GCSE Languages

OP

Original post by CatInTheCorner

Hi! I personally did french GCSE, which I got a 9 in. However, despite me not speaking french, my relatives are french, so whenever I needed help at home I had someone who knew the language. I suppose this makes my opinion on the difficulty therefore unimportant since I effectively had a tutor.
I would recommend a language. A language at GCSE is often wanted, my school required me to do one so I had no choice. I wont lie and say it was a good class, learning languages at school is not the most fun of things, but it's manageable.
A tip I would give, learn tenses first and foremost - they will literally void your answer if you do not use the right tense, and learn set phrases with good grammar in them (you can ask your teacher to write them for you) and then just parrot them in the speaking and put them down on the writing. Then if you panic in the speaking, you say a beautifully constructed phrase about your favourite author, not "umm." like I always did (oops.)
Also, know the quirks of each language. German is hard to pronounce, french is confusing, Spanish is hard to decipher (imho). I would hesitate to do an art, if I can give unwanted advice. Everyone who did an art who did not want to do the A-level regretted it. It takes a lot of your time. If you're doing an art and a language GCSE time will be more heavy.
Then again, you know yourself well. What language are you considering? What are your other options? Are you leaning towards double or triple science? It's good to consider the overall picture of the GCSEs. Good Luck! :smile:

Thanks for all that advice. I'm thinking of doing French as it's what I have done since primary and I'm still doing it now so I would have better knowlege of it than German or Spanish. My other possible options will be: Double science,Graphics,geography and media studies or sociology.

Reply 5

OP

Original post by stag16

Doing a language and a humanities also means that you've got an ebacc award which is an impressive thing to have!

Yeah I was thinking of doing an ebacc. Cause I'm also doing a humanity (geography)

Reply 6

OP

Original post by redmeercat

On one hand, GCSE languages have a reputation for being hard. However, this is because they're a skill rather than a list of things to learn, meaning that you can't just cran then at the end. I would 100% recommend taking one, not least because they're a useful real-world skill even at GCSE level, but I'd also recommend buying/ borrowing a cgp workbook and doing exercises in that and learning vocab from day 1 so that your life gets easier closer to exams! The more practice you do, the better you get. Even 10 Quizlet works per week would put you at such an advantage!

Thanks for all that advice. I think I will definitely make sure I get a CGP book if I do a gcse language

Reply 7

username4867806

Original post by stag16

Doing a language and a humanities also means that you've got an ebacc award which is an impressive thing to have!

Just so you know, the Ebacc isn't actually something the student gets, but rather a measure for schools. You don't get an "Ebacc certificate" at the end.

Reply 8

username4867806

I would definitely recommend doing a language. It's just a good skill to have. It requires a lot of work, but I would say it is worth it. (I did GCSE German in 2018 and got a 7).

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 9

OP

Original post by Treetop321

I would definitely recommend doing a language. It's just a good skill to have. It requires a lot of work, but I would say it is worth it. (I did GCSE German in 2018 and got a 7)

Thanks for the advice

Reply 10

username4953776

16

Original post by Eaterwheat

Would you recomend a language for gcse or not.
Is it really hard?
Any advice would be helpful!

I'm doing GCSE German yh at my sckl which is not common but its easy if u use like duolingo and others like memrise to help u with ur vocab

Reply 11

username4942066

Some of the top unis specify that you need to have that. I’m saying that even tho I’m planning on only taken Latin rather than a MFL

Reply 12

username4867806

Original post by spacegirl3

Some of the top unis specify that you need to have that. I’m saying that even tho I’m planning on only taken Latin rather than a MFL

Isn't it only UCL that has a MFL requirement and if you don't have it, all you need to do is take extra language modules?

Reply 13

username4942066

Original post by Treetop321

Isn't it only UCL that has a MFL requirement and if you don't have it, all you need to do is take extra language modules?

Yh. But I’m considering UCL and I don’t really want to take extra languages.

Reply 14

CatInTheCorner

19

Original post by Eaterwheat

Thanks for all that advice. I'm thinking of doing French as it's what I have done since primary and I'm still doing it now so I would have better knowlege of it than German or Spanish. My other possible options will be: Double science,Graphics,geography and media studies or sociology.

Good idea to stick to what you know. GCSEs aren't really the time to try new things so it's a smart decision to go with something you have a foundation with. My school does not offer graphics, media studies or sociology so I can't speak much on those, but I know geography is quite heavy due to the large amount of case studies. Good luck with your exams in two years :smile:

Reply 15

kath1809

9

Original post by Eaterwheat

Would you recomend a language for gcse or not.
Is it really hard?
Any advice would be helpful!

Hey!
Looks like you've had some really useful replies here.
Personally, I did French for a GCSE - I only started learning the language in year 7. None of my family knew any French so my only source of knowledge came from independent research or my lessons. I managed to get a 9 in my GCSE!
The key is to learn as you go - try lots of different vocab quiz websites. Our school used quizlet, vocab express, active learn and many more. You can always ask your teachers what they can offer you and what resources are available and of course in the absence of any websites, you can make materials yourself with revision cards and keep practicing.
I highly recommend taking a language. Not only did I enjoy it with no past experience or native family members, it's something that you can use all the time even if you don't wish to pursue it further than GCSE. Beyond just verbs and tenses you can learn a lot about culture and your own language too, it really helps you pay attention to grammar across the board! A lot of universities also look on languages highly - that's probably more concerning A-Level but having the skills taken to complete a language at GCSE says a lot about your character and is good for the CV/personal statement in any sense.
Languages are good assets to you as long as you stick at it and treat it like you'd treat any other subject because they can teach you so many more skills than just 'speaking french'

Reply 16

OP