GCSE
FRENCH
8658/SH
Paper 2 Speaking Higher
AQA GCSE FRENCH PAPER 2 QUESTIONS JUNE 2025
Mark scheme including Guidance for Role-plays
June 2025
Version: 1.0 Final
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant
questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the
standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in
this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’
responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way.
As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ tests. Alternative
answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the
standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are
required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.
It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and
expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark
schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of
assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination
paper.
No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the
gender identity of others in their exam responses.
A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in
exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria.
Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk
Copyright information
AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal
use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for
internal use within the centre.
Copyright © 2025 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
2
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Contents
Page
4 Part One Mark Scheme
6 Section 1: Role-play
9 Section 2: Discussion of photo card
11 Section 3: General conversation (Higher tier)
15 Appendix 1: Subject content (Themes)
16 Appendix 2: Speaking Score Sheet
17 Appendix 3: Symbols for annotating Speaking Score Sheet
18 Appendix 4: Marking of photo card – guidance notes
26 Appendix 5: Role-plays – General Principles
27 Appendix 6: Photo cards – General Principles
28 Appendix 7: Photo cards – Guidance on paraphrasing
29 Part Two Mark Scheme
29 Section 1: Role-plays – specific 2025 mark schemes
3
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Speaking Tests – Higher tier
Part One Mark Scheme
Principles of marking
The Speaking Tests are marked in accordance with the assessment criteria provided later in this
document. No allowance can be made for poor teacher conduct of the tests. You can only assess
what you hear.
If a candidate requires a prompt or explanation of any kind, including the provision of an item of
obviously unknown vocabulary, this must be given clearly and audibly by the teacher-examiner
without stopping the recording.
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are used in the Photo card and General conversation tasks. The
criteria are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level
shows the average performance for that level.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the student
performance meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different
qualities that might be seen in the student’s performance for that level. If it meets the lowest level
then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between
the level descriptor and the performance. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better
performances you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme.
When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the performance and not look to
pick holes where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the performance
covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme, you should use a ‘best fit’ approach
for defining the level and then use the variability of the performance to help decide the mark within
the level, ie if the response is predominantly level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material it would
be placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content.
Step 2 Determine a mark
Once you have assigned a level, you need to decide on the mark. The exemplar materials used
during standardisation will help. You can compare the student’s performance with the examples
marked by the Lead Examiner to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the
examples. You can then use this information to allocate a mark for the performance.
You may well need to go back through the test as you apply the mark scheme to assure yourself
that the level and the mark are appropriate.
4
FRENCH
8658/SH
Paper 2 Speaking Higher
AQA GCSE FRENCH PAPER 2 QUESTIONS JUNE 2025
Mark scheme including Guidance for Role-plays
June 2025
Version: 1.0 Final
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant
questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the
standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in
this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’
responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way.
As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ tests. Alternative
answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the
standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are
required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.
It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and
expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark
schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of
assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination
paper.
No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the
gender identity of others in their exam responses.
A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in
exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria.
Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk
Copyright information
AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal
use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for
internal use within the centre.
Copyright © 2025 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
2
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Contents
Page
4 Part One Mark Scheme
6 Section 1: Role-play
9 Section 2: Discussion of photo card
11 Section 3: General conversation (Higher tier)
15 Appendix 1: Subject content (Themes)
16 Appendix 2: Speaking Score Sheet
17 Appendix 3: Symbols for annotating Speaking Score Sheet
18 Appendix 4: Marking of photo card – guidance notes
26 Appendix 5: Role-plays – General Principles
27 Appendix 6: Photo cards – General Principles
28 Appendix 7: Photo cards – Guidance on paraphrasing
29 Part Two Mark Scheme
29 Section 1: Role-plays – specific 2025 mark schemes
3
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE FRENCH – 8658/SH – JUNE 2025
Speaking Tests – Higher tier
Part One Mark Scheme
Principles of marking
The Speaking Tests are marked in accordance with the assessment criteria provided later in this
document. No allowance can be made for poor teacher conduct of the tests. You can only assess
what you hear.
If a candidate requires a prompt or explanation of any kind, including the provision of an item of
obviously unknown vocabulary, this must be given clearly and audibly by the teacher-examiner
without stopping the recording.
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are used in the Photo card and General conversation tasks. The
criteria are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level
shows the average performance for that level.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the student
performance meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different
qualities that might be seen in the student’s performance for that level. If it meets the lowest level
then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between
the level descriptor and the performance. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better
performances you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme.
When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the performance and not look to
pick holes where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the performance
covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme, you should use a ‘best fit’ approach
for defining the level and then use the variability of the performance to help decide the mark within
the level, ie if the response is predominantly level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material it would
be placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content.
Step 2 Determine a mark
Once you have assigned a level, you need to decide on the mark. The exemplar materials used
during standardisation will help. You can compare the student’s performance with the examples
marked by the Lead Examiner to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the
examples. You can then use this information to allocate a mark for the performance.
You may well need to go back through the test as you apply the mark scheme to assure yourself
that the level and the mark are appropriate.
4
