Help!

This section is here to help you with any queries that you might have about learning a language at GCSE.

Help! Did I make the right decision?

After just a few lessons of learning a language at GCSE everything may seem a bit confusing and complicated. The lessons might be moving too fast for you and you may feel that you’ve forgotten any language you knew over the long summer holidays...you may feel you want to change subjects. Don’t! Give the lessons a chance to settle down and find its rhythm. All lessons at GCSE level are a step up in pace from what you learnt in years 7-9, and it’s perfectly normal to feel a little lost at the beginning of term. The best thing to do is to not let this get to you - let your teacher or form tutor know that you don’t understand and that you feel you made the wrong decision. Your teacher might be able to help you by going slower in class or explaining things in more detail. It’s best to let your teacher know as others in your class could be feeling the same worries as you. Students always struggle at different times and in different subjects, we should know, but you really should give the class a chance before you make any rash decisions. After a rocky start you may find that this is your best subject that you just absolutely love.

Help! Got any good advice?

If you’re finding yourself in a tongue-twister when speaking, feeling snowed under with accents and homework is driving you mad, check out our top tips for all the 4 key areas - reading, writing, listening and speaking - that are full of great advice for improving your language skills and grades. If revision is getting you down, why not look at our exam preparation sections for the reading, writing, listening and speaking exams, staying motivated, and what next? sections to give you some uplifting inspiration.

Help! Revision ideas?

In a revision rut? No problem! Look no further than here...we have tonnes of advice to help you get ready for the exams. Revision shouldn't be stressful and take up all your time, but it is dead important that you do it. Finding a way to revise that suits your learning style is key to doing well in exams.

Follow our top tips on improving your 4 skill areas to help make revision more fun - you needn’t spend all the time with a head in a book. There are plenty of fun, interactive activities online that you can use to help revise.

Help! I’m worried.

Are your exams coming up soon? Starting to feel a tad nervous? Losing sight of the end result? Stop! breathe! Read this...we all get worried, nervous and stressed before any examination and the language exams are no different. There’s a lot to remember but it needn’t be a struggle. We all managed our GCSE exams and more. This website has plenty of ideas and strategies that we used when feeling anxious just before the exams. Look at the different sections for tips on improving your reading, writing, listening and even speaking skills that’ll hopefully put your mind at ease and make you feel a little more confident with everything.

Help! Does anyone else find learning languages hard?

Yes! Of course they do, but everyone learns things in different ways. You may not be a fan of maths whereas your friend thinks it's the easiest subject ever. The great thing about learning a language is seeing the progress you make in it, you can really see how your knowledge and skills are growing as you start to be able to express yourself more confidently and understand more and more of what your teacher says. Take a look at our different types of learning section to work out how you might learn things best and start using some of the suggestions in your own language learning; they’ll probably make things a whole load easier. Language learning is a challenge, but one with a massive reward.

Help! Is anyone out there? I’m stuck!

We’re here! Don’t feel like your alone when you're learning a language, there’s a whole network of people all over the world who know what you're going through and even though they already know the language you’re learning, they’ve got their own troubles with other languages that they’re learning.

There are lots of forums on the internet that are great for talking through your worries with other students who may feel the same. Also, don’t forget about the support that’s already around you. Your teacher is your first point of call when you feel like there’s something you’re not understanding and if you feel you need a bit more time to get to grips with it, why not see if there are any break time catch-up sessions you could go along to. Never feel like you’re the only one dealing with the problem - you’re most certainly not!

Help! I just don’t get it!

Everyone has felt like this more than once in learning their language so don’t think you’re alone on this one. If you don’t get something, the best thing to do is go back to the start and work through it again. If you’ve still got no idea ask your teacher - they’re there to help you so don’t be afraid to ask, the chances are if you don’t get it someone else doesn’t either, and they’ll be really grateful you were brave enough to ask.

If you’re still not sure, the best thing is to look it up in other books or online as you may just need it explaining in a slightly different way. The internet is full of online learning guides which are topic specific so you can read through some different explanations and try putting it into practice with a game or activity. If you’re still not sure you’ve got it, why not go and see your teacher at a break time one-on-one so you can chat through it just you and them.

Help! I can’t be bothered.

Is your motivation missing? To learn a foreign language well you need to dedicate time and effort to ensure that you remember new words and grammar and improve on your 4 key skills, but this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to spend all your free time learning a language. Little and often is the best strategy for language success. Keeping motivated is really important and it is easy to stay motivated once you know how. Check out our section on tips for staying motivated and how to burst out of those blues. 

Don’t just give up!

Help! My exam is tomorrow morning!

First of all - Don’t panic. Make sure that tonight you are all ready for the exam - so that's find your pens, tissues etc and make sure you get plenty of sleep too. Trying to reduce your stress levels on the morning of the exam is really important - you want to go into the exam feeling confident and fresh.

But doing well in exams is not just about learning the subject, it's also about making sure that you understand the questions and write good answers. So check out the getting through the exam section for hints and tips on what to expect for each exam. This should help calm you down a bit.

This may be a little late now, but with all revision for any subject it is important to start revising early. Cramming the night before isn’t going to work. You just won't remember anything. Hopefully you’ll still have time to get prepared for the next exam.

Help! I find languages boring

Everyone has different interests and we are all good at different things. Some of you may find learning languages fun and a spot of colour among the grey of a normal school day - and others not. It is easy to get confused - we admit, there is a lot to learn! But let us reassure you that languages are great! And there is light at the end of the tunnel. Most of us find things boring when we don't understand something. You should let your teacher know that you are finding learning a language boring; see what they or you can do to make the classes more fun and varied. Make sure to stick at class and do the homework - you may find that one day you learn something that really interests you. Try out some of our hints and tips to liven up learning a language at home. Test your knowledge of foreign languages on our language game, read in disbelief at our shocking language facts or blow your mind away with our fun language facts and myth buster sections. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll read and see just how fun, important and cool languages really are.

Help! How do you study?

Everyone studies in their own way but check out sections on how to study listening, reading, speaking and writing to see different strategies on areas of language learning, then why not try a few out to see which works best for you.

When it comes to revision, your study plan of action can be made better by knowing what type of learner you are. Look at what type of learner are you to see what methods could work best for you.

Help! How do I remember key words/phrases/grammar?

Everyone has different methods that can help them to remember things so this bit is up to you. Once your teacher has taught you a phrase, a tense or some grammar why don't you think of ways that you can easily remember them wherever you are. Try putting what you’ve learnt to a tune that you can sing to, draw pictures that look like the words for inspiration, learn the words whilst playing a sport...the list is endless.

Another great way of remembering them is to surround yourself with them! Check with your parents first of all, but write everything up in lists and stick them up around the places you go often in the house. Use the bathroom mirror and you can revise while brushing your teeth, or on your kitchen cupboard so when you go to open it (probably the chocolate one) you glance and review the words once more. This is great preparation before your exams and enormous satisfaction in taking them all down afterwards!

Help! What’s covered in each exam?

Each exam board is different - there is OCR, AQA and Edexcel - so make sure you know which exam you will be doing. Ask your teacher. But normally the 3 exam boards include similar topics and have similar structure to their exams. You will definitely cover topics on hobbies, holidays, school and work, among many more. You will need to know past, present and future tenses and apply these to each topic you learn. Look through our getting through the exam section for ideas on how the exams are set out. Ask your teacher to find out what you will be included in the exam.

Help! How do I remember it all?

Just like you remember everything else! It sounds simple, but seriously, if you’ve followed our hints and done vocab learning a little and often and revised effectively by splitting up your workload into manageable chunks then it’s already embedded in your brain (although it might not feel like it!) Trust us, in the exam you’ll have a few ‘light-bulb’ moments where awesome phrases and brain waves come to you, and that’s when you know you’ve remembered it all.

Help! How do I fit it all in?

It may feel like you’re fighting a losing battle with all the work you have to do and the actual time you have to do it in, but you’re not. We can quickly sort this out with our revision planner (link to planner). Use this to organise and sort your revision into achievable bitesize pieces. Make sure you pick a time of day that suits you. Not everyone wakes up early on a Saturday morning feeling ready to get up and revise so don’t feel guilty! Decide when you can do your revision and stick to that.

It’s also really important to take regular breaks during revision. Strangely, it’s more effective to do 30 minutes and then take a 10 minute break then it is to work solidly for 2 hours. Don’t forget to write your breaks into your revision planner and set a goal that you want to achieve by the end of each section. This means you’ll have a target to aim for and a way of measuring whether your revision was successful.

Help! I did well, where can I go now?

Your language learning doesn’t have to stop because you’ve done your GCSE or have decided not to go onto sixth form. Like lots of things, you never know when you might need to use your language skills so don’t lose them. Check out our ‘what next’ section to see what other options are open to you to carry on with languages - you won’t regret it.

Help! I can’t concentrate...

Make sure there are no distractions around you, have a quiet area that is nice and tidy so you know that you are able to work. Let your parent/brother/sister/dog know that you’re doing your homework and don’t want to be disturbed (making sure you do actually do your homework!) Take little breaks every 30 minutes and have a drink or walk around, you’ll find it much easier to work if you split it up into manageable chunks.

Help! I don’t have time for my homework...

Socialising and hobbies are extremely important, but so is your homework. Include time for your homework in your daily routine so it feels a normal part of it, not something you have to make specific time for or a chore. By having this window of time every day there’s no reason not to be able to do it. You can even arrange it with your friends to all do it at the same time and then you’ll all be free together afterwards too!

Help! I’ve got too much to do...

Take small steps at a time. When it comes to your homework don't tackle everything all at once, being organised is a life saver as you can sort your homework into what needs doing first. Don’t forget our handy homework planner to help you out.