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Language oral 'not being ditched' Shake-up of GCSE language orals
(about 4 hours later)
Schools Minister Jim Knight has rejected as "ridiculous" a claim that modern language GCSEs could be gained without candidates taking oral tests. GCSE language students are to face a number of assessments rather than a single "oral" examination at the end of the course, the government has said.
A report in the Sunday Telegraph had suggested the exams watchdog was planning to drop orals because they were supposedly "too stressful". Schools Minister Jim Knight said the new assessments would test a broader range of skills than they do currently.
England's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority said it was making the oral assessment of languages more rigorous. Another key change is that candidates will be assessed by their teachers, rather than external examiners.
It plans to follow a report which said current orals are not good tests. The announcement comes after it was reported that oral tests were being dropped as they were "too stressful".
It's changing the way it's done, not getting rid of it or dumbing it down QCA spokesman The new oral tests will be just as challenging but will also be fairer and give a true reflection of students' ability Jim KnightSchools Minister
Lord Dearing, who was commissioned by the government to look at modern language teaching, affirmed in his review the importance of speaking and listening in language GCSEs. Mr Knight said the changes were being made because the standard oral test was no longer considered to be a "reliable test of a candidate's ability".
These skills should make up half of the marks for the qualification, Lord Dearing said. Repeated assessments of speaking a foreign language over a long period was a much more accurate indicator of ability, he added.
But he also warned that the stress of oral exams might deter youngsters from taking languages. The changes are in line with recommendations made by Lord Dearing, who was asked by the government to review language teaching after the number of language students fell significantly.
Mr Knight said: "It is ridiculous to suggest that a GCSE in a modern foreign language would be awarded without any kind of oral assessment. Under the new regime, candidates might be asked to take part in an interview or make a presentation to a group.
"Any proposals must be designed to improve the confidence and competence of young people at speaking foreign languages." Or they might get involved in basic business-style negotiations or product pitches.
He said the Dearing Review suggested that continuous speaking assessment of pupils in controlled conditions was a better way of finding out which grade pupils were at than one "hit or miss" exam.
"Those who would like to put forward dumbing down arguments seem to be misguided or misinformed in this case," he added.
'Not dumbing down''Not dumbing down'
In his report, Lord Dearing said: "It is interesting that when people spoke about the oral test, that however long ago it may have been, it is often remembered as a stressful experience," he wrote. They would also be expected to think on their feet as part of "spontaneous discussions".
"This will provide students with a chance to use a range of communications skills that have practical applications in the real world, rather than relying on memorised responses to predictable questions," the government said.
Mr Knight said: "The new oral tests will be just as challenging but will also be fairer and give a true reflection of students' ability.
"Now candidates will have the chance to do themselves justice over the whole course of their studies - not just a single, hit or miss, 10-minute test."
He added: "Learning chunks of phrases by rote or artificial role-play situations will become a thing of the past."
Mr Knight said both businesses and higher education institutions wanted students who could display a range of linguistic talents.
"This is not about making language GCSEs easier - it's about making them more rigorous, relevant and accessible."
'More rigorous'
Lord Dearing said the changes were a welcome response to the criticisms his review heard that present oral assessments were undertaken over too short a period and narrowed learning.
In his report, Lord Dearing had said that many people remembered their orals as a "stressful experience".
"We therefore proposed that these parts of the examination should be over a period through moderated teacher assessment.""We therefore proposed that these parts of the examination should be over a period through moderated teacher assessment."
Lord Dearing emphasised that any change should not weaken the "validity of the assessment". The QCA, which was due to publish a report on the issue on Wednesday, said the changes were about bringing about more rigorous assessment.
The QCA, which is publishing a report on the issue on Wednesday, said it was looking at changing the emphasis of how the oral part of modern languages are assessed. "It's changing the way it's done, not getting rid of it or dumbing it down."
"It's changing the way it's done, not getting rid of it or dumbing it down.
"In fact, we will see a more rigorous assessment."
Currently GCSE oral tests are carried out by teachers, recorded and sent to external examiners for marking.Currently GCSE oral tests are carried out by teachers, recorded and sent to external examiners for marking.
Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove told the Sunday Telegraph pupils were being told they could pass GCSE languages without speaking them.
"Once again, this government is moving the goalposts on examinations and instead of proper rigour we have got a watering down of standards."
Lord Dearing's report was accepted by the then Education Secretary Alan Johnson in March 2007.
A sharp fall in students taking language GCSEs had prompted the review.
The drop came after the government ended compulsory modern languages up to the age of 16 in 2004.