Mark Scheme (Results)
Summer 2025
2025 Pearson
Edexcel GCE In
German (9GN0)
Paper 03 Speaking
Marking Scheme
,Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a
wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for
employers. For further information visit our qualifications websites at www.edexcel.com or
www.btec.co.uk. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page
at www.edexcel.com/contactus.
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress in
their lives through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people, wherever
they are in the world. We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70
countries, in 100 languages, we have built an international reputation for our commitment to high
standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out more about how we can
help you and your students at: www.pearson.com/uk
Summer 2025
Question Paper Log Number 74506-74508
Publication Codes 9GN0_03_2506_MS
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2025
,General Marking Guidance
All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners
must mark the first candidate in exactly the same way as they
mark the last.
Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must
be rewarded for what they have shown they can do rather than
penalised for omissions.
Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not
according to their perception of where the grade boundaries
may lie.
There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark
scheme should be used appropriately.
All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded.
Examiners should always award full marks if deserved, i.e. if
the answer matches the mark scheme. Examiners should also
be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response is
not worthy of credit according to the mark scheme.
Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide
the principles by which marks will be awarded and
exemplification may be limited.
When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the
mark scheme to a candidate’s response, the team leader must
be consulted.
Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has
replaced it with an alternative response.
, Paper 3 mark scheme
For this paper, there are a number of levels-based mark schemes to be applied to each
task.
General guidance on using levels-based mark schemes
Step 1 Decide on a band
• You should first of all consider the answer as a whole and then decide which
descriptors most closely match the answer and place it in that band. The
descriptors for each band indicate the different features that will be seen in the
student’s answer for that band.
• When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and
not focus disproportionately on small and specific parts of the answer where the
student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different
aspects of different bands of the mark scheme you should use a ‘best fit’ approach
for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide
the mark within the level, for example if the response is predominantly band 5–8
with a small amount of band 9–12 material, it would be placed in band 5–8 but be
awarded a mark near the top of the band because of the band 9–12 content.
Step 2 Decide on a mark
• Once you have decided on a band you will then need to decide on a mark within
the band.
• You will decide on the mark to award based on the quality of the answer; you will
award a mark towards the top or bottom of that band depending on how students
have evidenced each of the descriptor bullet points.
• You will modify the mark based on how securely the trait descriptors are met at
that band.
• You will need to go back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to
clarify points and assure yourself that the band and the mark are appropriate.
Guidance on timing of the speaking assessment
The speaking assessment should last between 16 to 18 minutes. The timing of the
assessment begins with the candidate’s first utterance in relation to Task 1. Once the
maximum stipulated assessment time has passed, the teacher-examiner must bring
the assessment to a natural end, allowing the candidate to complete their last
sentence.
You must stop marking at the end of the sentence once the maximum assessment
time has passed, even if the recorded conversation has gone beyond the maximum
time.
Summer 2025
2025 Pearson
Edexcel GCE In
German (9GN0)
Paper 03 Speaking
Marking Scheme
,Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a
wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for
employers. For further information visit our qualifications websites at www.edexcel.com or
www.btec.co.uk. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page
at www.edexcel.com/contactus.
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress in
their lives through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people, wherever
they are in the world. We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70
countries, in 100 languages, we have built an international reputation for our commitment to high
standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out more about how we can
help you and your students at: www.pearson.com/uk
Summer 2025
Question Paper Log Number 74506-74508
Publication Codes 9GN0_03_2506_MS
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2025
,General Marking Guidance
All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners
must mark the first candidate in exactly the same way as they
mark the last.
Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must
be rewarded for what they have shown they can do rather than
penalised for omissions.
Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not
according to their perception of where the grade boundaries
may lie.
There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark
scheme should be used appropriately.
All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded.
Examiners should always award full marks if deserved, i.e. if
the answer matches the mark scheme. Examiners should also
be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response is
not worthy of credit according to the mark scheme.
Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide
the principles by which marks will be awarded and
exemplification may be limited.
When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the
mark scheme to a candidate’s response, the team leader must
be consulted.
Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has
replaced it with an alternative response.
, Paper 3 mark scheme
For this paper, there are a number of levels-based mark schemes to be applied to each
task.
General guidance on using levels-based mark schemes
Step 1 Decide on a band
• You should first of all consider the answer as a whole and then decide which
descriptors most closely match the answer and place it in that band. The
descriptors for each band indicate the different features that will be seen in the
student’s answer for that band.
• When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and
not focus disproportionately on small and specific parts of the answer where the
student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different
aspects of different bands of the mark scheme you should use a ‘best fit’ approach
for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide
the mark within the level, for example if the response is predominantly band 5–8
with a small amount of band 9–12 material, it would be placed in band 5–8 but be
awarded a mark near the top of the band because of the band 9–12 content.
Step 2 Decide on a mark
• Once you have decided on a band you will then need to decide on a mark within
the band.
• You will decide on the mark to award based on the quality of the answer; you will
award a mark towards the top or bottom of that band depending on how students
have evidenced each of the descriptor bullet points.
• You will modify the mark based on how securely the trait descriptors are met at
that band.
• You will need to go back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to
clarify points and assure yourself that the band and the mark are appropriate.
Guidance on timing of the speaking assessment
The speaking assessment should last between 16 to 18 minutes. The timing of the
assessment begins with the candidate’s first utterance in relation to Task 1. Once the
maximum stipulated assessment time has passed, the teacher-examiner must bring
the assessment to a natural end, allowing the candidate to complete their last
sentence.
You must stop marking at the end of the sentence once the maximum assessment
time has passed, even if the recorded conversation has gone beyond the maximum
time.
