AQA GCSE GERMAN 8668/SF Paper 2 Speaking Foundation Tier
(8668/SF) Combined Question Paper and Mark Scheme
GCSE
GERMAN
8668/SF
Paper 2 Speaking Foundation Tier
Mark scheme including Guidance for Photo cards
Version: 1.0 Final
,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’ scripts. 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 GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Section 2: Discussion of photo card
This part of the test consists of a photo card which has been prepared by the candidate in the
preparation time. The teacher-examiner will ask five prescribed questions; three of these
questions are printed on the candidate’s card and will have been prepared during the preparation
time. The remaining two questions are printed in the Teacher’s Booklet.
Assessment criteria
The candidate’s responses to the five questions are assessed for Communication only, according
to the criteria below.
Level Mark Communication
The speaker replies to all questions clearly and develops most answers.
5 13–15
He/she gives and explains an opinion.
The speaker replies to all or nearly all questions clearly and develops some
4 10–12
answers. He/she gives and explains an opinion.
The speaker gives understandable replies to most questions and develops
3 7–9
at least one answer. He/she gives an opinion.
The speaker gives understandable replies to most questions but they may
2 4–6
be short and/or repetitive.
The speaker replies to some questions but the answers are likely to be
1 1–3
short and/or repetitive.
0 0 Communication does not meet the standard required for Level 1 at this tier.
Notes
a) At least one question on each photo card asks students to give and explain an opinion.
b) Students who do not understand a question may show repair strategies* in seeking clarification.
If they are then able to respond to the question successfully, they should be awarded the same
mark as if they had understood it originally.
*‘Repair strategies’ include asking questions for clarification, requests for repetition, requests for
definition or explanation, self-correction, etc in the target language. If the candidate asks for
repetition etc in English, the teacher can repeat what has been said, but this has to be taken into
account when awarding the mark.
The photo card task must be timed. Timing begins as soon as the teacher-examiner begins to ask
the first question ‘What is there in the photo?’. The maximum time for Foundation tier is two
minutes and marking will stop at this point. However, if the teacher-examiner has started to ask a
question on two minutes, the candidate is allowed to complete their answer and this is eligible for
credit. If the candidate is speaking at this point, they also are permitted to complete their answer
and again this is eligible for credit.
Only the questions on the candidate card and in the Teacher’s Booklet can be asked. No
supplementary questions are permitted, even if the test falls short of the recommended maximum
time or if candidates fail to develop enough answers to gain access to the higher mark bands in the
assessment criteria.
10
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Unlike in the role-play, in the photo card task a question may be paraphrased rather than simply
repeated. A paraphrase must keep to the same meaning as the printed question. In all likelihood,
this will be a vocabulary item for which there are two words in the target language and the one that
is printed is the one with which candidates are least familiar. The teacher-examiner may then
change that word for the more familiar one. In Spanish, an example would be Internet instead of
Red; in French, ami(e) for copain/copine; in German Job for Beruf.
If there is no answer from the student when the teacher asks the question as it is printed on the
card, it is fine to paraphrase. For example:
Wie findest du die Stadtmitte?
(No reply)
Wie findest du das Stadtzentrum?
When responding to the first question ‘What is there in the photo?’, candidate responses must be
rooted in the content of the photo. Merely to say ‘I like the photo’ without any justification would not
constitute, on its own, an answer to the first question because it does not relate to the content of
the photo. Remember candidates must only describe what is in the photo, not what isn’t.
Conjecture is appropriate, eg ‘I think the weather is hot because the people are wearing shorts.’
If a question asks for an opinion and a reason and the student answers both parts, using a verb
each time, this would be annotated as a circled Op plus a circled J. For example:
Wie findest du Sport? … Warum?
Ich mag Sport … Es ist gesund.
If a question asks if the student likes a particular thing and the reply is ‘Yes/no’ plus a reason, this
would be annotated as Op with a circled J. For example:
Magst du Sport?
Ja, es macht Spaß.
The following information relates to the number of questions answered by the candidate:
All Defined as all five questions
Nearly all Defined as four questions
Most Defined as three questions or more
Some Defined as two questions
A student who answers only one question can be awarded a mark in the 1–3 band, depending on
the development of the response.
Any development of an answer has to be in the form of a clause, ie it must include a verb. It is
expected that, for the top band, at least three (‘most’) answers will be developed by using at least
three clauses.
• To score in the 13–15 band, a candidate must develop at least three (‘most’) replies, as well as
answering all five questions clearly and giving and explaining an opinion.
• To score in the 10–12 band, a candidate must develop at least two (‘some’) replies, as well as
answering at least four (‘nearly all’) questions clearly and giving and explaining an opinion.
• To score in the 7–9 band, a candidate must develop at least one reply, as well as answering at
least three (‘most’) questions understandably and giving an opinion.
