NO dictionary or references• Timings: 4-6 mins. from 1ST Q• 4 Assessment Criteria:

Communication 10; Range & Accuracy of Language 10; Pronunciation and Tones 5; Interaction and Fluency 5

Writing • Submit:2 pieces of work per

student; AQA marks• The title is the task: no need

to respond to each bullet, the response be relevant to title

• 100-250 characters across both tasksD-G, 200-300A*-C,

• traditional character√; Dic.√• 60mins,per task one session• No upper limit of No. words. • 3 Assessment Criteria:

Content15; Range of Language 10; Accuracy 5

Q5. What should we give/submit for CA?

Speaking: Centre Declaration Sheet,1 per centre

(per student)• One recorded task• The Task Sheet for all tasks used• The unpredictable questions for all tasks used• A Task Planning Form (TPF) for the recorded

task – optional• A Candidate Record Form (CRF)• Two Centre Mark Forms (SR and SU)* See the separate forms laterNB: Students must not submit the same task for

Speaking and Writing.

Q5. What should we give/submit for CA?

Writing:

• Two pieces of work per student

• The tasks sheets

• Task Planning Forms (if used)

• Candidate Record Forms (one per student)

* See the separate forms laterNB: Students must not submit the same task for

Speaking and Writing.

Q6.How to prepare students to give of their best?Speaking:

Do’s• Clarify the requirements• Write task sheets in English• Encourage gram. structures

May write‘!’TS teacher copy in C• Refer to Marking Criteria• Complete all forms, sign/date• Enter the breakdown of

Marks on CRF• Produce clear recordings &

submissions• Keep between 4-6 mins

Don’ts• Use the same ‘!’• Record background noise• favour microphone to you• Let students announce Nos,..• Ask too challenging Qs• Interrupt students (correct M)• Provide information• Answer your own Qs• Miss out any bullet Qs• Pause during the recording• Mark too harsh or generous

Q6.How to prepare students to give of their best?Writing:

Do’s• Produce 2 different tasks• Remember ‘The title is the

task’• Remember ‘The title can be

anything’• Ensure the content response

be fully relevant to the task• Ensure points of view

minimum 2• Convey clearly and develop• two or more tenses• Use complex structures

Don’ts• strays into other areas

(eg My School Routine, but long digressions on work experience or future career)

• 1/2 (eg the title is School and Future Career but the candidate only mentions ‘school’).

• Write less than D-G 100-250

A*- C 200- 300 characters

across both tasks • Use too brief structures

Please see CA marking band tables

• Speaking: (see separate table)

+(see Spec. p9-11)

• Writing: (see separate table)+ (see Spec. p12-13)

• Forms: CRF, CDS, TPF

GCE (General Certificate of Education)

http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/lang/chinese/Pages/default.aspx

Edexcel A2 Chinese:6CN03 Unit 3: Understanding, Written

Response and Research: 18/6/2013 (pm)

*Focus on Research – based Essay

Q?

1.What does ‘research’ mean?

2.What is teacher’s role?

3.To control or to be controlled?

Practical steps:1. Teacher: Investigate and confirm all the relevant

information of exam board (eg spec.; research-based essay guide; past papers, sample essays with commentaries, assessment criteria)

2. Teacher: introduce the 14 topics

3. Students: understand the key requirements & act as planned (extensive reading, choose a topic, write essay plan and draft), be aware of Ref. plagiarism

4. Teacher: guide (resources) and give comments

5. Students: start action early, practice and mock

6. T and S review & update methods to be best fitting

Unit 3 Understanding, Written Response and Research Assessment: 2 hours 45 minutes

Section A: Reading (10 marks)

Students will be required to read a piece of authentic Chinese text and to retrieveand convey information from it. To demonstrate that they can do this, they will needto answer a series of questions in Chinese.

Section B: Translation (10 marks)Students will be assessed on their ability to transfer meaning from a short passagewritten in English into Chinese.

Section C: Essay writing (30 marks)Students must write an essay in Chinese (250–500 characters) in response to anessay title that links to the reading text in Section A.

Section D: Research-based essay (30 marks) Students will write in Chinese (250–500 characters) about an area of interest tothem and which they have researched in advance. Students will be free to set theirown titles for this activity. All research must link to Chinese culture and/or societyand to a specific topic area, film or book chosen from a prescribed list.(see next page)

Unit 3 Research-based Essay Topics Write an essay in Chinese of 250-500 characters on ONE of the following 14 topics

MODERN CHINESE HISTORY (20th CENTURY) 1911-19761. Warlords in China2. The New Cultural Movement (1915-1924)3. The relationship between the Nationalist and Communist Parties of China (1921-1949)4. The Great Leap Forward (1958)5. The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA6. The development of ONE of the following cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, HongKong or Taipei) in terms of environment, economy, or social issuesSOCIETY7. Han nationality traditions: explaining and analysing the significance of the activitiesassociated with ONE festival OR custom8. Women’s issues (1911 to the present)9. Youth issues OR generation gap issues in modern ChinaLITERARY TEXTS – FILMS10. Nan Hai 13 (Mad Phoenix) – Candidates may use any of the following versions:Film (leading actor: Xie Junhao) OR Stage play (leading actor: Xie Junhao) ORTV series (leading actor: Lin Weishen, Chen Qitai)11. Han Yan Cui (Mist Over Dream Lake) – (leading actors: Fang Ying, Chiao Chuang)LITERARY TEXTS – BOOKS12. Lu Xun: Gu Xiang (My Hometown)13. Ba Jin: Chun (Spring)14. Lin Haiyin: Cheng Nan Jiu Shi (Memories of Peking: South Side Stories), focusing onone or more of the stories.

Essay PlanEnsure the understanding:• The topic is taken from those 14, title is

suggested using Q form• Must use Edexcel Essay plan form• Can take an essay plan in to the examination• no more than 70 characters, title & sources

information is not included in the essay plan form character count

• The plan must not be sent with the question papers, be retained by the centre

Requirement on the Q paperEnsure the students follow the instruction: Please put punctuation marks in the spaces between

squares. Do not put punctuation inside the squares. Start a new line to begin a new paragraph. Do not exceed the stipulated word limit (250-500 characters).

Topic or text you have chosen for your essay:___________________________________Title of your essay: _________________________

Footnotes/references ( 引文的出处 / 参考过的材料 )

Assessment CriteriaEnsure the understanding :A maximum of 30 marks:• quality of language (accuracy, manipulation of

language and structures —(5 marks)• organisation and development of material —

(10 marks)• completion of task (clarity of thought and

expression, relevance, independent judgement) — (15 marks).

Resources • Internet: a large source of resources • Textbooks: eg Xiaoming Zhang: Chinese for A-LevelYu Bin: Chinese Examination Study Guides, Chinese

A2Edexcel Chinese for A2Li Duanduan, Iiu Irene: Reading into a New China

Methods Skimming & scanning: pen in hand, Q in mind, depth Qs: Teaching by asking or guided discovery Bloom’s taxonomy: updated 6 thinking skills (see

next slide) Economic principles: achieve maximum results with

minimum efforts and in a limited time independent or Team work: peer assessment Active learning: VAK A4L: seek evidence where, where to go and how best timely, constructive feedback

*writing styles: formal & informal; *gram &vocabulary

Bloom’s taxonomy: 6 thinking skills

Methods

(http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm)

Methods: Skimming & scanning: research in depth

To answer a research Q:• Narrow the topicsmall but deep, large but shallow

(http://www.acts.twu.ca/library/research_essays.htm)

• Develop interest, inspiration

Thank you