Latin

Salve! Welcome to Latin in the Sixth Form at CHS

I am Liz Meehan, Head of the Classics Department, and I would like to welcome you to the Latin page of the website.

In the VI Form we complete the OCR A Level qualification and build on the knowledge and skills that you have already developed in the GCSE course in both language and literature, as well as exploring further the endlessly fascinating world of the Roman Republic and Empire.

Latin A Level allows you the opportunity to study three subjects in one: language, literature and history, and helps you to acquire the wide array of skills that those three fields foster.

What will I study?

Language

Lower Sixth

In Lower Sixth you will finish learning the rules of grammar and syntax that make up the Latin language. By the end of the year you will have expanded your vocabulary beyond GCSE, and will be equipped to tackle the largely unadapted works of a range of Roman authors : real Latin, written by and for real Romans. We use a variety of resources, but largely follow 'The Latin Language'.

Upper Sixth

With the rules of Latin mastered, your Upper Sixth year is spent reading widely. You will study the works of Livy and Ovid in particular detail, as the unseen passages will be taken from these two authors. Livy's ab urbe condita is a compelling history of Rome from its foundation, and Ovid's poetry was so scandalous that it led to his exile from Rome! You will learn to translate and analyse advanced verse and prose passages.

2. Literature

Over the course of the A Level you will study four set texts from some of the greatest Roman authors:

Cicero (L6)

Pro Caelio

A defence speech widely regarded as the greatest example of Roman oratory. Cicero defends his client, Caelius, against a range of charges including assault, attempted poisoning and murder. The tactics he uses would not hold up to a modern day courtroom's standards, but the rhetorical skill is undeniable.

Tacitus (U6)

Annals XIV

Tacitus describes the increasing cruelty of Emperor Nero towards his mother Agrippina and his eventually successful plots to have her murdered. The horrors of imperial rule are fully brought to life by Tacitus who explore the psychology of power politics with perception and insight.

Virgil (L6 & U6)

Aeneid II

In this flashback from Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas recounts the experiences of the Trojans during the final day and night of the Trojan War, as they innocently led the Wooden Horse into their city and the chaos that then unfolded. Aeneas escapes with an unwanted and unasked for destiny.

Why study a Classical Language? A guide from OCR

What co-curricular or leadership opportunities are available in the Classics Department?

Compete in the annual Latin and Greek Reading Competition.
Recent trips have been to Rome and the Bay of Naples... hopefully Greece will be next.
An annual Classics trip to the British Museum
Support or run Classics Club for Y7 as they hold Roman dinner parties, direct their own Greek plays and design Greek vases.
Teach Beginners' Latin using 'Minimus' in the Junior School
Attend local Classics lecture and competitions.
Classics Society was created in 2020 by A Level students who wished to share their interests in aspects of the classical world not covered by lessons - it is a great opportunity to share ideas and develop your presentation skills.

OCR Exam Specification

Are there any GCSE requirements?

You need to have taken Latin GCSE, and have secured a high GCSE grade (ideally 7-9) to take this course.

What are the exams like at A Level?

Half language, half literature.

You will take two language papers:

Unseen Translation - 1 hour 45 minutes. Translate a passage of prose taken from Livy and a short passage of verse taken from any of Ovid's works.
Comprehension - 1 hour 15 minutes. Comprehension questions, including some grammar analysis of an unseen author. This is like Section A of the GCSE Language paper.

And two literature papers, one prose and one verse. Both are 2 hours and the format is as follows:

Context question based on L6th text, including comprehension questions, translation and an analysis of the stylistic features.
The same style of questions for the U6th text
An essay based on the whole text, including a section that you have studied in translation. This allows you to gain a much greater understanding of the work as a whole.

The questions are very much a development of the type you have mastered for GCSE, so you will be extremely confident in the expectations for each type of answer.

If you would like to see examples of the papers, see the OCR website for the Specimen Assessment Materials.

Is there a lot to learn?

Just like at GCSE you need to be familiar with a large range of Latin vocabulary and grammar.

But the good news is you have made an amazing start to this learning by taking GCSE Latin! We also start this process as soon as you begin in Lower Sixth, so by the time you come to the exams in the Summer of Upper Sixth, there is not much left to cover.

There are four set texts to cover over the two years, though, so it is really important to have good strategies for learning the set text. We regularly review the L6th texts in the second year of the course, and students have found that if it is learnt well the first time round, it doesn't take much time to refresh your knowledge.

What is the point of studying a 'dead' language?

We prefer the term 'immortal'...

The skills developed by learning Latin are applicable to an incredibly broad array of careers and undergraduate degrees. Studying literature teaches skills of analysis and evaluation as well as compassion and empathy, the historical content promotes objectivity and perspective, and learning the language encourages logic, order, discipline, structure, and precision. In other words, this subject will train your brain and teach you how to think. And that is why it is so highly valued by both admissions departments and employers:

Perhaps the single most important quality for a senior executive is the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly. I can think of no better way to learn these skills than by the study of Classics.

Sir Anthony Cleaver, former Chair of IBM

What Classics has always done is just teach people how to think.

Richard Dawkins

To find out more, this video is an excellent argument for the value of Latin.

What careers can studying Latin lead to?

The most prominent areas of employment for Classicists are:

finance, banking, insurance, accountancy, programming
marketing
management, civil service, administration, law
the arts, journalism, publishing
museums, libraries

But the skills you will develop in this subject are applicable to most careers and valued by all employers.

Follow us on Twitter @CHSClassicists to find out more about studying a classical subject.

The Classics Team

Miss Liz Meehan | elizabethmeehan@chschool.co.uk
Mrs Lisa Barfoot
Dr Sarah Brooks

Please contact our Head of Department if you have any further questions.

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