GCSE Modern Foreign Languages

Parents Support Evening

Why study languages?

Welcome

• 1. Why a GCSE in a Language?

• 2. How parents and guardians can help.

• 3. Tips and advice for working at home.

Available to purchase tonight or in class

£2.50 £2.50 £6.00

Not everyone likes learning languages….

BUT they are very useful and necessary for your child’s future!

The Teachers….

German

Frau Archer Frau McHugh

Why a Languages GCSE?• Enjoyment• Work or travel abroad.• Language skills are important for many companies

and other organisations.• Language GCSEs are regarded as a highly valuable

qualification by colleges and universities. • University College London, has made a language

GCSE a requirement for admission to all its courses and others may do the same, but certainly welcome this qualification.

“For 2012 entry, UCL will require a GCSE Modern Language at grade C or above for all of its programmes”

Taken from the UCL website this September (2015)

Foreign language requirementUCL encourages intercultural awareness in all its students, and considers experience of learning a foreign language a vital element of a broad and balanced education. UCL wishes to ensure that all of our graduates have had some experience of exploring another culture through language - but we are concerned to ensure that our admissions requirements do not disadvantage those who did not undertake language study to GCSE or above at school.

UK students who do not have a GCSE grade C or equivalent in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) on admission to UCL will be required to acquire an equivalent level of language proficiency once they are enrolled with us. This will either be through study for a specially designed certificate at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE), or by taking a 0.5 CU (course-unit) course in a language as part of their degree programme.

What subjects can give me the most options?

Many courses at university level build on knowledge or skills which you will gain while still at school. Where this is the case, universities need to make sure that all the students they admit have prepared themselves in the best way to cope with their chosen course. For this reason, some university courses may require you to have studied a specific subject prior to entry, others may not. For example, if you have not studied certain science subjects there will be a number of degree subjects you will be unable to study. However, there are some subjects that are required more often than others. These subjects are sometimes referred to as facilitating subjects. Choosing facilitating subjects therefore leaves open a wide range of courses to you for study at university.

Subjects that can be viewed as facilitating subjects: Maths and further maths; Physics; Biology; Chemistry; History; Geography; Modern and classical languages; English Literature.

You will probably have many other subjects open to you at advanced level but, unlike the facilitating subjects listed above, they are unlikely to be required for any particular degree course and so choosing them doesn’t increase your options at university.

Source: http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/faqs#2

It’s a multilingual world…Test your knowledge - Languages of the European Union

Match the language to the percentage of its native speakers in the EU

24%

16%16%

16%

11%11%6%

FrançaisDeutsch

EspañolEnglish

Italiano

NederlandsAll others

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

English

All othersEspañol

Nederlands

The government’s policy:

• 'You should be thinking about studying GCSE English, maths, a science, a modern or ancient foreign language and a humanity like history, geography, art or music'. (Former Education Secretary, Michael Gove).

Sept. 2010

A couple of interesting statistics….

• In 2004 a report by the Michel Thomas Language Centre in the UK suggested that speaking a second language could increase an average worker's salary by £ 3000 a year, or £145 000 in a lifetime. Further results showed that 9 out of 10 British companies thought their businesses could benefit from better language skills.

Employability: give yourself the edgeThis is what a top employer said he is looking for in a new employee:• social skills• ability to work in a team• communication skills • problem-solving skills• confidence• experience• open mindedness• flexibility

Learning languages gives you these skillsSpeaking another language makes you stand out from the crowd

Employability: give yourself the edgeThe top employer also said:• Business is global today• English is important but not enough• You need to get noticed overseas• Foreign languages are vitalHe gave some tips on the social side of business:• Listening is a skill• Cultural awareness pays off• Relationships make a difference• Networking is easier in the local language

Sie verkaufen und ich kaufe, sprechen wir deutsch. Aber Sie kaufen und ich verkaufe, dann sprechen wir Ihre Sprache.When you're selling and I'm buying, we speak German. But when you're buying and I'm selling, then we speak your language.- attributed to Willi Brandt

Give yourself the edge… they did!Match the names on the left to the degrees on the right:J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Lucy LiuFilm star

Jonathan RossTV and Radio PresenterRory Bremner Comedian

Fiona BruceNewsreader

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)European Studies(1982)

French and German(1983)

Modern European Studies(1996)

Greek and Latin(1999)

French and Classics(1987)

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)French and Italian(1986)

J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

French and Classics(1987)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Modern European Studies(1996)

Lucy LiuFilm star

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)

Jonathan RossTV and Radio Presenter

European Studies(1982)

Rory Bremner Comedian

French and German(1983)

Fiona BruceNewsreader

French and Italian(1986)

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Greek and Latin(1999)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)

How can we help our child with their language GCSE?

• Access to the Internet (see sheet for suggested websites – put them as favourites on your home PC).

• Vocabulary learning – help your child learn spellings/ memorise words and short phrases.

• Encourage them to watch the news/ things that talk about current affairs

Internet links….• www.bbc.co.uk/languages(words, phrases, games – all THREE

languages)• www.yjc.org.uk(German and Spanish)• www.languagesonline.org.uk(French, German Spanish)• http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/home• www.linguascope.com (school subscription log in details currently:

archies - berlin)• http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-4665• http://www.learngermanguide.com/• http://www.kerboodle.com/users/login (student log on required

from teacher)• www.memrise.com (create own account – search “archies”)• Find some more!!!!!!!

http://blogs.transparent.com/language-news/2015/09/02/how-google-translate-works-and-why-it-doesnt-measure-up/

The importance of learning a foreign language well…

GCSE Language - Exams • Listening – End of Year 11 exam = 20%• Speaking – 2 assessments over the course of Year

10+ 11 = 30%• Reading – End of Year 11 exam = 20%• Writing – 2 Assessments over the course of Year 10

+11 = 30%

German

Speaking (controlled

assessment) 30%

Writing (controlled

assessment) 30%

Listening (exam) 20%

Reading

(exam) 20%

November 2015 & July 2016

April 2016 & December 2016

May/June 2017

May/June 2017

Important Dates For Your Diaries

Extra support in school• Tuesdays after school

• Break and lunchtime by prior arrangement with your teacher

If your child does not meet their target grade in the controlled assessments they will be asked to attend after school to redo the work to the required standard. This is a requirement across the school.

Contact us if you would like to know more….

• Mrs Archer –earcher@archbishopholgates.org

• Mrs McHugh –lmchugh@archbishopholgates.org

You live a new life for every new language you speak.If you know only one language, you live only once.(Czech proverb)

You live a new life for every new language you speak.If you know only one language, you live only once.(Czech proverb)

The limits of my language are the limits of my universe.(Ludwig Wittgenstein)

The limits of my language are the limits of my universe.(Ludwig Wittgenstein)

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.(Nelson Mandela)

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.(Nelson Mandela)