Subject: French/German/Spanish
Head of Department: Mrs V Vick
Qualification: GCSE
Examination Board: WJEC
Course Content:
The context for learning the language is organised under three broad themes:
Identity and culture
Wales and the World - areas of interest
Current and future study and employment
Each broad theme is divided into sub-themes including technology and social media, holidays and tourism and employment.
How will you learn:
The study of a modern foreign language will broaden your horizons, develop cultural
knowledge and understanding and foster transferable skills such as confidence, communication, problem solving and creativity.
A GCSE in a modern foreign language will also provide you with a solid foundation for future language study.
How you will be assessed:
There are four assessments at GCSE which can be taken at either Foundation or Higher Tier. Each assessment is worth 25% of the qualification.
A combination of tiers can be taken.
Unit 1 is an oral test with three tasks (role play, photo card discussion and a conversation).
Unit 2 is a listening exam (written) lasting 35 or 45 minutes, depending on the tier. The exam will involve responding to different types of spoken language including conversations, interviews and
announcements. Some of the responses will be in the assessed language.
Unit 3 is a reading exam (written) lasting 1 hour or 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the tier. The exam will involve responding to different types of written language including advertisements, newspaper
articles, emails and letters. There is also a short translation from the assessed language into English/Welsh.
Unit 4 is a writing exam (written) lasting 1 hour 15 minutes (Foundation Tier) and 1 hour 30 minutes (Higher Tier). This will involve writing three pieces of text for Foundation Tier, for example completing
a form, writing an email or a message and writing an article for a magazine. The fourth task will be a translation of sentences from English/Welsh into the assessed language. At Higher Tier, the exam will involve two tasks such as writing an article for a magazine and a website. The third task will be a translation of a short passage from English/Welsh into the assessed language.
Job ideas:
Studying a modern foreign language can lead to many different careers that directly require the use of languages such as translating, interpreting and teaching, but can also open the door to an array of career paths such as journalism, international aid/development work, marketing, sales and logistics.
For further information see: Mrs V Vick
Why should I choose this subject?
Creative Arts and Culture
Humanities & Languages