The Kate Languages Podcast - S4 Ep1 - Q&A

Q&A Episode 3 - my thoughts on the new GCSE and who was my favourite teacher?!

This was my third Q&A episode, in which I answered a couple of questions about the new MFL GCSEs (first exams 2026) and a couple of fun questions about my favourite teacher and an interesting place I've used my languages!

Just bear in mind that this episode was recorded in April 2023, so some of the answers are no longer as relevant and/or we know more about the new GCSE now and Eduqas will not be providing specifications for this GCSE.

To listen to the episode in full, click "play" above.

Here are the questions and my answers:

Are you going to make resources for the new GCSE?

This is a question that's been on many of your minds, and I'm excited to say that yes, I absolutely am! I've already spent quite a bit of time poring over the new specifications and sample assessment materials for French. At the time of recording, I haven't seen any for Spanish or German yet, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

My focus is primarily on AQA and Edexcel, but I'm also looking at Eduqas. This time around, I'm really keen to create comprehensive resources for all three exam boards. I'll likely start with AQA, as it seems to be the most popular choice among teachers - at least according to my highly scientific Instagram poll!

I've already begun work on a writing workbook, though it's a bit tricky at the moment as everything is still in draft form. There's always a chance things could change, so I'm treading carefully and trying to figure out the structure as I go along.

It's worth noting that I've made a rather difficult decision to stop running my online courses for MFL teachers after this term. The summer term running from April through to June will be the last one. If you're listening to this when it first comes out, there's still time to sign up at klanguages.co.uk under the 'teacher courses' tab.

This decision is largely due to changes in my family life - my little one is now three and at nursery more often, so I need to shift my work to daytime hours. I'll be focusing on writing resources, offering bespoke one-to-one tutoring and CPD for teachers, and creating lessons for another company (more on that in a couple of weeks!).

What are your thoughts on the new GCSE?

This is a topic I'm planning to delve into more deeply in a future episode, but I'll share some initial thoughts here. Overall, I'd say they're quite positive. Despite initial worries when the consultation first came out, I don't think it's going to be as different as we might have feared.

The main change is the introduction of a vocabulary list of 1200 or 1700 of the most common words, replacing the current topic-based approach. This shift might be challenging, but I've noticed that the exam boards have already started grouping the vocabulary into broader themes and topics, which should help.

One aspect I'm particularly excited about is the inclusion of more modern, inclusive vocabulary. For instance, in the AQA 'Identity and Relationships' topic, words like 'bisexual', 'non-binary', and 'trans' are included. It's brilliant to see the vocabulary being brought into the 21st century!

I'm also pleased to see that the speaking and writing rubrics will all be in English, as will the questions in the listening and reading exams. As someone who's created resources for the current GCSE, I can tell you that coming up with those role-play bullet points was an absolute nightmare!

The introduction of a dictation element is interesting. Part of me feels it's a bit old-fashioned, harking back to the O-level days. However, it could be a useful tool, though I do worry it might disadvantage French students compared to those studying Spanish or German, as French is less phonetic.

Who was your favourite teacher when you were at school?

Oh, what a lovely question! It's got me feeling all nostalgic. First off, I have to mention my mum, who taught me A-level German. Obviously, she was my favourite teacher!

I have fond memories of some really lovely primary school teachers. But when it comes to languages, my first French teacher, Mrs Davis, stands out. She was my Year 6 form tutor and French teacher when we started learning the language. I still remember songs she taught us, including one about ER verbs (which I'll spare you from hearing me sing!).

In upper school, I had some good teachers, but I don't feel like any one languages teacher really inspired me to pursue languages further. Interestingly, my favourite teacher was probably my English teacher. She was a bit of a vegan hippie type, wearing big Doc Martens to school in the '90s, which was pretty cool back then.

But I think the most inspiring educators I've had were at university. Two stand out in particular: Professor Woods, my German professor at Nottingham University, who was an expert in East German history, and a French lecturer (whose name I'm ashamed to say I can't remember!) who taught Francophone literature. Their passion for their subjects was truly infectious.

I also have to mention Zoltan Dornyei, my tutor during my master's degree. He was my dissertation supervisor, and I even started down the path of doing a PhD with him before life got in the way. He's written some brilliant books on motivation in language teaching and learning. One of my favourites is 'Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom' - it's a bit pricey on Amazon, but well worth a read if you can get your hands on it!

(Since recording this podcast episode, I was deeply saddened to learn that the wonderful Zoltan passed away a couple of years ago after a short illness. I feel luckier than ever to have had the privilege of being taught by this incredible man and will never forget the impact he had on my understanding of language acquisition and on my own teaching.)

What's the most interesting place you have used your language skills?

Now this is a cracking question! Before I share my own experiences, I have to tell you about a couple of brilliant stories I received when I put this question out to others.

My husband, who studied French and Spanish but doesn't use them daily in his communications job, once had to translate an El País article on HS2 for the Secretary of State for Transport. The translation was then read out in Parliament! It just goes to show how language skills can come in handy in unexpected ways, even if you don't use them every day in your job.

Another fantastic story came from Jo, who actually sent me this question. She was in Blackpool for a friend's 30th birthday, participating in a scavenger hunt that included getting a picture of kids having an egg and spoon race on the beach. Her team approached a family who turned out to be German tourists. Jo, being the language superstar she is, switched to German, explained the very British tradition of egg and spoon races, and got the picture! The German family thought they were crackers but loved every minute of it. I'm in awe of Jo's ability to explain 'egg and spoon race' in German!

As for my own experiences, a couple of instances stand out. A few years ago, I was contacted by an undertaker to translate some official French documents. It turned out to be a death certificate and related paperwork for a British person who had died in France and was being brought back to the UK for the funeral. It was a sombre task, but interesting to navigate the specific vocabulary required.

Another time, a friend asked me to phone a hospital in France on behalf of her family. Her grandfather was hospitalised there, and no one in the family spoke French well enough to communicate with the staff. I had to pretend to be the granddaughter, which was a bit nerve-wracking! While I couldn't get too much information (probably a good thing, privacy-wise), I was able to reassure the family with what I did learn.

On a lighter note, I love being able to speak French or Spanish with my husband when we don't want our three-year-old to understand what we're saying. My mum used to do this with my grandma when I was a kid, and I hated it then. I'm sure our little one will cotton on soon enough!

These experiences just highlight how language skills can be useful in the most unexpected situations. Whether it's helping in a medical emergency, navigating bureaucracy, or just having a secret conversation with your partner, you never know when your language skills might come in handy!