GCSE Japanese Speaking Examiner

The information cards for Role play and Picture based Tasks will be provided to the candidate and the examiner in a room, and then 12 minutes will be given to prepare for these tasks. Candidates are allowed to take notes.

 

The information cards will be set up on that day according to the instructions for the examiner issued by Pearson Edexcel. The candidate will not know the themes for these tasks until the test day.

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• Changes are NOT permitted

With Role play and Picture based Tasks, the examiner must read out the examiner's cards just as it is. No changes or improvisations are permitted. Questions can be repeated twice at maximum, which means three times in total. If the candidate still cannot answer the question, they should just move on.

 

• Candidate's notes

They are allowed to see the notes that they have written down during the preparation time. The notes should be for reference only. Candidates should not read out whole prepared sentences in answer to questions. Candidates must hand over the note to the examiner before the Conversation Task.

The Conversation task is divided into two parts dealing with two different GCSE themes.

 

The first part begins with a theme or topic chosen by the candidate.  The candidates may speak for up to one minute to give a confident start. The examiner should ask them e.g. "Would you like to talk about your topic?". The examiner asks follow-up questions within the same theme. If the candidate does not look prepared, there's no need to push them, you can start asking questions based on the topic. The school should inform the examiner in advance of the candidate's theme or topic. 

 

After approximately 2.5 minutes, the second part of the conversation begins; another conversation is held on a different theme. The theme for the second part is indicated in the instructions for the examiner given the test day, find the GCSE Themes Sequencing grid in it.

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Pearson Edexcel's Speaking Test is slightly different from AQA. For AQA's conversation task, the candidate does not give a brief speech at the beginning of the conversation task part one, and the candidate is encouraged to ask the examiner a simple question. Schools and examiners remind each other that it is a Pearson Edexcel exam and ensure that students are prepared accordingly.

• ​Foundation Tier

Role play                : 1-1.5mins

Picture based task : 2.5-3 mins

Conversation          : 3.5-4.5 mins

 

• Higher Tier​

Role play                : 2-2.5 mins

Picture based task : 3-3.5 mins

Conversation          : 5-6 mins

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The examiner is responsible for timekeeping. I use my mobile phone.

The following items should be provided by the school. 

• Exam question cards to the candidate

• Exam question booklets to the teacher/examiner 

• CS2: Speaking assessment record form

• CN2: Candidate notes form

• A recorder

The examiner is responsible for recording the entire speaking test. At the start, the examiner records the following information. 

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• GCSE Japanese Summer [ex. 2023]

• Foundation or Higher Tier

• Teacher-examiner [your name]

• Candidate [name]

• Candidate number [ex. 1234]

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Then the speaking exam begins with a phrase such as​ below.

• Task 1, Role play. You are in a shop in Japan... (the instruction on the teacher's card). Irasshaimase, nani o kaimasuka?  (the first question)

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The school should provide a recorder but occasionally, I was asked to use my recorder or mobile phone as the school had many speaking exams going on at the same time. In that case, I sent the audio file to the school's exam officer right after the test.