Vocabulary — AQA GCSE Modern Hebrew
Verified courseTeaching note checked against the official specification.
Vocabulary explained
Vocabulary covers 5 specification points, including The minimum core vocabulary lists are… and The assessment tasks at Foundation Tier will….
Read the full explanation
Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
The minimum core vocabulary lists are primarily intended as a guide for teachers to assist in the planning of schemes of work.
This row explains the status of the minimum core vocabulary lists. They are primarily a guide for teachers, and their main purpose is to assist in the planning of schemes of work. They are not a script for lessons, not a test syllabus to be ticked off item by item, and not a promise that only listed words will appear. For a student, the practical reading is that the lists show the kind of vocabulary a scheme of work should build across the course, so vocabulary should be learned in topics and reused in speaking and writing rather than memorised as an isolated checklist. Teachers use the lists when sequencing topics, choosing texts and designing tasks; students benefit when that planned vocabulary is recycled regularly in meaningful communication.
The assessment tasks at Foundation Tier will require students to understand and respond to common or familiar words and/or forms of words that are not on the vocabulary list.
This guidance explains how Foundation Tier assessment treats vocabulary beyond the published list. The tasks will require you to understand and respond to words, and to forms of words, that are not on the vocabulary list, provided those items are common or familiar. So the list is a core, not a ceiling: examiners may use everyday Hebrew you have met in class or in daily life. When you meet an unfamiliar item, use the surrounding words, the topic and the sentence pattern to work out meaning, then check that your answer fits the task. For example, if a short notice contains one unknown noun but the rest of the sentence is familiar, infer the noun from context rather than stopping. Learn to recognise familiar roots with changed endings, because a listed word may appear in an unlisted form.
The assessment tasks at Higher Tier will require students to understand and respond to words and/or forms of words that are not on the vocabulary list and which are less common or familiar than those used in relation to Foundation Tier assessments.
This guidance explains how Higher Tier assessment treats vocabulary beyond the published list. The tasks will require you to understand and respond to words, and to forms of words, that are not on the vocabulary list, and these items will be less common or familiar than the unlisted vocabulary used in Foundation Tier assessments. The list therefore supports but does not limit the paper: Higher Tier texts may include lower-frequency everyday Hebrew and less familiar forms. Build a wider reading vocabulary and stronger inference strategies. When you meet an unfamiliar item, use the surrounding words, the topic, word-building patterns and the sentence structure to deduce meaning, then check your answer fits the task. For example, if a passage contains an unlisted abstract noun, use the familiar verb or adjective nearby to work out its sense.
Vocabulary listed under a particular theme should be considered transferable, as appropriate, to the other themes.
This guidance tells you how to read the AQA GCSE Modern Hebrew vocabulary list. Words are grouped under themes for convenience, but the grouping is not a fence. A word you meet under one theme can be reused wherever it fits naturally, provided the meaning and register suit the new context. For example, a food word listed under one theme may also serve a conversation about health, celebrations or daily routine. When you revise, learn each item with its meaning, gender and plural, then ask where else it could appear. Build your own cross-theme examples so the word becomes flexible rather than tied to one topic. The phrase 'as appropriate' matters: transfer only when the word genuinely fits the new theme and task.
Students will be expected to be familiar with feminine forms of nouns/adjectives where these are not given.
In Modern Hebrew, nouns and adjectives carry gender, and the vocabulary list does not always print the feminine form. You are expected to work it out yourself. Many feminine nouns and adjectives end in the suffix ה (for example, a masculine adjective ending in a consonant often gains ה in the feminine), though some nouns are feminine without that ending and some words are irregular. When you meet a listed masculine form, ask what its feminine counterpart is, check the plural pattern, and note any vowel changes. For example, if the list gives a masculine adjective, practise producing the feminine singular and then the matching plural. Learn each item with its gender, feminine form and plural so you can use it accurately in speaking and writing tasks.
Your focus
- State the primary purpose of the minimum core vocabulary lists.
- Explain how the lists assist teachers in planning schemes of work.
- Use the lists as a topic-based coverage check while learning vocabulary for active use.
Show all 15 objectives
- Identify common or familiar unlisted words and word forms in Foundation Tier texts.
- Infer meaning from surrounding familiar vocabulary, topic and sentence pattern.
- Respond accurately to tasks containing unlisted common or familiar vocabulary.
- Recognise less common or familiar unlisted words and word forms in Higher Tier texts.
- Deduce meaning using context, roots, patterns and sentence structure.
- Respond accurately to Higher Tier tasks containing unlisted less familiar vocabulary.
- Explain that vocabulary listed under one theme may be transferred to other themes when appropriate.
- Record each new word with meaning, gender and plural so it can be reused flexibly.
- Create and justify cross-theme example sentences that use listed vocabulary accurately.
- State the gender of listed nouns and adjectives and supply the feminine form where it is not given.
- Apply the common feminine ending correctly while recognising irregular feminines.
