The low-down on learning a GCSE language

Languages are really important in the world we live in and give you great skills for the rest of your life. The internet has brought everyone much closer together so chatting, blogging and networking with people of different languages from all over the world is dead easy. Imagine all the other people you could communicate with and all the amazing places you could travel to or work at and all because you can speak their language. So log onto the world’s real social network and learn languages at GCSE!

It may seem that everyone speaks English, but in fact 75% of the world’s population don’t. If you enjoy being with people and chatting and joking with them, you’ll enjoy doing this in a foreign language too. Languages at GCSE are fun to learn; they're not just another boring lesson to sit through at school. You listen to songs, watch TV and read comics and books all in a different language.

Why languages at GCSE?:

“Language classes at GCSE are interactive, fun and full of surprises.”

Being able to speak to get by when you go on holiday is just one of the many reasons why you should learn a language at GCSE. Mind you, you don’t even have to go abroad to speak a foreign language. Tourism and the Olympics are just a couple of examples that bring other languages right to our front door.

Have a look through our Year 10 & 11 pages, have a go at the games, read our top 10 reasons to study languages, see what you’ll really study when you take a language at GCSE and what you can do with your language afterwards. 

What are classes like?

Language classes at GCSE are interactive, fun and full of surprises. There are lots of activities to help your listening, reading, speaking and writing and for once your teacher can’t tell you off for talking! One lesson you may be learning a song to help remember some grammar, the next you could be pretending to interview a famous German celebrity; watching a soap opera in Spanish, or writing your horoscope in French. Your progress is really noticeable, soon you'll start talking more, picking up more information in the listening exercises and understanding what you read and all this in a foreign language. You’ll feel so much personal satisfaction learning a language at GCSE and the interactive classes will really boost your confidence. There isn’t anything nerdy or difficult about learning a language; it’s really just a lot of fun.

The assessment

For languages you are marked on four key areas - reading, writing, listening and speaking – these will be important skills to have when you apply for college, university and even a job.

  • The reading and listening exams are short and the best bit is that some answers are only one word long or multiple choice – so there will be no arm cramps from writing lots!
  • The oral assessments really aren’t that scary; you just have to talk!
  • The written assessments is just like any other GCSE subject, you write down what you’ve learnt over the last few years.

What will I study?

A massive range of topics are covered in your language classes, so as well as learning a language you also learn all about the culture and lifestyle of foreign countries; school life, food, travel, sports, famous people, traditions and customs and the list goes on! The four key areas of language learning are: speaking, listening, reading and writing, so your classes will include activities that improve these skills. You might make posters about your

Insider info:

“You don’t just learn how to speak the language, you also learn all about the culture and lifestyle of foreign countries!”

favourite foreign celebrities, sport or pop stars, and then practice what you might say if you ever met them. By learning how to give directions you can point someone in the right direction or get yourself back on track if you ever get lost!

You could listen to music typical of the country or their popular music and try to work out what the lyrics mean-you’ll probably find you already know some of them! There are lots of cool songs to learn to help you remember dates, months, days of the week and even grammar. There are also some great films and TV shows to watch, all while practicing your listening of course!

Oh and the buzz doesn’t stop when the school bell rings, there are tonnes of fun, interactive free games and podcasts online to help you learn your language when at home or out and about. Learning a language will really widen your knowledge and understanding of the world and everyone's place within it and you’ll have a really fun time doing in the process.