How the GCSE Speaking Exam Is Marked: AQA, Edexcel and Cambridge IGCSE

Your teacher conducts and records your GCSE speaking exam at school. For AQA and Edexcel, the recording is then marked by the exam board. For Cambridge IGCSE, your teacher marks it and Cambridge moderates the marking. Each part of the test is marked against its own criteria, so the role play, the read-aloud task and the photo card or conversation each reward something different. Knowing what each one rewards is the quickest way to pick up marks.

The three boards at a glance

	AQA (8652 French / 8692 Spanish)	Edexcel (1FR1 / 1SP1)	Cambridge IGCSE (0520 / 0530)
Who marks it	An AQA examiner	Pearson	Your teacher, moderated by Cambridge
Parts, in order (marks)	Role play (10) · Reading aloud + 4 questions (15) · Photo card + conversation (25)	Read aloud + 2 questions (12) · Role play (10) · Picture task + 2 questions (12) and conversation (16)	Role play (10) · Two topic conversations (30)
Total	50	50	40
Preparation	15 minutes	15 minutes	10 minutes, no notes
Length	Foundation 7–9 min, Higher 10–12 min	Foundation 7–9 min, Higher 10–12 min	About 10 minutes
Tiers	Foundation (grades 1–5) and Higher (4–9)	Foundation (1–5) and Higher (4–9)	One test for everyone, grades A*–G
Share of the qualification	25%	25%	25%

How is the role play marked?

AQA. There are five tasks, and each is worth 2, 1 or 0 marks. Two marks means "the message is conveyed without ambiguity". The card tells you to include a verb in every answer to score full marks, and one task asks you to ask a question.

Edexcel. There are five prompts, each marked 2, 1 or 0, and the role play "assesses communication only". A one-word answer can earn at most one mark. At Foundation you ask one question. At Higher you ask two, and you answer one question about the future.

Cambridge IGCSE. The teacher asks five questions and you answer them. You don't ask any. For 2 marks the answer has to communicate the information accurately, though minor errors such as adjective endings are allowed.

What this means in practice: a short, complete sentence with the right verb in it is worth more than a long answer that wanders. Once the task is done, stop.

How is the read-aloud task marked? (AQA and Edexcel)

AQA. Reading the text earns up to 5 marks for pronunciation. The examiner separates errors that get in the way of understanding from those that don't. Then come four compulsory questions worth 10 marks, marked as a whole. For the top marks, at least two answers need three or more clauses and another needs two.

Edexcel. The passage earns up to 8 marks for clear pronunciation and sound-spelling links. Edexcel says outright that you won't be assessed on the quality of your accent, as long as your pronunciation is clear. Then come two short questions worth 2 marks each.

Cambridge IGCSE has no read-aloud task.

How is the photo card or picture task marked?

AQA. You talk about the two photos (5 marks), then have an unprepared conversation (20 marks: 15 for what you communicate and how well you develop it, 5 for variety and accuracy of language). Talk about both photos, because speaking about only one costs a mark.

Edexcel. You describe one picture from a choice of two: the people, the place and what they're doing (8 marks), then answer two questions (4 marks). A conversation on the same theme follows (16 marks). To reach the top band in the conversation you need to use past, present and future.

How are the Cambridge IGCSE topic conversations marked?

There are two conversations, each of about four minutes. They are marked together: 15 marks for communication and 15 for quality of language. The top communication band describes a candidate who "Frequently develops ideas and opinions" and "Justifies and explains some answers". The top quality-of-language band asks for accurate use of a wide range of structures and vocabulary.

Does fluency matter more than accuracy?

Most of the marks are for getting your message across and developing it. Only Cambridge's criteria use the word "fluency". AQA and Edexcel reward how much you communicate, how well you develop your answers and the range of language you use. Accuracy and pronunciation are marked directly in set places: 10 of AQA's 50 marks, 16 of Edexcel's 50, and 15 of Cambridge's 40 under quality of language. So say more, clearly, and get your verbs right.

Which grammar mistakes cost the most marks?

Verb mistakes. AQA and Edexcel both treat a wrong verb form as a major error. That includes using the infinitive instead of a conjugated verb, the wrong tense or the wrong person. AQA's sample mark scheme for French also lists using a past tense for a future event. Gender and adjective agreement mistakes count as minor, because they don't stop you being understood. In Edexcel's sample role plays, "Je chercher une banque" still earned 2 marks because the message was clear, but "Je rester à chambre numéro deux" earned 1 because the infinitive delayed communication.

What's the difference between Foundation and Higher?

The format and the total marks are the same at both tiers for AQA and Edexcel. Higher has longer test times (10–12 minutes against 7–9), different cards, and criteria that ask for more development and more complex language. Foundation leads to grades 1–5 and Higher to grades 4–9, and both boards can award a grade 3 to a Higher candidate who just misses grade 4. Cambridge IGCSE isn't tiered: everyone sits the same test.

Practise it the way it's marked

Knowing the mark scheme helps most when you can hear yourself against it. Record yourself on your phone doing one part, then play it back against the criteria above: did every role-play answer have a verb? Did you describe both photos? Better still, get a parent or friend to read the examiner's lines from a sample card. An AI examiner such as Tête-à-Tête takes this a step further: it runs every part of your board's exam in order, follows up on what you say, and marks each part separately, so you can see which part to practise next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my role-play marks lower than my conversation marks?

Each role-play task is marked on its own, so a missing verb or an unclear answer drops that task to 1 mark straight away. Answer every task in a full, short sentence with a verb, and make sure you've asked your question.

Can an app tell you your GCSE grade?

A practice app can give you an estimated grade. The useful ones work it out on your board's own mark scheme and mark each part separately, so the estimate tells you which part to work on before the real exam. See how our practice is marked.

Sources

Every board fact on this page was checked against these documents on 26 October 2026:

• AQA GCSE French (8652) and AQA GCSE Spanish (8692): specifications, sample mark scheme and the 2026 instructions for conducting the speaking test
• Pearson Edexcel GCSE French (1FR1) and Pearson Edexcel GCSE Spanish (1SP1): specifications and sample assessment materials
• Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) and Cambridge IGCSE Spanish (0530): syllabuses for 2025–2027