ARABIC – IGCSE & GCSE | Kuwait English School

Course Description

Two Arabic examinations are offered, GCSE Arabic and IGCSE Arabic.

GCSE Arabic is for students for whom Arabic is a second language. This course will be taught instead of Ministry Arabic. This would be a useful choice for anyone who enjoys language and would be a useful addition to your job application later. Kuwaiti students may take this examination in addition to Ministry Arabic as it can count towards scholarships from the highest education.

IGCSE Arabic is for all students for whom Arabic is their first language. It is not compulsory for the students to take IGCSE Arabic, non Kuwaiti students may take Ministry Arabic instead. IGCSE Arabic is recognized as a subject in Egypt. What follows is a breakdown of the exam requirements of both subjects.

GCSE (9-1) in Arabic

Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2
For this examination there are two levels. First level is the foundation tier and the second level is the higher tier.
The students may do only one level which their teacher may choose for them.

All Kuwait English School students who will do the exam may do the higher tier not Foundation tier because of this reason : Higher tier the highest grade 9 which equals to A* but the foundation tier the highest grade is 5 which equals a C.

There are four exam papers, which you must take. Some of the questions on the papers will be in English and some in Arabic. You must answer in the language in which the question is written.

All four exams will be from these themes

Theme 1: Identity and culture

Who am I?: relationships; when I was younger; what my friends and family are like; what makes a good friend; interests; socialising with friends and family; role models.
Daily life: customs and everyday life; food and drink; shopping; social media and technology (use of, advantages and disadvantages).
Cultural life: celebrations and festivals; reading; music; sport; film and television.

Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel.

Holidays: preferences; experiences; destinations.
Travel and tourist transactions: travel and accommodation; asking for help and dealing with problems; directions; eating out; shopping.
Town, region and country: weather; places to see; things to do.

Theme 3: School

What school is like: school types; school day; subjects; rules and pressures; celebrating success.
School activities: school trips; events and exchanges.

Theme 4: Future aspirations, study and work

Using languages beyond the classroom: forming relationships; travel; employment.
Ambitions: further study; volunteering; training.
Work: jobs; careers and professions.

Theme 5: International and global dimension:

Bringing the world together: sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes.

Environmental issues: being ‘green’; access to natural resources.

PAPER 1: Listening Comprehension – Unit code: 1AA0 /1H (25%of the total GCSE) and the Total Mark is 50. Timing 45 Min.

Students are assessed on their understanding of standard spoken Arabic by one or more speakers in a range of public and social settings. Students will respond to multiple-response and short-answer open-response questions based on a recording featuring male and female Arabic speakers. Students must answer all questions in both sections. There is no requirement for students to produce written responses in Arabic.

Section A is set in Arabic. The instructions to students are in Arabic.
Section B is set in English. The instructions to students are in English.

PAPER 2: Speaking in Arabic – Unit code 1AA0/2H (25% of the total GCSE) Total number of marks is 70. Timing 10-12 min plus.

Students are assessed on their ability to communicate and interact effectively through Speaking in Arabic for different purposes and in different settings. There are three tasks, which must be conducted in the following order:

Task 1 – a role play based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson.
Task 2 – questions based on a picture stimulus based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson.
Task 3 – conversation based on two themes. The first theme is based on the topic chosen by the student in advance of the assessment. The second theme is allocated by Pearson.

The assessments are conducted by teachers in one session within a prescribed assessment window, the recordings are then submitted to Pearson for external marking. The focus of speaking unit will be relate to the upper five themes:

PAPER 3: Reading Comprehension – Unit code 1AA0/3H . ( 25% of the total GCSE) Total number of marks is 50.Timing 1 Hour 5 Minutes.

Students are assessed on their understanding of written Arabic across a range of different types of texts, including advertisements, emails, letters, articles and literary texts. Students are required to respond to multiple-response and short-answer questions based on these texts. Students must answer all questions in each of the three sections:

Section A is set in English. The instructions to students are in English.
Section B is set in Arabic. The instructions to students are in Arabic.
Section C includes a translation passage from Arabic into English with instructions in English..

PAPER 4: Writing – Unit code 1AA0/4H . (25% of the total marks) Total marks 60.

Timing 1 Hour 25 minutes.

Students are assessed on their ability to communicate effectively through writing in Arabic for different purposes and audiences. Students are required to produce responses of varying lengths and types to express ideas and opinions in Arabic. The instructions to students are in Arabic. Word counts are specified for each question. Students must answer all questions.

Higher tier – two open-response questions and one translation into Arabic. First one written between 80-90 words and the second one written between 130-150 words.

For all Papers students are not allowed a bilingual dictionary.

IGCSE Arabic

All candidates take Components 1 and 2 and are eligible for the award of grades A* to G.

Candidates will take:

Component 1 – Reading – Weighting 50%
Duration of Examination 2 hours

2. Component 2 – Writing – Weighting 50%
Duration of Examination 2 hours

Description of Papers

The question papers will be set entirely in the target language. Dictionaries may not be used in the examination.

Paper 1: Reading ( 2 hours )

50%

It includes two texts The student has to :

Answer questions of the first text.
The student has to summarise ideas and meanings of both texts approximately ( 200 – 250 ) words.

Paper 2: Writing (2 hours)

50%

Candidates will be required to write two compositions, one from each of the following two sections:

Section 1 – Discussion and Argument. Four argumentative or discursive titles will be set, from which candidates will choose one.
Section 2 – Description and Narration. Four titles will be set (two descriptive and two narrative), from which candidates will choose one.
Candidates will be required to write between 350 and 500 words for each of their answers. 25 marks will be available for each composition.

Ministry Arabic

All Kuwaiti students will follow the syllabus laid down by the Ministry of Education in Kuwait in Years 10 & 11.

This course includes poetry and literature, and the development of oral and written skills in grammar. Reading and composition work also make up a large part of the syllabus.

Requirments of The Subject

An examination at the end of year 11. The examination is taken at a centre nominated by the Ministry.

Note:

Non-Kuwaiti Arabian students can be supplied with resources for Ministry Arabic in Year 12, and arrangements made for the examination to take place at a centre nominated by the Ministry of Education. Please contact the Arabic department for further information.