Language at A-Level WITHOUT it at GCSE

I just did Italian AS without having done it at GCSE and I found it absolutely fine, easier than German in fact when I had the GCSE of that! :lol:

If you're prepared to learn large amounts of vocab in a comparatively small amount of time then you'll be fine, but tbh in a month or so you'll be up to GCSE standard anyway, or so I found.

Reply 2

Original post by Etoile

I just did Italian AS without having done it at GCSE and I found it absolutely fine, easier than German in fact when I had the GCSE of that! :lol:

If you're prepared to learn large amounts of vocab in a comparatively small amount of time then you'll be fine, but tbh in a month or so you'll be up to GCSE standard anyway, or so I found.

Hey Etoile, I remembered you from my thread :wink:

I didn't know you were studying Italian :redface:

So youre saying, you picked it up in September without ever having studied Italian in your life? and you found the exams oK? :O
Could this possibly be because the Italian paper has easier questions? Fill me in :lol:

Reply 3

Hype en Ecosse

Original post by thatitootoo

Hey Etoile, I remembered you from my thread :wink:

I didn't know you were studying Italian :redface:

So youre saying, you picked it up in September without ever having studied Italian in your life? and you found the exams oK? :O
Could this possibly be because the Italian paper has easier questions? Fill me in :lol:

We do this all the time up in Scotland, it's a very common thing to do. Do a subject at Higher (AS Level) without doing it at Standard Grade (GCSE). I did it with Physics this year, a few friends did it with subjects like Business/Admin, and I know a few that did it with French. It just means that you have to do a little bit more work to learn the bits you missed or picking them up as you go along.

Reply 4

Original post by thatitootoo

Hey Etoile, I remembered you from my thread :wink:

I didn't know you were studying Italian :redface:

So youre saying, you picked it up in September without ever having studied Italian in your life? and you found the exams oK? :O
Could this possibly be because the Italian paper has easier questions? Fill me in :lol:

Hey

Yep, I'm just that mad :lol:

I think it might have been because of the exam board as well - Edexcel seems to do very easy AS languages exams (for the others, I'm with AQA, and while these are still reasonably easy, I didn't sit there for an hour and a half at the end of those two :lol:

). I found I could get the gist of Italian texts pretty much straight away because of the similarity to French.

Reply 5

bestofyou

18

have you got any other knowlegde of a european language (western (romantic))?

If yes, then it will be tough enough however you can adapt.

If not then I am affraid it will be too hard to begin the AS-level from scratch.

What you can do is teach yourself the grammer over summer and build up a reasonable vocabulary.

www.studyspanish.com
for spanish grammer

and

www.livemocha.com
for vocab

I suggest spanish radio and newspapers also once you get the slightest grip on the grammer

Also, check local colleges for summer spanish classes

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

multiplexing-gamer

15

Nothing is impossible if you're prepared to practise

Reply 7

AishaTara

14

Original post by nahim96

Hello,

How hard is a language at A-Level (i.e. French, Spanish, German) without having done it at GCSE?

Thanks :smile:

depends how motivated you are to learn it, and then how much time you spend. Which language do you have in mind?

Reply 8

Original post by Hype en Ecosse

We do this all the time up in Scotland, it's a very common thing to do. Do a subject at Higher (AS Level) without doing it at Standard Grade (GCSE). I did it with Physics this year, a few friends did it with subjects like Business/Admin, and I know a few that did it with French. It just means that you have to do a little bit more work to learn the bits you missed or picking them up as you go along.

Ahh yeah, I'd understand people do in subjects that aren't normally offered at Standard level, and also subject like physics, because I'm sure you would have studied some physics priorly but within a science standard grade qualification or something.. :smile:

but French!? Wouldn't the poeple who do that be at a great disadvantage from the people who have been studting it since they started high school? But it's reasuring to see that it is a done thinggg :tongue:

Original post by Etoile

Hey

Yep, I'm just that mad :lol:

I think it might have been because of the exam board as well - Edexcel seems to do very easy AS languages exams (for the others, I'm with AQA, and while these are still reasonably easy, I didn't sit there for an hour and a half at the end of those two :lol:

). I found I could get the gist of Italian texts pretty much straight away because of the similarity to French.

