MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES: FRENCH OR SPANISH

Pupils have a free choice between French and Spanish, or they may choose to study both languages if they wish. French and Spanish will be taught in sets according to ability.

Both courses build on the foundations laid down previously and aim to further pupils’ interest in France or Spain and the French/Spanish-speaking world whilst equipping them with the skills to become effective communicators. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore the language through topics such as leisure, home life, tourism and careers.

The four skill areas – listening (25%), reading (25%), writing (25%) and speaking (25%) are reinforced through these topics. A variety of activities are used in the classroom such as role-plays, visual stimulus and audio material. This gives pupils the freedom to explore topics in greater depth and to personalise their work.

The GCSE examination tests all four skills at the end of Year 11. There is no controlled assessment. Our pupils also have regular contact with our ‘assistantes’ to improve their speaking and listening skills. In these sessions the emphasis is placed on spontaneity, improving confidence and fluency. The course is designed to enable pupils to express themselves comprehensively and confidently on a range of interesting and useful topics and lead on to further language study in the Sixth Form. All pupils are required to study at least one Modern Foreign Language at either Foundation or Higher Level and pupils will receive advice about which level to sit. In instances where the MFL department feels that a pupil may find the continuation of the subject to be potentially inaccessible, the department will liaise with the pupil and their parents to discuss suitability. Decisions about whether a student should continue to study a Modern Foreign Language are made on a case-by-case basis.

NOT SURE WHICH LANGUAGE TO CHOOSE?

In the first instance, speak to your language teachers as they will be able to help to clarify matters. Generally speaking, if a pupil finds it quite easy to learn tenses and vocabulary, we would advise them to choose the language they most want to study for the next two years.

Pupils who find grammar and vocabulary more difficult may be better advised to choose the language which they have been studying the longest.

Sciences

At the end of the two-year course, roughly half of our pupils will sit Triple Science and half will sit Combined Science: Trilogy.

All sciences follow the AQA specification. In these subjects pupils are set according to ability, with roughly half the year group working towards 3 GCSEs in each of biology, chemistry and physics (Triple Science). The other half study for a 2-GCSE qualification in Combined Science: Trilogy. This was formerly known as Dual Award Science. At the end of Year 9 all pupils sit the same science exams, and the results of these are used to guide individuals towards the right courses for them.

All pupils, whichever of the two courses they have followed, are able to continue studying one or more science at A-Level, provided they satisfy the school’s entry requirements for the Sixth Form. It is important to note that success in the sciences at A-Level depends upon how hard a student works in the Sixth Form, and not upon which GCSE science route he/she took.

COMBINED SCIENCE: TRILOGY

Pupils will sit their GCSE Combined Science at the end of Year 11. Although the examination grades obtained will represent their average performance over the three sciences, they are still taught the three sciences separately and sit separate examination papers in biology, chemistry and physics.

The 2-GCSE course Combined Science differs from Triple Science, only in that the content covered is reduced. Most of our pupils enter the Higher Tier examination papers, at which they can gain grades up to a 9. It may turn out that for a few pupils, the Foundation Tier papers are more appropriate, in which a maximum of a grade 5 can be earned. All pupils start by working at the higher tier and decisions about the tier of entry are not made until later in the course.