KS3 COURSE OVERVIEW

Course Tutors: Mr I Lythgoe and Mrs B Cetin

Course Content and Assessment

This is a one year accelerated course taught over three periods per week. It aims to take students from complete beginners’ level to GCSE standard. It provides an exciting opportunity to develop a sound grasp of what is arguably one of the world’s most enchanting languages.

Students will learn to cope with a variety of situations that may arise whilst visiting Italy or hosting an Italian-speaking visitor in this country. They will learn to exchange information, give full descriptions and accounts, discuss issues and give opinions, and cope with a degree of unpredictability. The four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are developed through the study of four themes, which are sub-divided into a number of different topics:

• My World
• Holiday Time and Travel
• Work and Lifestyle
• The Young Person in Society

Assessment is by end-of-course examination, where there are two tiers of entry (Foundation and Higher) for each of the three skills – Listening, Speaking and Reading. Written skills are assessed by means of a small number of short Coursework assignments completed over the course, or alternatively a Writing Test. Each Paper, including Coursework / Writing Test, is worth 25% of the total mark. The Speaking Test will be conducted by the course tutor, recorded and sent off for assessment by an external examiner.

The emphasis of the course is on practical communication, and students only learn Italian which may be used for dealing with everyday situations.

Higher Education and Careers

Students form a sound base of the skills and language required for work, leisure, travel and, where appropriate, further study.

Whilst GCSE Italian will clearly be of interest to those already studying one or more languages to AS/A Level, it is also the perfect complement to any course of study. Foreign language qualifications are much valued by employers, and can be of interest to Higher Education institutions. Indeed, many courses in subjects such as Marketing, Business, Science and Engineering now include an element of language study and/or period of work experience abroad.

Entry Requirements

In order to cope with the demands of this accelerated course, students should have gained at least grade B in French, German or Spanish at GCSE, and should have taken the Higher Tier Papers. They must also be committed to working hard in order to achieve a high standard in a short space of time.