AS
Topics:
There are four AS topics, the sub-topics must be studied. However, the bullet points given under the sub-topics are only suggestions as to the general areas which could be covered as part of the teaching programme.
As Knowledge of Society is not a discrete assessment objective in the subject criteria for Modern Foreign Languages, there is no requirement to study the topics in the context of the target language-speaking country/community. However, assessment material will include authentic sources.
MEDIA
Television
• TV viewing habits
• Range of programmes, e.g. their appeal and popularity
• Range of channels including satellite and internet
• Benefits and dangers of watching TV
Advertising
• Purposes of advertising
• Advertising techniques
• Curbs on advertising, e.g. tobacco, alcohol.
• Benefits and drawbacks of advertising
Communication technology
• Popularity of mobile phones, MP3 players, etc
• Benefits and dangers of mobile phones, MP3 players, etc
• Internet - its current and potential usage
• Benefits and dangers of the internet
POPULAR CULTURE
Cinema
• Types of film, changing trends
• The place of cinema in popular culture
• A good film I have seen
• Cinema versus alternative ways of viewing films
Music
• Types of music, changing trends
• The place of music in popular culture
• Music I like
• How music defines personal identity
Fashion/trends
• How we can alter our image
• Does how we look define who we are?
• Lifestyle and leisure activities
• The cult of the celebrity
HEALTHY LIVING/LIFESTYLE
Sport/exercise
• Traditional sports versus ‘fun’ sports
• Reasons for taking part in sport / physical exercise
• Factors influencing participation in sport / physical exercise
• Links between physical exercise and health
Health and well-being
• Alcohol, tobacco, other drugs
• Diet, including eating disorders
• The ‘work/life balance’
• Risks to health through accidents
Holidays
• Types of holiday and holiday activities
• The impact of tourism on holiday destinations
• Purposes and benefits of holidays
• Changing attitudes to holidays
FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships within the family
• Role of parents and importance of good parenting
• Attitudes of young people towards other family members
• Conflict between young people and other family members
• Changing models of family and parenting
Friendships
• Characteristics and roles of friends
• Conflicts with friends
• Importance of friends
• Friendship versus love
Marriage/partnerships
• Changing attitudes towards marriage or cohabitation
• Separation and divorce
• Staying single: benefits and drawbacks
• Changing roles within the home
Exams:
Unit 1: Listening, Reading and Writing (2 hours - 110 marks)
Listening Section: 30 minutes on this section. Candidates listen to approximately 5 minutes of material which is within their individual control. They answer all questions. This section comprises a task involving transfer of meaning into English and 2-4 items requiring short target-language or non-verbal responses.
Reading and Writing Section: approximately 45 minutes on this section. Candidates answer all questions. This section comprises 3-4 items requiring short target-language or non-verbal responses, together with a cloze test. The cloze test comprises ten discrete sentences not based on any of the stimulus texts; in each case candidates will be required to manipulate a given noun/verb/adjective.
Writing Section: approximately 45 minutes. Candidates respond to one question from a choice of three. There is one question on three of the four AS topic areas. They must write a minimum of 200 words.
Unit 2 Speaking Test. (externally marked) - Total: 50 marks - 35 minutes (including 20 minutes preparation time).
Part 1 Discussion of a stimulus card (5 minutes)
Candidates have 20 minutes supervised preparation time during which they should prepare one of two cards given to them by the examiner. The cards will be selected at random from a set of six provided by AQA, ensuring that there is no overlap with the candidate’s choice of topic for discussion in Part 2. The cards will be based on the four topics prescribed for AS, ie Media, Popular Culture, Healthy Living/ Lifestyle and Family/Relationships. At least one card will be set on each of these topics. Each card will cover one sub-topic, e.g. a card on Television from the topic Media.
Candidates may make notes during their preparation time and may refer to these notes during this part of the test. There will be five questions printed on each card which will form the basis of the discussion (2.5 minutes). Candidates are also expected to respond to broader issues within the sub-topic area prescribed on the card (2.5 minutes).
Part 2 Conversation (10 minutes)
The Conversation will cover three of the four AS topics. The first topic in the Conversation will be nominated by the candidate and can be any topic of his/her choice (3 minutes maximum). The remaining two topics in the Conversation will be chosen by the examiner from the topics prescribed for AS, avoiding any overlap with the topic of the stimulus card discussed in Part 1 and with the candidate’s nominated topic.
The test will be conducted and recorded either by the teacher or by an AQA examiner. All tests will be marked by an AQA examiner.