Latin

EXAM BOARD: EDEXCEL

Entry requirements:

Minimum Grade 6 or equivalent in Latin GCSE.

Head of department:

Judith Rice (+photo)

Every time you get a bus or spot an ambulance or pram, use a credit card or debit card or follow somebody’s example, see the doctor etc …. you are using Latin. It’s there in everyday language: far from dead, it’s very much alive.

Latin was the language of one of the world’s most extensive, powerful and long-lasting empires. After the fall of the Roman Empire it became the language of learning and of the Christian Church, used in the corridors of power and as the language of faith for centuries. It also changed, gradually becoming the modern Romance languages we are so familiar with today: Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Romanian. Through these languages it influenced English. People who study Latin find it helps with their English grammar, vocabulary and spelling; it gives an insight into modern languages; it helps with scientific terminology and stretches the mind with puzzles and poetry. Above all, it gets you to the heart of the Roman and medieval mind. With Latin, you can read ancient and medieval literature in their original. Latin A level enables you to study the language to a high level and to read some of the world’s greatest literature in the language in which it was written.

Assessment

At the end of the second year of study there will be four papers.

Paper 1 – Unseen translation

This paper requires students to translate a passage of unseen narrative prose and a passage of unseen poetry in English, and to scan two lines of Latin verse. The prose passage will come from the historian Livy and the poetry from Ovid, so we will prepare for the examination by reading extracts from their work.

Paper 2 – Prose Composition or Comprehension

For this paper, students are given a choice: they can either translate unseen material from English into Latin or demonstrate their understanding of a passage of unseen prose text through comprehension, translation and grammatical questions.

Paper 2 – Prose Literature

You will study two set texts in depth, and will read some other work in translation to help with contextualisation. Questions will include translation, comprehension, and analysis and we will spend time on analytical and essay-writing technique. Cicero, Tactus and Livy are the authors available for study from 2020.

Paper 2 – Verse Literature

You will study two set texts in depth, and will read some other work in translation to help with contextualisation. Questions will include translation, comprehension, and analysis and we will spend time on analytical and essay-writing technique. Virgil, Catullus and Ovid are the poets available for study from 2020.