Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano
At Glenalmond a modern foreign language is compulsory until the end of the fifth form. Most pupils study French while many choose to study a second foreign language, starting in the fourth form, when there is the opportunity to start learning either or both German and Spanish. From the third form onwards, French is taught in setted classes, with the top set often taking an early entry GCSE at the end of the fourth form and the Higher exam in the fifth form. Other classes sit their GCSEs at the end of the fifth form. In common with other subjects, pupils sit their AS exams in the Lower Sixth and A2 and Higher exams in the Upper Sixth. Native speakers also sit exams in a variety of other languages, such as Italian, Russian, Greek and Chinese.
All foreign modern languages GCSE courses give most importance to the concept of communication and consist of an equal weighting given to the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The written element is sometimes done as course-work, but all other elements are externally marked. Pupils regularly go on trips abroad, to give them first-hand experience of the target language.
While lower and middle school classes have just one teacher, in the sixth form, all classes are taught by at least two teachers, giving the advantage of different teaching approaches and inter-reactions between pupils and teachers.
French, German and Spanish are studied to "A2" level with the AQA exam board, and the three courses have largely similar components and requirements. The first year of the A2 course also constitutes the AS level course, giving pupils who do not want to take the A level the opportunity to gain an important qualification in a Modern Language. This is considered a very good back-up to A levels of all other groupings. There is no literary element in this exam, but pupils are expected to have a factual knowledge of specified aspects of the countries of the language being studied.
At A2, 80% of the course is devoted to language work; talking, listening, reading and writing in the target language. The remaining 20% is devoted to the study of either literature or a topic of cultural interest: this is the only part of the exam which is usually completed as course-work. All aspects of the three languages are externally marked.
French is studied to the SQA Higher Grade in two years, with pupils sitting the Intermediate 2 exam at the end of the first year. The Highers course is predominantly a language course, but pupils must also study one literary text. There is a terminal exam at the end of the course, but it is a requirement that internally examined assessments are passed for candidates to be given an overall pass at Higher grade.
The teaching and learning of modern foreign languages involves a wide range of approaches. Most teachers use the target language almost exclusively and insist on pupils only talking in this language, to the benefit of oral and listening skills. Pupils listen to cassettes and CD's and watch foreign language televisión broadcasts. Classrooms are linked to a satellite dish, giving pupils the opportunity of watching programmes from different parts of the world: pupils studying Spanish can watch channels from countries as diverse as communist Cuba or catholic Mexico. Pupils often visit cinemas in Dundee and Edinburgh to see foreign language films.
In addition pupils sit differing levels of examinations in Dutch, Chinese, Russian and modern Greek. |