So if you look at a Edexcel past paper for German, you would find that a piece of cake too? no? :tongue:

Now an hour and a half to spare...that's mad! xD How are the Italian orals for Edexcel? Hmmm I want to learn German..and i'm hoping my knowledge of Dutch would indeed prove to be beneficial because of the similarity :smile:

Reply 9

CallieCat

9

Depends if you know any of the basics or no, I don't think it would be possible without being taught any of it before, unless you spend your summer picking up the basics. I had a year between AS French and GCSE, that was hard enough.

Reply 10

Original post by bestofyou

have you got any other knowlegde of a european language (western (romantic))?

If yes, then it will be tough enough however you can adapt.

If not then I am affraid it will be too hard to begin the AS-level from scratch.

What you can do is teach yourself the grammer over summer and build up a reasonable vocabulary.

www.studyspanish.com
for spanish grammer

and

www.livemocha.com
for vocab

I suggest spanish radio and newspapers also once you get the slightest grip on the grammer

Also, check local colleges for summer spanish classes

This is great advise! Do you have any suggestions for learning German?

Reply 11

Gthreadgold

11

I do Spanish AS and for me, it would have been impossible without doing it at GCSE. This isn't because I learnt a lot at GCSE level, just because it did help with the basics, basics others will have in your class if you do it at AS without the GCSE requirement. Saying that, if you're willing to put a lot, and i mean a lot, of effort in, i'm sure you'll do well! :smile:

Reply 12

Original post by thatitootoo

So if you look at a Edexcel past paper for German, you would find that a piece of cake too? no? :tongue:

Now an hour and a half to spare...that's mad! xD How are the Italian orals for Edexcel? Hmmm I want to learn German..and i'm hoping my knowledge of Dutch would indeed prove to be beneficial because of the similarity :smile:

I'm doing an Italian A2 paper at the moment :colone:

I just looked at the German one and it's ridiculously easy :lolwut:

I was staring at this poster of Capri opposite me so long that it looked like the waves were moving haha. The orals are good because you get to choose your topic! We did youth culture and concern, so that limited it a lot more compared to AQA where you go through all the topics. I think it should, I can often get things in Dutch from German and I'm not native or anything :smile:

Reply 13

Hype en Ecosse

Original post by thatitootoo

Ahh yeah, I'd understand people do in subjects that aren't normally offered at Standard level, and also subject like physics, because I'm sure you would have studied some physics priorly but within a science standard grade qualification or something.. :smile:

but French!? Wouldn't the poeple who do that be at a great disadvantage from the people who have been studting it since they started high school? But it's reasuring to see that it is a done thinggg :tongue:

Nope, the only physics I'd done was as part of KS3 Science. And of course they're at a disadvantage, that's why they have to work harder, or learn faster!

Reply 14

Original post by Etoile

I'm doing an Italian A2 paper at the moment :colone:

I just looked at the German one and it's ridiculously easy :lolwut:

I was staring at this poster of Capri opposite me so long that it looked like the waves were moving haha. The orals are good because you get to choose your topic! We did youth culture and concern, so that limited it a lot more compared to AQA where you go through all the topics. I think it should, I can often get things in Dutch from German and I'm not native or anything :smile:

No sChitt!? I think you just have a special talent for languages or something..: :tongue:

cos that can't be normal :lol:

Hmm depending on how challenging I'm going to find AS level German...I might decide to self teach it as an extra :redface:

Do you find that for Italian your very dependant on a teacher for practising and stuff? :smile:

Reply 15

Original post by Hype en Ecosse

Nope, the only physics I'd done was as part of KS3 Science. And of course they're at a disadvantage, that's why they have to work harder, or learn faster!

Do you have a success story of someone who took French at Higher by any chance? :wink:

Reply 16

The Doggfather

13

I don't think it's worth the effort, you would be so far behind the others in the class you would learn at a much slower pace and fall behind easily if you're not careful. I wouldn't recommend it.

Reply 17

Original post by thatitootoo

No sChitt!? I think you just have a special talent for languages or something..: :tongue:

cos that can't be normal :lol:

Hmm depending on how challenging I'm going to find AS level German...I might decide to self teach it as an extra :redface:

Do you find that for Italian your very dependant on a teacher for practising and stuff? :smile:

So they say... hopefully universities will agree with you :tongue:

Not that dependent no, becaue she's a bit rubbish, but I like reading newspapers and watching RAI news and videos on youtube to make up for/supplement it. I think with self teaching you'd struggle with speaking though, especially accent wise.

Reply 18

Hype en Ecosse