MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Studying Modern Languages in the Sixth Form is an excellent choice for students who…
- are passionate about people, society, history, culture and the world around them.
- enjoy language and communication.
- might like to consider going to a top university like Oxford or Cambridge.
- would consider future work abroad.
- might want to consider a placement year abroad during their university course.
- might be open to a future career in finance, economics, law, journalism, politics, international relations etc.
- have not quite worked out what to do as their third A Level; language qualifications are highly sought after by global employers.
What Languages do we offer at AS / A Level?
Subject to student numbers, we offer sixth form courses in all 7 of our BGS languages:
A Level (2 years): Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.
AS (1 year): French, German, Spanish
AS Equivalent CEFR (1 year): Italian, Japanese, Russian
What grades do I need?
We recommend students start sixth form courses on a GCSE 7 or above in their chosen MFL. In some cases (for example if the Language is spoken at home) we can internally assess linguistic competency of students and if subject knowledge is equivalent to a GCSE grade 7, we can confidently navigate the sixth form courses with no GCSE certificate.
Will I be able to cope?
On average, 48% of BGS students opting to study a language attained the equivalent of A*-A (2023-2025). Student success at KS5 in MFL is very positive: see our success rate below.
|
IB Grade |
A level equivalent |
Ave. 2023-2025 |
|
7-6 |
A*-A |
48% |
|
7-5 |
A*-B |
73% |
|
7-4 |
A*-C |
98% |
The curriculum content perfectly follows on from the KS4 curriculum and builds on everything students have already experienced at GCSE. As such, the transition from KS4 to KS5 is very smooth and manageable for students.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY MFL QUALIFICATION?
Universities and employers will snap you up with an MFL A Level. Did you know that Oxford University's Modern Languages program has one of the highest acceptance rates of all of its programs (usually between 25 - 33%) and even more students are successful in their application to study MFL at Cambridge University (37% 2023)? An MFL joint honours university degree can lead to an enhanced likelihood of graduate employment: the best subjects to combine with MFLs are: Economics, Business, Law, Politics, International Relations and Philosophy. AS MFL qualifications add to UCAS points and AS Equivalent qualifications make your UCAS application stand out.
WHAT SKILLS WILL I DEVELOP?
In all language courses, students will improve their overall competence in the language and develop a secure grammatical knowledge and usage. They will learn to skim and scan texts. They will learn how to write clearly and express themselves. You will study topics relating to society and history and 1 book and/or film!
At the heart of Modern Language Sixth Form courses is the idea of encouraging an awareness and appreciation of other people, their cultures and perspectives. Our approach encourages students to adopt an international outlook and provide them with a firm basis for further study, work and leisure linked to the language they study and maybe others they choose to study in the future. Studying a modern language post sixteen opens many doors to future opportunities.
What are the exams like?
AS and A Level: The course is examined in four skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Students will take an individual speaking exam in the late Spring of Year 12 (AS) or Year 13 (A level) and sit a comprehension paper (Paper 1) and a written paper (Paper 2) in the Summer.
AS Equivalent CEFR: Students enrol online and complete the necessary exams scheduled by the examining bodies. These exams are designed to test both comprehension and production of language. For more information on these certificates and examinations go to…
What WILL WE STUDY?
Students cover either 2 (AS) or 4 (A level) overarching themes which contain topics relating to society and history. Students also study 1 film (AS) or 1 book and 1 film (A Level).