• If there is no development on any question, the maximum mark is 6.
11
(8668/SF) Combined Question Paper and Mark Scheme
GCSE
GERMAN
8668/SF
Paper 2 Speaking Foundation Tier
Mark scheme including Guidance for Photo cards
Version: 1.0 Final
,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’ scripts. 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 GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Section 2: Discussion of photo card
This part of the test consists of a photo card which has been prepared by the candidate in the
preparation time. The teacher-examiner will ask five prescribed questions; three of these
questions are printed on the candidate’s card and will have been prepared during the preparation
time. The remaining two questions are printed in the Teacher’s Booklet.
Assessment criteria
The candidate’s responses to the five questions are assessed for Communication only, according
to the criteria below.
Level Mark Communication
The speaker replies to all questions clearly and develops most answers.
5 13–15
He/she gives and explains an opinion.
The speaker replies to all or nearly all questions clearly and develops some
4 10–12
answers. He/she gives and explains an opinion.
The speaker gives understandable replies to most questions and develops
3 7–9
at least one answer. He/she gives an opinion.
The speaker gives understandable replies to most questions but they may
2 4–6
be short and/or repetitive.
The speaker replies to some questions but the answers are likely to be
1 1–3
short and/or repetitive.
0 0 Communication does not meet the standard required for Level 1 at this tier.
Notes
a) At least one question on each photo card asks students to give and explain an opinion.
b) Students who do not understand a question may show repair strategies* in seeking clarification.
If they are then able to respond to the question successfully, they should be awarded the same
mark as if they had understood it originally.
*‘Repair strategies’ include asking questions for clarification, requests for repetition, requests for
definition or explanation, self-correction, etc in the target language. If the candidate asks for
repetition etc in English, the teacher can repeat what has been said, but this has to be taken into
account when awarding the mark.
The photo card task must be timed. Timing begins as soon as the teacher-examiner begins to ask
the first question ‘What is there in the photo?’. The maximum time for Foundation tier is two
minutes and marking will stop at this point. However, if the teacher-examiner has started to ask a
question on two minutes, the candidate is allowed to complete their answer and this is eligible for
credit. If the candidate is speaking at this point, they also are permitted to complete their answer
and again this is eligible for credit.
Only the questions on the candidate card and in the Teacher’s Booklet can be asked. No
supplementary questions are permitted, even if the test falls short of the recommended maximum
time or if candidates fail to develop enough answers to gain access to the higher mark bands in the
assessment criteria.
10
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Unlike in the role-play, in the photo card task a question may be paraphrased rather than simply
repeated. A paraphrase must keep to the same meaning as the printed question. In all likelihood,
this will be a vocabulary item for which there are two words in the target language and the one that
is printed is the one with which candidates are least familiar. The teacher-examiner may then
change that word for the more familiar one. In Spanish, an example would be Internet instead of
Red; in French, ami(e) for copain/copine; in German Job for Beruf.
If there is no answer from the student when the teacher asks the question as it is printed on the
card, it is fine to paraphrase. For example:
Wie findest du die Stadtmitte?
(No reply)
Wie findest du das Stadtzentrum?
When responding to the first question ‘What is there in the photo?’, candidate responses must be
rooted in the content of the photo. Merely to say ‘I like the photo’ without any justification would not
constitute, on its own, an answer to the first question because it does not relate to the content of
the photo. Remember candidates must only describe what is in the photo, not what isn’t.
Conjecture is appropriate, eg ‘I think the weather is hot because the people are wearing shorts.’
If a question asks for an opinion and a reason and the student answers both parts, using a verb
each time, this would be annotated as a circled Op plus a circled J. For example:
Wie findest du Sport? … Warum?
Ich mag Sport … Es ist gesund.
If a question asks if the student likes a particular thing and the reply is ‘Yes/no’ plus a reason, this
would be annotated as Op with a circled J. For example:
Magst du Sport?
Ja, es macht Spaß.
The following information relates to the number of questions answered by the candidate:
All Defined as all five questions
Nearly all Defined as four questions
Most Defined as three questions or more
Some Defined as two questions
A student who answers only one question can be awarded a mark in the 1–3 band, depending on
the development of the response.
Any development of an answer has to be in the form of a clause, ie it must include a verb. It is
expected that, for the top band, at least three (‘most’) answers will be developed by using at least
three clauses.
• To score in the 13–15 band, a candidate must develop at least three (‘most’) replies, as well as
answering all five questions clearly and giving and explaining an opinion.
• To score in the 10–12 band, a candidate must develop at least two (‘some’) replies, as well as
answering at least four (‘nearly all’) questions clearly and giving and explaining an opinion.
• To score in the 7–9 band, a candidate must develop at least one reply, as well as answering at
least three (‘most’) questions understandably and giving an opinion.
• If there is no development on any question, the maximum mark is 6.
11
