Modern Languages

What will be taught?

The course aims to: 

• develop understanding of the spoken and written forms of the modern foreign language in a range of contexts

• develop the ability to communicate effectively in the modern foreign language, through both the spoken and written word, using a range of vocabulary and structures

• develop knowledge and understanding of the grammar of the modern foreign language, and the ability to apply it

• apply their knowledge and understanding in a variety of relevant contexts which reflect their previous learning and maturity

• develop knowledge and understanding of countries and communities where the modern foreign language is spoken

• develop positive attitudes to modern foreign language learning

• provide a suitable foundation for further study and/or practical use of the modern foreign language.

 

How will it be taught?

The way the languages are taught will continue to reflect the need to develop practical communication with pupils being encouraged to listen and read attentively and speak and write accurately.  Each of the topics studied will give opportunities for pupils to listen to as much of the foreign language as possible, not only from cassette recordings but also from videos and computer software compatible with the courses studied.  Pupils will be given the experience of reading a wide variety of authentic foreign language texts and writing only the sort of language tasks that they may realistically need to use to negotiate such situations as seeking a job abroad or reporting the theft or loss of an item whilst on holiday abroad.  The pupil will finally be taught how to speak the language in certain well-defined contexts that are thoroughly realistic.   This includes being shown how to build up a personal profile of such things as the pupil’s family, home area and interests and learning how to cope with such “real-life” survival situations as those mentioned above.  As the pupil’s experience grows the emphasis will move towards the expression in both speaking and writing of the pupil’s opinion on the experiences studied. Pupils will have regular access to IT. facilities and will be encouraged to participate in the School Exchanges.

 

How will it be examined?

All Modem Language pupils will finish their course by taking the WJEC GCSE examination.   The exam consists of 3 papers (Listening, Speaking, Reading) and Writing coursework - each comprising 25% of the final total.  Candidates may be entered at one of two levels-Higher Tier or Foundation Tier in each paper.  The Higher Tier enables a pupil to gain grades D to A* and the Foundation Tier grades G to A depending on the combination entered.  The policy will continue to be to enter almost all pupils for the Higher Tier of papers.  Entry for this Tier will depend upon the pupil demonstrating that they have a realistic chance of gaining above a D grade in the Mock Examination in November of the 5th Year.  Higher Tier pupils will have a Listening Paper that lasts 40 minutes, a 10-12 minute Speaking Test, and a Reading Paper of 50 minutes.  There will be a small minority who will benefit by being entered for the Foundation Tier, and their Listening, Speaking and Reading papers will be 30, 10 and 30 minutes respectively.  For Coursework, each candidate is required to submit 5 pieces of written work by the end of the Easter term in the 5th Form.  These will be approximately 100 words each in length.

Further information about specific features of GCSE French, German and Spanish follows. 

 

GCSE French

French is taught for two double periods in both the Fourth and Fifth years. Pupils are, where possible, set by ability and their progress is reviewed every half term to see if they are in the appropriate group. The course book used is “Francoscope” until the final term of the Fifth Year when a full revision programme is undertaken which includes regular examination practice.

Over the course of the two years “Francoscope” introduces the range of topics examination syllabus demands. The pupils will already be familiar with many of the topics such as how to discuss family life, school life, holidays and the area in which they live but now they are required to read about and listen to young French speaking people talking about their experiences of these topics. The course places a growing demand on the pupil to learn to cope with “real-life” situations in the French speaking country such as not only finding your way around in France, doing the shopping or booking into a hotel but also learning how to extricate yourself from difficult situations such as when you are ill, have lost something or have things stolen in a French speaking country. To gain the highest grade pupils must learn how to offer opinions and explain their reactions to a variety of topical issues, and much work is done in the Fifth Form to build the pupil’s confidence in these vital areas.

Pupils will be encouraged to participate in the School French Exchange to Brittany. Not only does this prove to be a valuable cultural experience and a real insight into the French way of life and world-view but it also has a marked effect on the student’s language proficiency and confidence.

 

GCSE German

German is taught for two double periods in both the Fourth and Fifth Years.  Pupils are, where possible, set by ability and their progress is reviewed every half term to see if they are in the appropriate group.  The course book used is “Logo 4” until the latter half of the Fifth Year when a full revision programme is undertaken including examination practice.  Over the course of the two years “Logo 4” introduces the range of topics demanded by the examination syllabus.  The pupils will already be familiar with many of the topics such as how to discuss family life, school life, holidays and the area in which they live but now they are required to read about and listen to young, German-speaking people talking about experiences of these topics.  The course places a growing demand on a pupil to learn to deal with “real-life” situations in the German speaking country such as not only finding your around in Germany, doing the shopping or booking into a hotel but also learning to extricate yourself from difficult situations such as when you are ill, have lost something or have had things stolen in a German speaking country. There is emphasis placed in the syllabus on ecological and environmental issues seen from the German perspective and this emphasis is clearly reflected in “Logo 4”.  To gain the highest grades pupils must learn how to offer opinions and explain their reactions to issues.  Much work is done in the fifth year, therefore, to build the student’s confidence in these vital areas.

Pupils will be encouraged to participate in the School German Exchange to Hanover.  Not only does this prove to be a valuable cultural experience and a real insight into the German way of life and world- view but it also has a marked effect on the students’ language proficiency and confidence.

 

GCSE Spanish

Spanish will be taught for two double periods in both the Fourth and Fifth Years.  The course book used is “Espanol a la Vista” until the latter half of the 5th year when a full revision programme is undertaken including examination practice in the final term.

Over the course of the two years pupils will be introduced to the range of topics the examination syllabus demands, including how to discuss family life, school life, holidays and the area in which they live.  They are required to read about and listen to young Spanish speaking people talking about their experiences of these topics.  The course places a growing demand on a pupil to learn to cope with ‘real-life’ situations in the Spanish speaking country.  These involve not only finding your way around in Spain, doing the shopping or booking into a hotel but also learning how to extricate yourself from difficult situations such as when you have lost something or have had things stolen in a Spanish speaking country.  There is also emphasis on ecological and environmental issues seen from the Spanish perspective.  To gain the highest grades pupils must learn how to offer opinions and explain their reactions to such issues.  Much work is done in the Fifth Year, therefore, to build the pupil’s confidence in these vital areas.

In view of the fact that this is an ab-initio course to GCSE in two years, pupils will be strongly encouraged to participate in the School Spanish Trip.  Not only does this prove to be a valuable cultural experience and a real insight into the Spanish way of life but also it has a marked effect on a student’s language proficiency and confidence.