Guidance

GCSE modern foreign languages

Subject content, aims and learning objectives for modern foreign language GCSEs for teaching from 2016.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 9 April 2014
• Last updated: 2 December 2022
  Show all updates

  1. 2 December 2022

     Updated the guidance to remove the expectation that students engage with “unfamiliar material” when reading and “more abstract material” when listening.

  2. 14 January 2022

     Updated with information on GCSE French, German and Spanish for first teaching from September 2024 and first examinations from summer 2026.

  3. 16 December 2015

     Updated 'GCSE subject content for modern foreign languages' to clarify grammar requirements.

  4. 3 February 2015

     Added new document including updates to grammar lists.

  5. 17 December 2014

     Updated for consistency in references to the title of the qualification.

  6. 9 April 2014

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

GCSE subject content for modern foreign languages

Ref: DFE-00348-2014

PDF, 318 KB, 21 pages

Details

This document details the learning outcomes and content coverage required for GCSE specifications in all modern foreign languages (MFL).

For GCSE MFL teaching from September 2024 and examination from summer 2026, this document will no longer apply to GCSEs in French, German and Spanish (except where pupils are resitting under the previous subject content) but will remain current for all other MFL subjects.

Read the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs for first teaching from September 2024 and first examination from summer 2026.