A Level Modern Foreign Languages

The Advanced course provides a natural progression from a GCSE in French/Spanish or German. Studying a foreign language at Advanced Level is one of the most useful qualifications that you can choose and will be a very marketable skill for prospective employers. It will also make your travel abroad in the future more interesting and enjoyable. You will continue to develop the four main language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. You will also learn more about how the language works, so that you can manipulate the language to express your own ideas.

The AS course covers these topics:

Media: TV, advertising and communication technology
Popular culture: cinema, music and fashion trends
Healthy Lifestyle: sport/exercise, health and well-being and holidays
Family & relationships: relationships within the family, friendship and marriage/partnerships.

The A2 course covers these topics:

Environment: pollution, energy and protecting the planet
Multi-cultural society: immigration, integration and racism.
Contemporary social issues
Cultural Topics

We recommend that students achieve a Grade B at GCSE in the language chosen.

Assessment

At AS there will be two examinations: one will assess the skills of listening, reading and writing. The other will assess the skill of speaking. This pattern is repeated at A2.

Former students have enjoyed the course. They have commented that our course is very well-structured, so that they were able to make progress. They have also felt that their teachers knew their strengths and weaknesses well, so that they felt well-supported and able to build upon success at GCSE.

The Future

An Advanced Level in a foreign language is relevant to so many careers that it is impossible to list them all here. The list below is just a sample of the career opportunities enhanced with a qualification in a foreign language:

Sales & Marketing, Travel & Tourism, International Banking, Management Consultancy, The Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service, Accountancy, Translating & Interpreting, working for an international organisation, working for a charity or aid agency, Secretarial & Administrative work.

You can progress to study a language at university. Most universities also offer joint or combined degree programmes where you can study a language with another subject, for example with Business Studies, Economics, English or Law.

Study of a foreign language at Advanced Level will allow you to develop practical language skills that you can exploit later in life. These skills will also show prospective employers that you have good general communication skills. The cultural topics that you will study will give you an awareness and understanding of the cultural and social background of France/Spain or Germany. In this global world this will give you a broader outlook on life today.

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