KS4 French and Spanish – Years 9 – 11
Examination Board: AQA

At Perryfields Academy, students start the GCSE AQA course in Year 9. Curriculum time:

Year 9 French and Spanish – 4 hours over 2 weeks
Year 10 French and Spanish – 5 hours over 2 weeks
Year 11 French and Spanish – 5 hours over 2 weeks

Subject aims and learning objectives

The aims and objectives of this qualification are to enable students to:

• Develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken;
• Develop language learning skills enabling them to develop their ability to communicate confidently and coherently with native speakers in speech and writing, conveying what they want to say with increasing accuracy;
• Listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed;
• Deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts;
• Acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to authentic spoken and written material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, including literary texts;

Themes and topics

Questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, addressing a range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes. They are organised into 3 themes:

• Identity and culture
• Local, national, international and global areas of interest
• Current and future study and employment.

Assessments

The GCSE qualification requires students to complete assessments in each of the four skill areas:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Exams

Foundation Tier: Grades 1-5
Higher Tier: Grades 4-9
N.B. Students must take all four question papers at the same tier.

This qualification is linear which means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.

If students have studied French/Spanish at Key Stage 3, they already know some of the vocabulary and grammar needed at GCSE. They are half way there!

If students enjoy communicating with other people, finding out how language works and learning about different countries and cultures, studying GCSE French/Spanish is an excellent choice for them. Achievement in Modern Languages is highly regarded in Further and Higher Education and in all areas of work. Many employers look for people who can speak a foreign language. Add an international dimension to your choice of GCSE subjects. After GCSE you can continue to study A level if you wish.

Native Speakers

Students who are native speakers of Polish have the opportunity to study for a Polish GCSE, as part of an extra-curricular programme.

Increasingly, we have more and more students who have specific language learning needs. This can either be that they are native speakers of French and Spanish or that they speak a language over and above those offered at Perryfields such as Chinese and Italian. Wherever possible we will aim to accommodate their needs, within their school curriculum, allowing them to advance their skills and achieve an extra GCSE in that specific language.