- Use feminine nouns and adjectives with accurate agreement in short written and spoken Hebrew.
Vocabulary exam tips
Marking Points
- Recognise that Modern Hebrew nouns and adjectives have grammatical gender, and that the vocabulary list may give only one form.
- Apply the common feminine ending ה to suitable masculine adjectives and nouns, while noting that not all feminines follow this pattern.
- Identify feminine nouns that do not end in ה and treat them as feminine for agreement purposes.
- Produce the correct feminine form of a listed adjective and use it with a feminine noun so that agreement is accurate.
- Record gender, feminine form and plural for each new item rather than memorising a single form.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Organise vocabulary revision by topic rather than alphabetically, so words are stored with the contexts in which they are used.
- 💡Recycle new words in your own sentences when you practise speaking and writing; recognition alone is weaker than active use.
- 💡Use the core vocabulary as a coverage check after each topic: identify gaps and revisit them in the next revision cycle.
- 💡Read the whole sentence or short text before deciding what an unlisted word means, because the familiar words usually narrow the possibilities.
- 💡Practise spotting familiar roots inside unfamiliar forms, then say the meaning aloud in English to check it fits the context.
- 💡When a task asks you to respond, make sure your answer uses the meaning you inferred and matches the required language of response.
- 💡Read widely in Hebrew beyond the core list so that less common words and forms feel manageable in the exam.
- 💡When an item is unfamiliar, break it into root and pattern, then test your deduced meaning against the whole sentence before answering.
- 💡Answer in the language and format the task requires, using the meaning you have inferred rather than repeating the Hebrew word.
- 💡When you meet a new list word, write one sentence that places it in a different theme from the one where it is listed.
- 💡Keep a personal vocabulary notebook with columns for meaning, gender, plural and a cross-theme example sentence.
- 💡In speaking and writing practice, deliberately reuse words from earlier themes so transfer becomes automatic.
- 💡Check the fit of a transferred word against the task context before using it, rather than forcing it in.
- 💡When you meet a new listed word, immediately write its gender, feminine form and plural in your vocabulary book.
- 💡In writing tasks, check every adjective against the gender and number of the noun it describes before finishing.
- 💡Practise converting masculine adjectives to feminine and plural forms aloud to build automatic recall.
- 💡Flag irregular items separately so you do not over-apply the common feminine ending.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the minimum core vocabulary lists as an exact exam word list. Correction: they are primarily a guide for teachers to assist in planning schemes of work, not a guarantee of the only words that can appear.
- Learning the lists as an isolated checklist without using the words. Correction: the lists support planning of schemes of work, so vocabulary needs to be recycled in speaking, listening, reading and writing tasks.
- Assuming the lists replace the scheme of work. Correction: they assist planning; the scheme of work still decides sequencing, topics and tasks.
- Ignoring the lists because they are 'only for teachers'. Correction: they indicate the core vocabulary a planned course should build, so students can use them to check coverage by topic.
- Believing that only words printed on the vocabulary list can appear in Foundation Tier tasks. Correction: the tasks will also require understanding of common or familiar words and forms of words that are not listed, so prepare to infer meaning from context.
- Treating an unlisted word as impossible to answer and leaving the item blank. Correction: use the familiar words around it, the topic and the sentence pattern to reach a sensible meaning before answering.
- Assuming an unlisted form of a known word is a completely new word. Correction: identify the familiar root or base and adjust your understanding for the ending or pattern used in that sentence.
- Assuming Higher Tier unlisted vocabulary is at the same familiarity level as Foundation Tier unlisted vocabulary. Correction: Higher Tier tasks use words and forms that are less common or familiar, so widen your reading beyond core everyday items.
- Giving up on an unlisted word instead of using word-building patterns and context. Correction: analyse the root, pattern and surrounding familiar words to deduce a plausible meaning.
- Learning only the vocabulary list and ignoring less familiar forms of listed words. Correction: practise recognising how known roots appear in less familiar forms, since tasks may require understanding of those forms.
- Treating each theme as a closed list and refusing to reuse a word outside the theme where it was first met. Correction: a listed word may be transferred to another theme when the meaning and context fit.
- Assuming transferable means every word fits every theme. Correction: transfer only 'as appropriate', so check that the word suits the new topic and register.
- Learning a noun without its gender or plural because it appeared under only one theme. Correction: record gender and plural from the start, since the word may be needed in another theme.
- Revising by theme order only and never mixing items. Correction: deliberately combine words from different themes in your own sentences.
- Assuming every feminine noun or adjective ends in ה. Correction: some feminines have no such ending, so learn the gender of each item.
- Using a masculine adjective with a feminine noun. Correction: match the adjective to the noun's gender, for example using the feminine form of the adjective.
- Inventing a feminine form by adding ה to an irregular word. Correction: check irregular items and learn their actual feminine form.
- Ignoring plural patterns when learning gender. Correction: learn singular masculine, singular feminine and plural together.