languages at a level

i am considering doing two languages (german and spanish) for a-level since i think that i want to do a modern languages degree. however, i'm a bit daunted by the idea of doing two. any suggestions? i'm really stuck

Reply 1

n47h4n

3

How much experience do you have with these languages? Any qualifications? If so, what grades?

Reply 2

hanalei24

OP

7

Original post by n47h4n

How much experience do you have with these languages? Any qualifications? If so, what grades?

i'm currently studying german and spanish for gcses and im predicted 9s in both. i also have lots of experience w languages having grown up speaking french and english. i'm really passionate about languages but idk if two for a level is a smart choice

Reply 3

imclx

10

hiya!! i'm in year 13 and doing both a level spanish and german and have applied to do languages at uni! if you love languages, take both! i won't lie and say they're easy but if you take subjects you enjoy it makes it a lot easier to motivate yourself to study and do extra. doing both has given me so many amazing opportunities already and i am SO glad i chose them (alongside english language). i'm happy to explain more about them if you need but don't feel daunted by doing two, it does ultimately make you a much stronger linguist!

Reply 4

hanalei24

OP

7

Original post by imclx

hiya!! i'm in year 13 and doing both a level spanish and german and have applied to do languages at uni! if you love languages, take both! i won't lie and say they're easy but if you take subjects you enjoy it makes it a lot easier to motivate yourself to study and do extra. doing both has given me so many amazing opportunities already and i am SO glad i chose them (alongside english language). i'm happy to explain more about them if you need but don't feel daunted by doing two, it does ultimately make you a much stronger linguist!

omg hey! this has definitely restored my faith in taking two languages. i just want to ask, did you find it difficult taking three essay subjects? Because i heard that a-level languages are like english literature.

Reply 5

NathanL

13

Doing two languages for A-levels sounds like a challenge, but if you're eyeing a modern languages degree, it could pay off big time. I'd say go for it, but be ready for some extra workload. Maybe talk to current students or teachers for insights.

Reply 6

hanalei24

OP

7

Original post by NathanL

Doing two languages for A-levels sounds like a challenge, but if you're eyeing a modern languages degree, it could pay off big time. I'd say go for it, but be ready for some extra workload. Maybe talk to current students or teachers for insights.

i am thinking of a modern languages degree but i'm unsure about where the best place to go is and do i need to take a separate degree if i want to be a translator? i'm sorry i'm not very informed about this sort of thing 😅

Reply 7

imclx

10

Original post by hanalei24

omg hey! this has definitely restored my faith in taking two languages. i just want to ask, did you find it difficult taking three essay subjects? Because i heard that a-level languages are like english literature.

the essays are only a small part of the a level (two for each language, both worth 10%). i find doing three essay based subjects perfectly fine, but i do like essays and loved lit at gcse so i don't know if that changes my opinion. don't let the essays put you off languages at a level though as the other aspects of the course hold more weight and your essays are not expected to be of the same standard as one you would write for english. aqa recommend around 300-400 words for the essay which is not much at all, and i find myself writing way more than this even just getting my ideas down!

Reply 8

aloukos

1

Original post by hanalei24

i am considering doing two languages (german and spanish) for a-level since i think that i want to do a modern languages degree. however, i'm a bit daunted by the idea of doing two. any suggestions? i'm really stuck

As long as you really enjoy both, I would say do it. I do MML at Cambridge and I took both French and Spanish, and I had no iissues with workload.

Reply 9

hanalei24

OP

7

Original post by imclx

the essays are only a small part of the a level (two for each language, both worth 10%). i find doing three essay based subjects perfectly fine, but i do like essays and loved lit at gcse so i don't know if that changes my opinion. don't let the essays put you off languages at a level though as the other aspects of the course hold more weight and your essays are not expected to be of the same standard as one you would write for english. aqa recommend around 300-400 words for the essay which is not much at all, and i find myself writing way more than this even just getting my ideas down!

oh okay thank you, i was getting a bit worried haha

Reply 10

hanalei24

OP

7

Original post by aloukos

As long as you really enjoy both, I would say do it. I do MML at Cambridge and I took both French and Spanish, and I had no iissues with workload.

oh ok. i was considering Cambridge as an option (or more of a dream) but i wasn't really sure how it works. is there a chance that you could explain a bit more about what the course is like? do you get to choose another language to learn?

