GCSE Modern Foreign Languages
Parents Support Evening
Why study languages?
Welcome
• 1. Why a GCSE in a Language?
• 2. How parents and guardians can help.
• 3. Tips and advice for working at home.
Available to purchase tonight or in class
£2.50
£2.50
£6.00
Not everyone likes learning
languages….
BUT they are very useful and necessary for your
child’s future!
The Teachers….
German
Frau Archer
Frau McHugh
Why a Languages GCSE?
• Enjoyment
• Work or travel abroad.
• Language skills are important for many
companies and other organisations.
• Language GCSEs are regarded as a highly
valuable qualification by colleges and
universities.
• University College London, has made a language
GCSE a requirement for admission to all its
courses and others may do the same, but
certainly welcome this qualification.
“For 2012 entry, UCL will require a GCSE Modern
Language at grade C or above for all of its programmes”
Taken from the UCL website this
September (2015)
Foreign language requirement
UCL encourages intercultural awareness in all its students, and
considers experience of learning a foreign language a vital element of
a broad and balanced education. UCL wishes to ensure that all of our
graduates have had some experience of exploring another culture
through language - but we are concerned to ensure that our
admissions requirements do not disadvantage those who did not
undertake language study to GCSE or above at school.
UK students who do not have a GCSE grade C or equivalent in a
foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin)
on admission to UCL will be required to acquire an equivalent level of
language proficiency once they are enrolled with us. This will either be
through study for a specially designed certificate at the UCL Centre for
Languages & International Education (CLIE), or by taking a 0.5 CU
(course-unit) course in a language as part of their degree programme.
What subjects can give me the most options?
Many courses at university level build on knowledge or skills which you will gain while
still at school. Where this is the case, universities need to make sure that all the students
they admit have prepared themselves in the best way to cope with their chosen course.
For this reason, some university courses may require you to have studied a specific
subject prior to entry, others may not. For example, if you have not studied certain
science subjects there will be a number of degree subjects you will be unable to study.
However, there are some subjects that are required more often than others. These
subjects are sometimes referred to as facilitating subjects. Choosing
facilitating subjects therefore leaves open a wide range of courses to you for study at
university.
Subjects that can be viewed as facilitating subjects: Maths and further maths; Physics;
Biology; Chemistry; History; Geography; Modern and classical languages;
English Literature.
You will probably have many other subjects open to you at advanced level but, unlike
the facilitating subjects listed above, they are unlikely to be required for any particular
degree course and so choosing them doesn’t increase your options at university.
Source: http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/faqs#2
It’s a multilingual world…
Test your knowledge - Languages of the European Union
Match the language to the percentage
of its native speakers in the EU
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
English
Nederlands
All others
Español
Nederlands
11%
All others
11%
6%
Italiano
24%
16%
16%
Français
Deutsch
16%
English
The government’s policy:
• 'You should be thinking about studying GCSE English, maths, a
science, a modern or ancient foreign language and a
humanity like history, geography, art or music'. (Former
Education Secretary, Michael Gove).
Sept. 2010
A couple of interesting statistics….
• In 2004 a report by the Michel Thomas
Language Centre in the UK suggested that
speaking a second language could increase an
average worker's salary by £ 3000 a year, or
£145 000 in a lifetime. Further results showed
that 9 out of 10 British companies thought
their businesses could benefit from better
language skills.
Employability: give yourself the edge
This is what a top employer said he is looking for in
a new employee:
• social skills
• ability to work in a team
• communication skills
• problem-solving skills
• confidence
• experience
• open mindedness
• flexibility
Learning languages gives you these skills
Speaking another language makes you stand out
from the crowd
Employability: give yourself the edge
The top employer also said:
• Business is global today
• English is important but not enough
• You need to get noticed overseas
• Foreign languages are vital
He gave some tips on the social side of business:
• Listening is a skill
• Cultural awareness pays off
• Relationships make a difference
• Networking is easier in the local language
Sie verkaufen und ich kaufe, sprechen wir deutsch. Aber Sie kaufen und ich
verkaufe, dann sprechen wir Ihre Sprache.
When you're selling and I'm buying, we speak German. But when you're buying
and I'm selling, then we speak your language.
- attributed to Willi Brandt
Give yourself the edge… they did!
Match the names on the left to the degrees on the right:
J. K. Rowling
Chinese Language and Culture
Author (Harry Potter)
(1990)
Paula Radcliffe
Athlete
European Studies
(1982)
Lucy Liu
Film star
French and German
(1983)
Jonathan Ross
TV and Radio Presenter
Modern European Studies
(1996)
Rory Bremner
Comedian
Greek and Latin
(1999)
Fiona Bruce
Newsreader
French and Classics
(1987)
Chris Martin
Musician (Coldplay)
Medieval and Modern Languages
(1983)
Nigella Lawson
TV Chef
French and Italian
(1986)
How can we help our child with their
language GCSE?
• Access to the Internet (see sheet for
suggested websites – put them as favourites
on your home PC).
• Vocabulary learning – help your child learn
spellings/ memorise words and short phrases.
• Encourage them to watch the news/ things
that talk about current affairs
Internet links….
• www.bbc.co.uk/languages(words, phrases, games – all THREE
languages)
• www.yjc.org.uk(German and Spanish)
• www.languagesonline.org.uk(French, German Spanish)
• http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/home
• www.linguascope.com (school subscription log in details currently:
archies - berlin)
• http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-4665
• http://www.learngermanguide.com/
• http://www.kerboodle.com/users/login (student log on required
from teacher)
• www.memrise.com (create own account – search “archies”)
• Find some more!!!!!!!
http://blogs.transparent.com
/languagenews/2015/09/02/howgoogle-translate-works-andwhy-it-doesnt-measure-up/
The importance of learning a foreign language well…
GCSE Language - Exams
• Listening – End of Year 11 exam = 20%
• Speaking – 2 assessments over the course of Year
10+ 11 = 30%
• Reading – End of Year 11 exam = 20%
• Writing – 2 Assessments over the course of Year 10
Important Dates For Your Diaries
+11 = 30%
Speaking
(controlled
assessment) 30%
November 2015
& July 2016
Writing
(controlled
assessment) 30%
April 2016 &
December 2016
Listening (exam)
20%
May/June 2017
Reading
(exam) 20%
May/June 2017
German
Extra support in school
• Tuesdays after school
• Break and lunchtime by prior arrangement
with your teacher
If your child does not meet their target grade in
the controlled assessments they will be asked
to attend after school to redo the work to the
required standard. This is a requirement across
the school.
Contact us if you would like to know
more….
• Mrs Archer –
earcher@archbishopholgates.org
• Mrs McHugh –
lmchugh@archbishopholgates.org
You live a new life for
every new language you
speak.
If you know only one
language, you live only
once.
The limits of
my language
are the limits of
my universe.
(Ludwig Wittgenstein)
(Czech proverb)
If you talk to a man in a language he
understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that
goes to his heart.
(Nelson Mandela)