Teachers are required to assess pupils' attainment in MFL at the end of key stage 3 and to report their teacher assessment to parents. Arrangements for statutory assessment are set out in detail in QCA's annual booklet about assessment and reporting arrangements. This is distributed to schools and can be downloaded from the right-hand menu.

National curriculum in action website

The National curriculum in action website includes general guidance on teacher assessment and attainment targets and level descriptions. It illustrates standards of pupils' work for each attainment target at different levels and includes practical guidance on how to use day-to-day assessment to raise pupils' standards of achievement, as well as links to related resources.

It provides information for teachers about how to involve pupils in their learning, for example by sharing learning goals, providing pupils with feedback on performance and involving pupils in self-assessment. There is an MFL case study as well as assessment guidance and classroom materials, all of which can be downloaded.

Optional tests and tasks

Key stage 3 optional tests and tasks in modern foreign languages were first published by SCAA, QCA's predecessor. They were designed to support the process of teacher assessment by providing standard tasks and examples of appropriate methods of assessing modern foreign languages at key stage 3. These materials are now out of print but are still in use in many schools.

Since their publication there have been some changes to the level descriptions for modern foreign languages. Some of the pages relating to the assessment schemes and teacher's notes have been amended. The documents can be downloaded from the right-hand menu and inserted into the original test booklets.