Changes to the subject content for modern foreign language GCSEs

We introduced a temporary change to modern foreign language GCSE exams in summer 2022. This change removed the regulatory requirement that exam boards must include unfamiliar vocabulary within their assessments.

This consultation sets out our proposal to permanently remove the expectation that students engage with unfamiliar vocabulary.

These changes will:

offer exam boards greater flexibility when it comes to assessment design
make the subject content more consistent between languages
make assessments fairer and more accessible

Ofqual has also launched its own consultation on amending their subject level conditions, guidance and assessment requirements for all GCSE language qualifications.