Curriculum Aims   

We aim for everybody to:

• be able to understand basic spoken communication in the target language;
• be able to respond to pre-prepared questions in the target language;
• be able to understand grammatical concepts;
• be able to understand the differences between the target language country and England;
• know about specific traditions and customs in the target language country;
• be offered the opportunity to engage with the subject outside the classroom.

Curriculum Information 

Qualifications

Students study Edexcel GCSE German or Spanish. Each are a linear course which are assessed by 4 examination papers all taken at the end of the course.

Each of the four skills are tested; listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Students are taught how to skim and scan texts, listen for detail and to respond in writing and speech in the target language.  Alongside this we teach students memorisation and recall techniques.

Summary of Assessment

Each of the four papers is equally weighted, each being worth 25% of the total GCSE grade.

The speaking test is the first to be tested prior to the main exam season in April or May.

All papers contain a mixture of short, single mark questions as well as longer questions on each of the themes.

Themes

The specification covers distinct themes below which apply to all question papers.

• My personal world
• Lifestyle and wellbeing
• My neighbourhood
• Media and technology
• Studying and my future
• Travel and toursim

Within these themes students could be expected to speak and write about the following topics:

Students are expected to understand and provide information and opinions about these themes relating to their own experiences and those of other people, including people in countries/communities where the language is spoken.

Where can I find more details?

Additional Information

The languages department offers a number of local trips and trips abroad which are advertised via the school website.