Contact: Ms S. Wood – Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Miss B Garcia - Head of Spanish
Curriculum Intent
In our department of MFL…
- we make languages accessible to all pupils regardless of their background.
- we aim to develop individuals who will be able to compete in a globalised world.
- we want to give all our pupils the best possible life chances.
- our aim is to develop pupils holistically so they are tolerant to people from other cultures.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum
Our pupils have the option of studying French or Spanish. The GCSE MFL curriculum will extend each pupil’s knowledge of a range of vocabulary and grammar concepts to allow them to use the language independently to confidently express their own ideas and opinions in a foreign language. Pupils will also develop their cultural understanding of the world around them, focusing on French/Spanish speaking countries.
We will focus on the four key skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and use authentic sources where possible to enable pupils to both understand and use the language successfully. We believe that our programme of study will develop confident and passionate linguists, with a desire to use their skills to communicate and explore the wider world.
EXAMINATION STRUCTURE
Exam Board: AQA Syllabus: Spanish (8698), French (8658)
- Paper 1: Listening 25%
- Paper 2: Speaking 25%
- Paper 3: Reading 25%
- Paper 4: Writing 25%
The GCSE is made up of 3 main themes across the four papers:
- Theme 1: Identity and culture.
- Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest.
- Theme 3: Current and future study and employment.
There are 4 skills that are developed and assessed: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Each skill’s assessment encompasses all the topic areas in the course.
Both GCSE French and Spanish have a Foundation Tier (grades 1–5) and a
Higher Tier (grades 4–9). Pupils must take all four question papers at the same tier.
PROGRESSION ROUTES
Pupils can continue to A-Level in a modern language depending on their decision post GCSE. However, if you do not want to continue to this course post-16, colleges, universities and future employers will recognise and value this qualification as it is an Ebacc subject. In addition, those pupils wanting to study other languages post-16 will find them more accessible.
CAREERS
Some of the possible future careers include:
- Media, Publishing, Journalism, Photography, Blogging…
- Translation and Interpreting (in multiple fields of study)
- Tourism and Hospitality
- United Nations, Diplomacy, Government intelligence
- Company Management
- The Entertainment and Sports sector
- Teacher (either in the UK or abroad)
- Armed Forces, the Police, the Civil Service
- And many others! Law, Fashion, Customer Services, Science…
Pupils will also have the opportunity to work in your field of study in a foreign country, for example, a doctor in Latin America, a journalist in France, the possibilities are endless with a second language!