Skip to content ↓

Curriculum Aims   

We aim for every boy 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 

 

Current Year 10

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:

Family

Physical wellbeing

Places in town

Environmental issues

Music

Friends

Mental wellbeing

Shopping

Social media and gaming

TV and film

Relationships

Food and drink

Transport

Future opportunities (e.g. work, travel)

Accomodation

Equality

Sports

The natural world

School

Tourist attractions

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?

Current Year 11

Qualifications

Students study AQA 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.

Following this, reading and listening papers are taken on one day, with the writing paper scheduled on another day.  All papers contain a mixture of short, single mark questions as well as longer questions on each of the themes.

Themes

The specification covers three distinct themes. These themes apply to all four question papers. 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.

Theme 1: Identity and culture covers the following four topics with related sub-topics shown as bullet points:

Topic 1: Me, my family and friends

  • Relationships with family and friends
  • Marriage/partnership

Topic 2: Technology in everyday life

  • Social media Mobile technology

Topic 3: Free-time activities

  • Music
  • Cinema and TV
  • Food and eating out
  • Sport

Topic 4: Customs and festivals in target language country/ communities

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest covers the following four topics with related sub-topics shown as bullet points:

Topic 1: Home, town, neighbourhood and region

Topic 2: Social issues

  • Charity/voluntary work
  • Healthy/unhealthy living

Topic 3: Global issues

  • The environment
  • Poverty/homelessness

Topic 4: Travel and tourism

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment covers the following four topics:

Topic 1: My studies

Topic 2: Life at school/college

Topic 3: Education post-16

Topic 4: Jobs, career choices and ambitions

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.

Subject Guides for Parents and Carers

Languages during Years 7, 8 and 9

You have not allowed cookies and this content may contain cookies.

If you would like to view this content please

German during Years 10 and 11

You have not allowed cookies and this content may contain cookies.

If you would like to view this content please