GCSE language courses
A GCSE is the one-subject exam pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland sit at 15-16, graded 9 to 1 in England. Here is what the grades mean, how it compares to CEFR and to American schooling, and a course for each language that follows its exam board's specification.
The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) grades language ability from A1 to C2. The GCSE grades an exam from 1 to 9. The two are usually lined up like this:
There is no official equivalence. Neither Ofqual (the exam regulator in England) nor the exam boards publish a CEFR mapping for the GCSE, so treat the scale above as a rule of thumb. What a GCSE specification does fix is the vocabulary, and each course below says how much of it it teaches.
A defined vocabulary list
Spanish, French and German (AQA)
The reformed GCSEs first examined in 2026. Words outside the list cannot appear in the exam without a gloss, so the list is the whole vocabulary target.
A minimum core list
Mandarin (AQA)
The board calls it a guide rather than a closed list, so the exam will also use words beyond it.
A core vocabulary list
Italian, Portuguese and Russian (Pearson Edexcel)
The core vocabulary every candidate needs. The exam goes beyond it, so the list is a floor, not a ceiling.
For placing a GCSE if you know a different system. None of these has an official equivalence with a GCSE language grade unless the table says so.
| Qualification | Who takes it | Graded | Against a GCSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE | Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at 15-16. | 9 to 1 in England; Wales and Northern Ireland use their own scales. | The qualification these courses follow. |
| International GCSE (IGCSE) | Schools outside the UK, and many UK independent schools. | 9 to 1 or A* to G, depending on the board and syllabus. | Similar level and age, but a separate syllabus with its own exam format and vocabulary. A GCSE course is not an IGCSE course. |
| US high school | GCSEs are sat at the age of a US 10th grader. | Course grades and credits, not a national exam. | No official equivalence. A GCSE is a single external exam in one subject. |
| IB Middle Years Programme | IB schools, ages 11-16; its final year is GCSE age. | Language acquisition is assessed in phases of proficiency. | No official equivalence with GCSE grades. |
| Scottish National 5 | Pupils in Scotland, usually at 15-16. | A to D. | Scotland's framework places National 5 at the same level as GCSE grades 9 to 4. |
A rough guide by age and stage. There is no official US equivalent for either, and universities decide case by case.
GCSE
End of Year 11, age 15-16
Roughly the end of US 10th grade. A GCSE is a single external exam in one subject; pupils usually take eight to ten of them.
A-level
End of Year 13, age 17-18
The age of a US high school senior, but the level is usually compared to AP exams rather than to regular senior classes. Pupils usually take three.
One course per language, each built from its exam board's own vocabulary list and grammar, Foundation before Higher. The coverage figure counts the items on the board's list that the course teaches.
AQA · specification 8692
Specification coverage
1,681 of 1,700 items covered
1,183 of 1,185 Foundation, 498 of 515 Higher
In the chapters
AQA · specification 8652
Specification coverage
1,693 of 1,752 items covered
1,176 of 1,207 Foundation, 517 of 545 Higher
In the chapters
AQA · specification 8673
Specification coverage
698 of 736 items covered
601 of 633 Foundation, 97 of 103 Higher
In the chapters
AQA · specification 8662
Specification coverage
1,692 of 1,768 items covered
1,189 of 1,237 Foundation, 503 of 531 Higher
In the chapters
Pearson Edexcel · specification 1IN0
Specification coverage
1,878 of 2,377 items covered
1,671 of 2,067 Foundation, 207 of 310 Higher
In the chapters
Pearson Edexcel · specification 1PG0
Specification coverage
1,725 of 2,338 items covered
1,395 of 1,843 Foundation, 330 of 495 Higher
In the chapters
Pearson Edexcel · specification 1RU0
Specification coverage
1,963 of 2,364 items covered
1,536 of 1,813 Foundation, 427 of 551 Higher
In the chapters
Each chapter is a themed unit. This is a real one: Spanish chapter 1, Core words: the first 94, lesson by lesson.
Words
Greetings and courtesies
A small group of words that belong together, from the board's list, learnt and then drilled until they stick.
Phrases
Hello, who are you?
Whole sentences for the topic, built from words already taught: match each to its meaning, then fill the gap.
Grammar
Articles
A grammar point the specification prescribes, placed where the chapter needs it, with worked examples and a practice drill.
Story
Read: Un lunes en Bogotá
A short reader written only in the list's vocabulary, with comprehension questions: reading-paper practice in context.
Exam practice
Days, dates and times
An exam-style task, such as a role-play, translation or dictation, answered in writing.
For language tutors and teachers
Roughly A1 to A2 on the CEFR at Foundation, and A2 to B1 at Higher, with a grade 9 at about the top of B1. The same holds for the other GCSE languages. It is an approximation: neither Ofqual nor the exam boards publish an official CEFR mapping.
No. The GCSE is an exam graded 9 to 1 against a specification; CEFR describes what a learner can do. A good Foundation grade and a middling Higher grade both land near A2, but there is no official equivalence, and a grade 9 is closer to B1.
It depends on the tier. Foundation covers roughly A1 to A2, and Higher roughly A2 to B1, with a grade 9 near the top of B1. So a Foundation pass sits around A2 at best, and a good Higher grade goes beyond it. Like every GCSE-to-CEFR comparison, this is a rule of thumb: there is no official mapping.
There is no official mapping. Going by CEFR, Foundation (roughly A1 to A2) is about HSK 1 to 2, and Higher (roughly A2 to B1) reaches towards HSK 3, since the HSK maps HSK 2 to A2 and HSK 3 to B1. The vocabularies do not line up, though: the GCSE list follows its themes, and well over half of its words are not on the HSK 1 to 3 lists.
Yes. Adults can sit a GCSE as a private candidate at an exam centre that accepts them, and pay the entry fee. For a language, find a centre that can also run the speaking exam before you enter. You do not need to sit the exam to use these courses: many adults use the specification simply as a structured target.
Each language follows one board's specification: Spanish: AQA 8692; French: AQA 8652; Mandarin: AQA 8673; German: AQA 8662; Italian: Pearson Edexcel 1IN0; Portuguese: Pearson Edexcel 1PG0; Russian: Pearson Edexcel 1RU0. The specification code is on each course page.
Foundation leads to grades 1 to 5 and Higher to grades 4 to 9, and a pupil sits all four papers at the same tier. The school decides the entry. The courses teach Foundation first, because Higher candidates are assessed on all of it too.
Each course is built from its exam board's published specification. Kilo Lingo is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board.
