Modern Foreign Languages
Our languages teachers are proud of the consistently high levels of achievement our students accomplish.
Key Stage 3
In Years 7, students study French for one and a half terms and Spanish for the remaining one and a half terms. Some will start with French and some with Spanish. In years 8 and 9, students continue to study French and the majority also continue with Spanish. They receive a minimum of 4 languages lessons per fortnight, with those taking two languages receiving 8 lessons. We aim to provide all students a thorough grounding in all four skill areas: listening, reading, speaking and writing and develop their appreciation of the cultures and customs of French and/or Spanish speaking countries.
GCSE
Students can opt to study either French and/or Spanish at GCSE following the AQA course. As some universities require students to have a language GCSE at grade C or above, those intending to carry on into Higher Education are encouraged to continue with at least one language to give them access to all courses available in their chosen field.
The languages courses cover 4 topic areas:
* Lifestyle including Health and Relationships & Choices
* Leisure including Freetime & Media and Holidays
* Home and Environment including Home & Local area and Environment
* Work and Education including School/College & Future Plans and Current & Future Jobs
Assessment of the GCSE includes both controlled assessment in speaking and writing and end of course examinations in listening and reading.
CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT - Students submit two speaking assessments and two written assessments each accounting for 30% of the final mark. More controlled assessments will be taken in each skill and the best two will be submitted. For each assessment, students will be given a task in class and will then have up to six hours to prepare before the assessment. This preparation time will be divided between school and home.
Speaking Assessments: Each assessment consists of a 4-6 minute dialogue between the student and teacher.
Written assessments: Each assessment will be between 150 and 400 words long, depending on target grade, written entirely in the foreign language. Dictionaries and pre-prepared plans may be used. Students are given one single lesson, up to an hour in length, to complete the assessment.
EXAMINATION - Students sit two examinations at the end of the course in year 11, one in listening and one in reading. Each exam accounts for 20% of the final mark.
AGT PROVISION: Able, Gifted and Talented students are invited to take part in the weekly German Club which aims to teach students the basics to get by in the language and to learn about Germany’s customs and culture.