Overview

The ability to speak and understand a Language is a life skill which will benefit you way beyond your academic qualifications and your school days. Learning languages allows for ways of communication which open doors in travel, working abroad in any role, understanding businesses better and being more open to international business .  Your demonstration of skills of learning and application show that you embrace and welcome these opportunities. Most importantly though, learning a language is fun! Here at Bohunt, we follow the AQA syllabus and within that there is a real focus on history and culture behind the languages you will study. Learning about another country helps to widen your thinking, expectations, and future experiences of the world. We are proud of our Language provision at Bohunt and we are lucky to have a range of specialist, skilled teachers who drive that enjoyment of languages forward. All languages share the same skills around listening, speaking, reading, and writing. French and Spanish involve skills of understanding and using European and world- wide languages whilst studying Mandarin offers a particularly special opportunity which is not offered at many schools but here at Bohunt, we have a thriving department. Languages are passport to your future worlds, and we look forward to helping you choose which language/s  to study for your GCSE. 

Topics covered

Assessments

Assessment at GCSE is divided into four skills, with equal weighting given to all 4 skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. There are 2 tiers, a Foundation Tier (grades 1 -5) and a Higher tier (4-9) and students must take all four question papers from the same tier:

• Listening 25% GCSE. Section A has questions and answers in English, Section B questions and answers in the Foreign Language. (Familiar language across a range of contemporary and cultural themes is used.)

• Speaking 25% GCSE. The speaking exam includes a role-play, photo card and general conversation, (which will be audio-recorded.)

• Reading 25% GCSE. Section A has questions and answers in English, Section B questions and answers in the Foreign Language, and also a translation from the Foreign Language into English. (Different types of written language will be used, including relevant personal communication, public information and factual and literary texts.)

•  Writing 25% GCSE. The writing paper includes a variety of writing tasks (including describing information inside a picture, responding to bulletin points that are related to a subject) as well as translation from English into the Foreign Language.

FAQs

How difficult is it to go from KS3 to GCSE level?

• GCSE is quite a jump from KS3, but in order to help students transition we use the first term and a half of year 9 as a bridging unit.  This allows us to practise grammar that was learnt in KS3 and introduce new grammar, as well as blending KS3 and KS4 content in a way that makes it more accessible for the students.  We start the GCSE content in February of year 9, which gives students a lot of time to build their confidence. 

Are there any differences in the structure of the GCSEs across the different languages?

• All of the languages have the same exam structure and content. Students sit one exam for each skill – reading, writing, listening and speaking.  Each paper is worth 25% of their overall grade. We study the follow themes:

  • Theme 1: Identity and Culture

  • Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

  • Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

How likely is my child to get their preferred choice?

• We work very hard to ensure that students receive their first choice.  If for some reason this is not possible, we discuss options with the student.

Are the classes divided by ability? If so how is this determined?

• We aim to provide the best support possible for students at all levels and abilities.  All of our teachers are skilled at teaching mixed ability and mixed-level classes.  We aim to challenge all students while also providing support where necessary. Where numbers allow, we do divide classes with an aim to focus on foundation-tier and higher-tier in years 10 and 11, but often have mixed groups. We look at performance on assessments, target grades and teacher judgment when deciding on a set, in order to provide the right amount of challenge and support. 

Will my child have the same teacher they have had previously?

• It is possible that your student will have a teacher that they have had previously, but we have many different teachers so it is not expected that your student will carry on with their teacher from year 8.  In years 10 and 11 where possible we try to keep the same teacher as much as possible, as the teacher-student relationship tends to help students feel more comfortable in the speaking exam.  

Can my child take two languages? 

• Your child can choose to take two languages at GCSE.  Languages are offered in two option blocks, so students have the option to do a language in option block A and a language in option block D. We have had keen linguists who have studied two languages very successfully in the past, with excellent results at GCSE. 

How should we decide between languages? 

• Students often choose the language they enjoy more or the language they feel more successful with. If you are struggling to choose between your two languages, it might be helpful to speak to your class teachers about your options. We are happy to advise!

Are there any extracurricular clubs that can be taken?

• We often offer lunch clubs for support or further practice for our GCSE students.  A list of all clubs offered will be available in the autumn term. 

At what stage do they start taking mock exams?

• Students take mock exams in year 11.  However, we begin preparing students for the exams much earlier.  The BET exams that students sit in year 9 and 10 have a similar structure to the GCSE paper, and we teach students about the structure of the writing and speaking exams from year 9 and 10 to help prepare them.  Students have even seen questions that reflect the GCSE style in year 7 and 8 so that they feel confident at KS4.

How many mocks will my child undertake?

• Year 11 will undertake 2 sets of mocks, which include the reading, listening and writing papers.  We will also complete one mock for the speaking exam in year 11.  Students will have the opportunity to sit partial speaking mocks in year 10 and will see exam-style questions in year 9.

Will there be an opportunity to visit the country to practice the language?

• In the past we have offered exchanges to China which have been extremely successful, and hope to continue offering these trips in the future. COVID-19 restrictions have limited these opportunities currently - but we hope to re-start as soon as possible.

Is there anything I can do at home to support my child’s learning of the language?

• Absolutely! There are a range of online-learning sites (which you may have become familiar with this term!) that students can use to practice their vocabulary.  Memrise and Quizlet are excellent and we encourage students to use these for revision.  You can encourage your child to practice their language by watching TV/films in the target language (Netflix has the option to change the audio/subtitles for many programmes and films), listening to music or following the news in the target language.

If they choose a language and then change their mind are they able to switch?

• We don’t recommend changing a language once the course has started, as students will miss out on the content. However we do look at cases on an individual basis

How many pupils are in each class at GCSE level?

• This depends on the number of students who choose each language and the timetabling options available. 

Does the school offer Sixth Form course for my child’s chosen language?

• Yes, we currently have Sixth Form cohorts for Mandarin.