GCSE
GERMAN
8668/SF
Paper 2 Speaking Foundation Tier
Mark scheme including Guidance for Photo cards
June 2025
Version: 1.0 Final
256g8668/Sf/MS
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – 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’ 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
Contents
Page
4 Part One Mark Scheme
6 Section 1: Role-play
10 Section 2: Discussion of photo card
12 Section 3: General conversation
16 Appendix 1: Subject content (Themes)
17 Appendix 2: Speaking Score Sheet
18 Appendix 3: Symbols for annotating Speaking Score Sheet
19 Appendix 4: Marking of photo card – Guidance Notes
27 Appendix 5: Role-plays – General Principles
29 Appendix 6: Photo cards – General Principles
30 Appendix 7: Photo cards – Guidance on Paraphrasing
31 Part Two Mark Scheme
31 Section 1: Role-plays – specific June 2025 mark schemes
41 Section 2: Photo cards – specific June 2025 guidance
3
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Speaking Tests – Foundation 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
GERMAN
8668/SF
Paper 2 Speaking Foundation Tier
Mark scheme including Guidance for Photo cards
June 2025
Version: 1.0 Final
256g8668/Sf/MS
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – 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’ 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
Contents
Page
4 Part One Mark Scheme
6 Section 1: Role-play
10 Section 2: Discussion of photo card
12 Section 3: General conversation
16 Appendix 1: Subject content (Themes)
17 Appendix 2: Speaking Score Sheet
18 Appendix 3: Symbols for annotating Speaking Score Sheet
19 Appendix 4: Marking of photo card – Guidance Notes
27 Appendix 5: Role-plays – General Principles
29 Appendix 6: Photo cards – General Principles
30 Appendix 7: Photo cards – Guidance on Paraphrasing
31 Part Two Mark Scheme
31 Section 1: Role-plays – specific June 2025 mark schemes
41 Section 2: Photo cards – specific June 2025 guidance
3
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE GERMAN – 8668/SF – JUNE 2025
Speaking Tests – Foundation 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
