Pearson Edexcel GCSE Italian Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Pearson Edexcel GCSE Italian is assessed across four skills — Listening (Paper 1), Speaking (Paper 2), Reading (Paper 3), and Writing (Paper 4) — at Foundation and Higher tiers. With 255 resources, the archive spans the current 9-1 specification and legacy unitised papers (Units 1–4), and includes authentic listening MP3 recordings of native Italian speakers. Paper 1 — Listening — is available in standard and extra time (25% additional) versions at both Foundation and Higher tiers. Students listen to recordings of native Italian speakers at natural conversational speed and respond to questions in both Italian and English. Tracked recordings are also included in this archive, useful for detailed vocabulary and pronunciation analysis during preparation. Paper 2 — Speaking — is a teacher-conducted oral examination of 7–9 minutes at Foundation and 10–12 minutes at Higher. It includes a role play, a photo card discussion, and a general conversation on two specification themes. Speaking mark schemes are included. Paper 3 — Reading — lasts 45 minutes at Foundation (50 marks) and 1 hour at Higher (60 marks). Texts include authentic Italian sources — from social media and adverts through to longer articles and literary extracts — with questions answered in both Italian and English, alongside a translation from Italian to English. Paper 4 — Writing — is 1 hour at Foundation (50 marks) and 1 hour 20 minutes at Higher (60 marks). Tasks include a structured message, an extended composition, and a translation from English to Italian. Accuracy, range of vocabulary, and grammatical complexity are all rewarded, especially at Higher tier. The specification covers three themes: Identity and Culture, Local, National, International and Global Areas of Interest, and Current and Future Study and Employment.