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 A level? 

Subject to student numbers, we offer courses in all 7 of our BGS languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish.

What grades do I need? 

We recommend students start the course on a GCSE 7 or above. 

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%

What does the course look like?

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 4 topics relating to society and history and 1 book and 1 film!

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.

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? 

The course is examined at the end of Year 13 with four skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Students will take an individual speaking exam in late Spring of Year 13 and sit a comprehension paper (Paper 1) and a written paper (Paper 2) in the Summer. 

What can I do with my MFL A level 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.