Brooke Weston |  |
| Coomb Road, Great Oakley, Corby, Northamptonshire NN18 8LA t 01536 396366 f 01536 396867 |
Brooke Weston | |
| Coomb Road, Great Oakley, Corby, Northamptonshire NN18 8LA t 01536 396366 f 01536 396867 |
I did a French work placement and this year I'm going to Spain on an exchange trip.
There's nothing like visiting the country to become a better linguist and use what you learn in the classroom in real life situations.
The Modern Foreign Languages department is situated in a suite of four classrooms, all of which are equipped with data projectors and interactive whiteboards. In addition students have use of an open study area where there are computers which can be used for both class work and private study.
The department is fortunate in having an experienced staff including two French native speakers, and we currently have support of a German Assistant. In addition the Department offers an introductory course in Chinese language and culture, led by our Chinese Assistant.
Each year, the department organises a series of trips to France, Germany and Spain and in 2007 eighteen Sixth Form students took part in a two week Summer School in China, financed in part by the Chinese Government. It is hoped that this experience can be repeated in the coming year.
We learn a lot about European culture; things like social issues and politics which are relevant and useful.
Open to students who have gained at least a grade B in the relevant language at GCSE.
This course seeks to extend and develop the four skills learned at GCSE, namely Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. At the same time, and equally importantly, students are expected to develop their knowledge of the societies in those countries where these languages are spoken and their understanding of the problems and challenges that these societies face. In this context, students will find themselves discussing such diverse topics as immigration and racism, Europe and the environment or wealth and poverty in modern Europe.
The course is divided into four general topic areas, relating to The Media, Popular Culture, Family Relationships and Healthy Living/Lifestyle. Unit 1 is assessed through a 2-hour examination that tests reading, listening and writing skills.
This is a fifteen minute Speaking test that covers the same topics as Unit 1.
For this Unit, students are expected to study two Cultural Topics relating to a targetlanguage country and three additional subject areas relating to the Environment, Multiculturalism and Contemporary Social Issues.
Unit 3 is assessed in a two and a half hour written examination that tests skills in reading, writing and listening.
This is a fifteen minute speaking test that covers the same topics as Unit 3.
Each of the four units is assessed by means of an externally set written examination.
The range of courses has expanded greatly from the traditional honours degrees in one specific language to such combinations as French and European studies, Spanish with law and European computing with German.
Recent research has shown that graduates with Modern Language degrees have the lowest level of unemployment of any discipline except medicine and education. In an increasingly globalised world, employers value not only the linguistic and communication skills, which are the backbone of the A level course, but also the ability to understand other cultures and ways of thinking, which is an integral part of language study.
Modern Languages give graduates highly marketable skills and languages graduates develop careers in many sectors of the economy, including marketing, business and commerce, finance and banking, advertising, public relations, communications and transport.