Does your child speak a language other than English at home? They may wish to take an exam in their heritage language.
As guidance, here are some of the questions we are frequently asked:
Furthermore, the earlier a GCSE Language exam is taken, the less likely it is to be valued in future UCAS applications on the grounds that it is a qualification in the heritage language. It is therefore recommended that the student sits the GCSE exam either in Year 9 or 10. (In the case of A Level exams, these are normally disregarded in UCAS applications unless taken in Upper 6.)
The next step is for the individual Curriculum Leader of the Language concerned to ascertain the linguistic level of the student. They may be very competent orally but not have had much practice in writing in their mother tongue.
Guidance will be offered and the student might be recommended for the exam, the timing of which will depend on their level of fluency and their ability to cope with the examination techniques required. In the case of A Level exams, the topics can be challenging and of an adult nature.
There would need to be the ability to read and analyse articles in unadapted native language and to carry out a high level of research independently. Having received guidance from the Languages department, you should send an application form (available from the Exams Office or online) to the Curriculum Leader for Modern Languages.
Please note that, where an early entry is made for a student who is not taking the subject within the curriculum, we do not provide tuition in preparation, though some feedback on mock oral assessments can be arranged.
Students can study Mandarin Chinese as part of the curriculum which leads to a GCSE. The board we use is Pearson or Cambridge Assessment. If your child is a heritage learner and it is not suitable for them to opt for Chinese in lessons, we recommend either the Cambridge Assessment IGCSE Chinese as a foreign language, or depending upon their linguistic competency, they could consider CIE IGCSE Chinese as a second language. Both these exams are 100% final assessment. An oral examiner will be arranged at an additional cost.
There is the option to sit A level Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) for native speakers in the sixth form. They should approach the Curriculum Leader of Mandarin to discuss. Upon their approval, students may be entered, however they should ensure they prepare themselves independently for the exam and we are satisfied with the arrangements. An oral examiner will be arranged at an additional cost.
IGCSE Cambridge Assessment French, German & Spanish: www.cie.org.uk
GCSE Pearson Russian: qualifications.pearson.com
For early entry only: IGCSE CIE Italian, Chinese as a foreign language, Chinese as a second language www.cie.org.uk, GCSE Edexcel Japanese qualifications.pearson.com.
A level Edexcel French, Italian, Russian & Spanish: qualifications.pearson.com
A level AQA German: aqa.org.uk