Mrs A Adam
Mrs M Raymont
Mrs Hyde
At St Mary's College, high value is placed upon the importance of learning foreign languages. French is compulsory to GCSE, reflecting the Order's French origins, and students also have the option of taking German for ab initio GCSE from Year 10.
Students are given the opportunity to take part in national and international competitions such as the Routes into Languages Spelling Bee and the European Language Olympics. The importance of languages is celebrated on European Day of Languages in September and there is a selection of careers resources available for students who are thinking of taking their language studies beyond GCSE.
ICT is used throughout the Modern Languages curriculum. Students are encouraged to use their language skills independently and creatively to produce a range of resources such as interactive posters, collaborative written tasks and recordings in the target language.
In Years 7 - 9, the emphasis is on acquiring a range of key vocabulary and structures which will form the foundation for further study. Various teaching methods are used to enable students to develop confidence in the four key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Assessment at the end of the Autumn and Summer terms is used to inform planning and identify key areas for further development.
GCSE is taken at the end of Year 11. Students currently study the Edexcel syllabus, which is comprised as follows:
Listening - final exam in May of Year 11 - 20% of qualification
Reading - final exam in May of Year 11 - 20% of qualification
Speaking - Controlled Assessment - 30% of qualification
Writing - Controlled Assessment - 30% of qualification
The demands of Controlled Assessment were changed from 2009 onwards. Pupils complete a number of assessments throughout the two years in both speaking and writing, building up a portfolio of evidence. The spoken assessments are recorded digitally. Towards the end of Year 11, two pieces of spoken assessment and two pieces of written assessment are submitted to the exam board.
Useful websites: the Languagesmc blog is used extensively in class and is the main source of resources. Pupils are expected to use it at home as part of their home study: http://languagesmc.typepad.com
For further information about the exam specification, go to http://www.edexcel.com
More Frequently used sites:
