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Should I take a language for my GCSEs?

I really don't enjoy languages at school, but with me now having to decide for my GCSE options should I take a language? I've heard the Russell group universities prefer aplicants to have a language GCSE but would it hurt if I didn't take one?
It wouldn't hurt, is there anything else you can do? What are your options. If you do decide to do a language make sure it's one you'll stick to and fully understand the language, and not something you're going to forgot in a couple of months. It's nice/good to have but will it be useful in your career?
Depends if you want to live abroad when your older or want to pursue a career which requires language skills because of the actual career or the location of it.
I would say a language would help (I think UCL even require a language pass at grade C), and Russell Group universities say they 'very much value language skills', but there is no requirement. Of course, languages have many practical applications too.
This depends on circumstance, but I would say I enjoyed languages (I took both French and German) much more at GCSE than beforehand. Feel free to ask me any questions about them :smile:
Definitely! My school forced everyone to do at least one language at GCSE- I did french and Italian- and trust me, it's very beneficial and rewarding
One or two of the London Unis say they want a MFL at C or above BUT it u haven't taken MFL GCSE they will just ask u to do some kind of language course once u get there.

The main issue is that MFL GCSEs seem to be far more time consuming than a lot of the other options. Really bad is u dont enjoy the subject or are not good at it.

I got C grade for my Spanish GCSE ( everything else was A or A* ), I doubt that having that GCSE was the deciding factor in the 5 Unis I applied to last year giving me offers.

There ia no need to over think GCSE options. Once u get to the Uni stage of things GCSEs become far less important as long as you have a decent set ( Oxbridge may be an exception) no one is going to reject u on the basis that u have 5 rather then 6 As.

I wish u success in whatever you chose.
Does your school not make at least one modern language mandatory at GCSE? Huh, I thought that was pretty standard.

It's probably worth one of your option slots, yeah. I did German (because one was mandatory, one because I was particularly good at it) and Latin, because I thought the latter would be interesting. It was interesting, but I was terrible at learning vocab and... well, the Latin poetry unit was... painful.
UCL ask for a foreign language GCSE at grade C and above. That's if you plan on going UCL.
Our school force us to. :smile:
Original post by Howtheydidit
I really don't enjoy languages at school, but with me now having to decide for my GCSE options should I take a language? I've heard the Russell group universities prefer aplicants to have a language GCSE but would it hurt if I didn't take one?


You should only take stuff that you enjoy at least a little, otherwise you're unlikely to do well. That being said, if you work hard enough, a language GCSE will likely benefit your memory. All down to you though, and it wouldn't hurt your chances at uni at all really.
Reply 10
Original post by Howtheydidit
I really don't enjoy languages at school, but with me now having to decide for my GCSE options should I take a language? I've heard the Russell group universities prefer aplicants to have a language GCSE but would it hurt if I didn't take one?



Take one because UCL want a grade C or higher at a language GCSE which is weird but how things are

my school make me do two at GCSE :biggrin:
Foreign languages are one of the most important things to learn in life! I think you should do it for sure. If you're not that keen on languages and you don't want a challenge, choose Spanish: it's extremely easy, very similar to English, with simple pronunciation, and being the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world, it's also really useful! A whole new part of the Internet will open up to you! :smile:
I did French, getting an A* yet I don't think it'll make much, if any difference when I apply to university. If I were you and its not a requirement for the course/career path you wish to pursue, I would just choose a different subject you enjoy more :smile:
Original post by Howtheydidit
I really don't enjoy languages at school, but with me now having to decide for my GCSE options should I take a language? I've heard the Russell group universities prefer aplicants to have a language GCSE but would it hurt if I didn't take one?

I'm at the same stage as you picking what I want to do for GCSE I get 3 options as I have Btec and I'm not picking a language and I don't think it would do any harm if you don't take it unless the job you want requires a language.
I hate languages. I'm in year 11 and do french and spanish. But you should do atleast one. There actually pretty easy. I think 60% of it is controlled assessment, if you work hard for it at the time, you can just forget it straight after and that goes towards the final grade. 30% oral (do 2) and 30% writing(do 2).

Good Luck:smile:
If you don't enjoy it, it's probably going to be a drag for another two years.
BUT it is only two years and personally I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Universities like languages and it's just a good skill to fall back on if you apply for an internship.
I loved languages so I am pretty biased really but I think it becomes a lot more independent at GCSE than during KS3, e.g you do have to learn vocab but you get the chance to write mini essays rather than just sentences and it feels quite satisfying. Also, most exam boards don't actually require much writing tbh - mine only asks for one 80 and one 130 word essays which is really little actually


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It honestly depends on whether you are good at languages; as I'm passionate about French, I'm finding the work a doddle and hope to carry on learning it at A-Level (though, judging by the past papers I've seen, I might regret that decision!). Languages are appreciated like humanities, yet what matters the most is whether you will enjoy it - enjoyment of a subject can heavily influence the overall grade that you will get, and you wouldn't be remotely pleased if you failed after putting in a lot of effort!

Still, if you do select a MFL, I'd recommend either French or Spanish (despite not speaking it, I know that it is quite similar to French), though German might float your boat. Don't panic about the listening and speaking elements - everyone in my class feels a bit insecure about speaking out loud in a foreign language, but practise certainly makes perfect!

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