Italian 路 Pearson Edexcel GCSE 1IN0
The Italian GCSE course, start to finish.
The Pearson Edexcel vocabulary list: 1,878 of the list's 2,377 items so far (1,671 of 2,067 Foundation), taught in the order the specification is organised: the high-frequency words first, then the 5 themes, Foundation before Higher. Pearson Edexcel calls it the core vocabulary every student needs rather than a closed list, so the exam will also use words beyond it. 1,699 words across 23 chapters, with the prescribed grammar interleaved.
- 23
- Chapters
- 322
- Lessons
- 1,699
- Words
- 57
- Grammar lessons
Foundation
Everything a Foundation candidate is assessed on. Higher candidates need all of it too.
Higher
The words Higher adds on top, across the same 5 themes.
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation leads to grades 1 to 5 and Higher to grades 4 to 9. Foundation: 2,067 list entries. Higher adds 310, for 2,377 in all.
GCSE Italian revision
Grammar coverage: every structure Edexcel prescribes
The full Edexcel grammar list for Italian, Foundation and Higher, with the lesson that teaches each point.
Who takes GCSE Italian?
- Many candidates already speak Italian at home and take the GCSE to get a qualification for it, often as private candidates rather than through a school class.
- If that is you, speaking and listening are usually the easy marks. The marks go in writing, spelling and the grammar the specification prescribes, so start with the grammar list and the Higher words.
- If you are learning Italian from scratch, the course starts at the beginning: the high-frequency words first, then the five themes, Foundation before Higher.
Questions
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation leads to grades 1 to 5 and Higher to grades 4 to 9, and a candidate sits every paper at the same tier. The course teaches Foundation first, because Higher candidates are assessed on all of it too, then the words Higher adds.
How many words do I need for GCSE Italian?
The Pearson Edexcel core vocabulary list has 2,067 Foundation entries, and Higher adds 310. Pearson Edexcel says the exam will also use words beyond it, so treat it as the core rather than the ceiling.
Can I take GCSE Italian as a private candidate?
Yes. Pearson Edexcel GCSEs can be sat as a private candidate at an exam centre that accepts them. Book well before the entry deadline, and check that the centre can run the speaking assessment, because not every centre does.
Is GCSE Italian hard?
It depends where you start. For a home speaker, accurate spelling, accents and the prescribed grammar are where marks go. For a new learner, Italian is one of the more approachable languages for an English speaker: the difficulty is the length of the list rather than the grammar.
Vocabulary, tiers and themes from Appendix 3 of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Italian (1IN0) specification. Kilo Lingo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson Edexcel.