Reply 11

Tim C Ellis

3

Original post by imclx

the essays are only a small part of the a level (two for each language, both worth 10%). i find doing three essay based subjects perfectly fine, but i do like essays and loved lit at gcse so i don't know if that changes my opinion. don't let the essays put you off languages at a level though as the other aspects of the course hold more weight and your essays are not expected to be of the same standard as one you would write for english. aqa recommend around 300-400 words for the essay which is not much at all, and i find myself writing way more than this even just getting my ideas down!

Other than Oxbridge, which Universities are good for studying Spanish or German?

Reply 12

Bekahthegap

4

Original post by hanalei24

i am considering doing two languages (german and spanish) for a-level since i think that i want to do a modern languages degree. however, i'm a bit daunted by the idea of doing two. any suggestions? i'm really stuck

Hi, I did 2 languages for A-level (French and Spanish) and I would just say that if you’re truly passionate and commuted about languages then you shouldn’t have a problem.
That isn’t to say that it won’t be challenging at times (A-levels are always challenging, no matter if you like them or not) but the fact that you enjoy them makes getting through the challenges easier.

Reply 13

Bekahthegap

4

Original post by Bekahthegap

Hi, I did 2 languages for A-level (French and Spanish) and I would just say that if you’re truly passionate and commuted about languages then you shouldn’t have a problem.
That isn’t to say that it won’t be challenging at times (A-levels are always challenging, no matter if you like them or not) but the fact that you enjoy them makes getting through the challenges easier.

Also you mentioned the worth of it being an essay subject…..to some extent it is but also there’s a lot of knowledge and content, and this far outweighs the analysis and other essay techniques.

Reply 14

erin11

Debate & Current Affairs Helper, Study Forum Helper

16

Original post by hanalei24

omg hey! this has definitely restored my faith in taking two languages. i just want to ask, did you find it difficult taking three essay subjects? Because i heard that a-level languages are like english literature.

honestly dw about the essays - they're not as scary as they first seem! I hated eng lit at gcse but love doing the book and film in French now! I also do 3 essay subjects :smile:

Reply 15

imclx

10

Original post by Tim C Ellis

Other than Oxbridge, which Universities are good for studying Spanish or German?

i think it really depends what you enjoy! i've firmed edinburgh and durham is my insurance because both courses are what i wanted. on the other hand you have places like york which don't include any literature at all, some people love that, i'd have hated it. you've got the likes of st andrews and warwick as well. i've also heard good things about languages at bristol and bath. at the end of the day it's hard to say where is 'good' as it's so subjective and there are so many other factors at play e.g. location. try not to get too caught up in rankings, or even russel group, because at the end of the day it's about the course and university more than what other people have labelled them as in these rankings!

Reply 16

Bekahthegap

4

Original post by Tim C Ellis

Other than Oxbridge, which Universities are good for studying Spanish or German?

Southampton is pretty good, as is Edinburgh I think! There’s a leaderboard/league table somewhere online specifically for language courses

Reply 17

Ffion_Kellegher

5

Heya, for anyone interested in studying Spanish, Russian or French at university, there is a company called LinguaTute which offers online literature courses for these languages. They have some free taster sessions coming up in May, which I thought might be of interest to the people here!

Taster session for French literature course | 20th May - Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du mal)
Taster session for Russian literature course | 28th May - Mikhail Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog)
Taster session for Latin American literature course | 27th May - Julio Cortázar (short stories)

As I said, these are completely free, so definitely worth checking out! You can just visit the LinguaTute website, and go to 'Online Courses' to find out more / sign up to the taster sessions.

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