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Is taking two foreign languages at A Level too much?

I'm currently deciding on which A Levels to take and I cannot decide on either French or German, I want to take both but I've been told it's a lot of work and can get confusing, anyone take two? Is it that bad? Thanks :smile:

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Reply 1

twilight-imagine

I took two languages at A Level and find that they complement each other a lot, particular because the actual content is exactly the same for both - so the topics like cinema, immigration, holidays, all of their facts and ideas are in both languages, theoretically cutting your work down by about 1/4 or so.

However, there are many people who start off with a language knowing full well that they're going to drop it at the end of Year 12 - perhaps an idea could be to do both to AS, then see if you can handle 2 for the full A level? Then it's more flexible for you as a student. :smile:

Reply 2

TheMeister

It depends how rigorous the courses are. I wouldn't think it'd be that difficult, though you would have to take extra precautions 'round the speaking exam season.

I do Spanish by the way.

Reply 3

xmarilynx

You're lucky to have the opportunity - I'd have loved to have been able to do another language A Level! As with anything, it shouldn't be too much work if you put your mind to it, particularly if you enjoy/are good at languages :smile:

Reply 4

Copacetic

If you have an aptitude for languages then do it. If you got A/A* in GCSE for those languages I wouldn't think it would be too much of a problem for you. Go with your instinct and what you enjoy.

Reply 5

oodalallyoodalally

I did french and spanish last year and dropped french this year because my grade wasn't what I wanted. Languages require far more work than any other subject and you can easily get dissapointing marks. Half my french class got Us and most of my spanish class got Ds and Cs. The marking seems a little bizarre tbh. I'm chilean and I speak fluent spanish yet only got a B at AS and a french girl in my class got a D in french and she lived in france til she was 11.
Do both if you love languages and you want study them at uni but be prepared to work hard for low grades.

Reply 6

SaveItForTheMorning

I study French and German and have no problems, like twilight-imagine has already said, studying two has actually in some ways given me less work because most of the ideas and concepts are the same. The hardest thing with languages for me is the fact that I have to have an opinion on a lot of topics that I'm not particularly knowledgeable about or interested in. By studying two languages at A level it means that I will study a topic (immigration for example) and form an opinion in my first language, and then use that same view or opinion in my second language but just change the language which I am using to express that view.
I don't find that French and German are confusing really as they're quite different. Obviously every now and again you will muddle your words a bit but that happens in your mother tongue too!
When speaking exams come around I just make sure I'm organised.
I have a place on a 3 language degree course next year :biggrin:

Obviously this all me personally, if you like the subjects then go for it. It is a lot of work but then all A levels are a lot of work if you're aiming to work to the best of your ability! :smile:

Reply 7

Bezzler

Lots of people do two at degree level, so two at A level shouldn't be more challenging than that. It depends - if you're good at languages, then go for it. I considered it, but decided against it, only because I wanted a more diverse range of A levels and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. If you're considering doing languages at uni, definitely go for it.

Reply 8

wer343lit

I know people who did it and got very high As. If you're good at languages, you should be fine.

Reply 9

Copacetic

oodalallyoodalally

I'm chilean and I speak fluent spanish yet only got a B at AS and a french girl in my class got a D in french and she lived in france til she was 11.

Your teachers must be absolutely hopeless. There is no way a native speaker should get anything less than an A if they are aware of the nature of the course and actually try :s-smilie:

Reply 10

oodalallyoodalally

Copacetic

Your teachers must be absolutely hopeless. There is no way a native speaker should get anything less than an A if they are aware of the nature of the course and actually try :s-smilie:

Well our re-marks came back the same so I'm going to resit but we did try, honest. I read a tonne of spanish books and tried to stop using chilean grammar and vocabulary in exams. Oh well. I think the teachers are fine because the previous year everybody got good grades but then they changed the syllabi. Perhaps they weren't used to teaching it.
Before you commit to anything find out what most students get in your school.

Reply 11

lovers in japan

I took French and German for A level, and didn't find it to be a hindrance doing them both simultaneously (also studied English Lit, and Chinese on the side in preparation for uni), go for it :biggrin:

Reply 12

marzipan_yum

I do French and Spanish, which are similar to the point where it does get confusing, but I would've thought French and German would be easier to separate? As for workload, the topics are the same, so it's just confusion that gets in the way. Difficulty depends sooo much on the person...I was an absolute dick last year, totally disorganised and did no work, got a C in History but managed 2 high As in French and Spanish. Give it a go!

Reply 13

gillybean26

I'm doing French, German AND Spanish at A Level, and I don't find them confusing at all! It might be because I do Spanish out of school with a tutor, but I find that French and Spanish really complement each other. German is a lot more work, but definitely worth it. For example I applied to Oxford for Spanish and beginner's Russian; they're specifying I obtain As in Spanish and German (which is strange, because I'm not applying for German) and one on French or Maths. So if you're considering studying another, grammatically challenging language at university, they will like to see German there.

But of course if you're not thinking about a degree in languages, then it really is up to you, whether you think you'll enjoy it! :smile:

Reply 14

kjc_us

Not at all. I did French, German and Latin for A2 and it was fine. And now at uni instead of Latin I do Italian. And it's still fine. You won't get confused between French and German because they're completely different. Go for it! :smile:

Reply 15

tulipfleur

I have a friend who does both French and Spanish for A-level and she gets on fine. She does love languages though and spends a lot of her spare time studying those languages as a hobby.

I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have much of an interest in it because you will have to dedicate a lot of your time, but if it's something you are passionate about then go for it.

Good luck!

x

Reply 16

Deutsch_Beth

I do both French and German.
Get muddled occasionally true, and sometimes you'll find yourself searching for a word in French and the German equivalent can pop into your head, which can be annoying.
Otherwise it makes it easier I think, doing the 2 languages, as as others have pointed out the courses are the same, so often you end up doing similar work in both languages, meaning the second time round it will be that much easier as you've already developed your thoughts on this subject and written essay plans ect.
Oh yeah, essays are an issue, as you have twice as many to do lol, but if you were planning on taking English or Ethics or whatever instead this will make little difference to your work load.

Stands you in good stead if you're applying for a language degree as well (I believe, tho obvs you can still get on a language degree easily with just the one language). Also means you can do a 3 language degree, if you want to continue both French and German and start another one from scratch.

Reply 17

Alika186

I do French and Spanish (and beginners Italian).

For me, there isn't too much of a problem (less of a problem than there was at AS!). Ofc, I do sometimes add the odd Spanish word when I'm speaking French, or write something French when I'm writing in Spanish. However, I do loooove studying more than one language at A-Level.

Reply 18

Jellybean15

I only do French, and there is soooo much work! However, I still wish I'd done Spanish to-because all the work you put in really pays off!

Reply 19

MathsHamster

My friend took Maths, Further Maths, French and German at AS, and got good marks I think.

Somebody on TSR (Livi) took French, German, Latin and Ancient Greek (I think, it was definitely two modern and two ancient. Try searching for him and sending him a PM.