To ask for help on how to do language study

[AmbibooITy]

After a difficult few years emotionally I’m sorting myself out and as my “improving self esteem and having some me time” thing I’d like to pursue my interest in languages - always enjoyed them but had my interest in them dismissed as a “waste of time”

I’d like to take one or two A levels privately next summer (2020). I don’t have much money to spare and medical stuff means I can’t get out so learning holidays/courses not an option but I have wi fi and enthusiasm and stationary?

The reason I want to do a Alevels is I think it would help me focus on a goal and although of course I’d like dazzling grade As to put on my CV I’d be happy with a pass or a low grade and it would give me some structure.

So I can spare a couple hours a day and have access to the internet. I’ve done basic courses and although I enjoyed them found it hard to make them “stick” apart from individual words due to lack of practice

Can anyone advise me? I’ve done mature student study in other things and got to a fairly high standard so I’m confident

but I know learning a language (well) is different ball game to other subjects. I have over a year to play with till exams 2020

Firstly, Congratulations to you OP on getting through a tough time

I’ll be honest with you, the A-Level languages exams since the reform are bloody hard and if you’re wanting to go from almost scratch to A-level in a year, you’re going to have your work cut out and a couple of hours a day imo you might struggle BUT you sound super enthusiastic and determined and that will get you a long way!

Have a look on the exam board websites (AQA, EdExcel etc) and look at the specifications - you will have to study a film and a book or two books for the written exam and there are topics to study for the oral and the listening, reading, writing exams. You also need to do an Independent Research Project which you will need to email an examiner about and check they approve your topic.

Have a look at the vocab lists, grammar expectations and all the support materials on the exam website and have a look at the past papers too

Can I suggest that if you get, say, a few months In and it’s getting too much then maybe focus on doing the new GCSE or an AS instead of an A-Level to start off with?

Have fun!! X

I'm a linguist and like learning new languages (although these days I have several that I started and haven't got much further with due to lack of time!). I would first of all work out how you learn, i.e. do you need to see things written down or do you retain them better if you hear them?

Personally I need to have things written down and I like to know the grammar and how it works as I go along, so I always arm myself with basic grammar books.

My husband however learns by listening, so when he learnt french, he used Michel Thomas CDs which teach through repetition with less focus on the written to start with.

Other people are happy with just learning phrases and not worrying too much about the grammar and although this is great for tourists, you probably need a bit more structure for an A level.

Then work out which language you want to learn (I'd probably recommend one which uses the Latin alphabet to start with if you've not really learnt a language before) and see what resources are available. There are loads of free things online, but if you can afford it, something like a set which includes a book (which contain exercises) and a dvd can be great. I have a couple from the Teach Yourself range and they are a good starting point. Once you become more proficient, kids books or texts can be good (probably some available for free online) and news articles from sites like lemonde.fr (or similar depending on the language). You can also get blogs (some for free) where 2 people have a conversation and ask questions after. I think if you subscribe, you can get worksheets too. I used one which was really good, but I can't remember the name now...

Hope that helps and good luck!

Thats all good thanks keep it coming! Yes I think I’ll have “in my head” a goal of two A levels then if it’s a struggle by the time entry comes I’ll look to maybe go down a step But otherwise I’m just working then sat at home exhausted and not able to do much practically so something to focus on is good for me.

I’ve done Michel Thomas Portuguese and quite a bit of Portuguese in the past, but as the available A level resources don’t seem to be great (I mean there’s loads of awesome free resources but I’d prefer to work to a set text so I know I’m going at the right pace?) was thinking of Spanish/German?

I learnt a foreign language at university 'old style' and am now learning Polish using Duolingo. Is a free app you can download and it is really good. I used it a year ago and found it ok but it's improved a lot since then.

The internet is a wonderful thing - there is so much you can do nowadays. I listen to German radio stations live, watch videos on you tube and programmes in Netflix in other languages, and follow groups on Facebook in the new language to get more exposure. If you do go for German try following the Goethe Institut fot example.

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I found this language ranking difficulty list interesting.

www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

Do you have a basic knowledge of a language already? Going from zero to A level standard in one year will be pretty tricky. Why don't you start with a GCSE? That is definitely achievable in one year.

Instead of A Levels, have you considered CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) exams? The exams are much more widely available for people not already enrolled in formal education, and most of the textbooks and materials aimed at adult learners are based on them and graded according to the levels. There are 6 different levels and you could choose which one best fits your standard.

Whatever language and standard you decide to go for, regular consolidation and revision is the key. Make sure you practise every day. For the major European languages there are a lot of resources aimed at foreign language learners. This, for example covers a real current news story with genuine grammar and vocab, just slowed down from native speed. Also available in various other languages.

I’m learning German. I started off with Babel which I really like as you can do little chunks anywhere, go back and repeat, etc. I did this for a year and now I am also having lessons over Skype- would that be an option for you? Also there are a lot of grammar exercises online and podcasts with slow German.

I would also suggest you aim for the standardized European language exams instead of A levels. The A1 is quite basic and you may be able to pass it already.

Look up Polyglot methods, OP. Everyone who learns multiple languages has a method andnmost can relate to one or two of them 😊

Good luck!

I can highly recommend the Duolingo app for daily practice.

I would also recommend that you go for the standardized European language exams. You can always do A-level on top, but theses exams give a much better idea of how proficient you actually are in a language. Employers even state in job adverts that they are looking for someone with X language at level C1 minimum, for example.

For German, check out the website of the Goethe Institute: www.goethe.de/en/spr.html
You can use their free online resources, find out about the exams, test you language level etc.

(I studied translating and interpreting English/German - speak both at native speaker level - and also taught German in the UK for a little while, so let me know if I can help.)

Plan is on. I can get exam papers for all the tests i need (yes the framework looks more flexible and cheaper than a levels plus I won't have the faff of trying to submit coursework etc) and local venues exist for taking them in summer 2020.

My hands are seizing I can't write any more but all

Hi OP - good on you for doing this! I'm an MFL teacher and am currently teaching myself Spanish, hoping to do an A Level too.

I would massively recommend really regularly listening to foreign language podcasts. I do this all the time (while I'm washing up etc). They've made an enormous difference to my comprehension, vocab and even grammar. The Spanish one I listen to is 'Español con Juan' and is suitable for intermediate level, but there are loads of others.

If you're looking for A Level resources, you could do worse than look on the TES website - it's full of thousands of resources shared by teachers, many of them free. There are grammar worksheets, exam-style papers, power points on particular topics etc.

Oh and yy to what previous posters said - frequency of practice is the key, not long sessions once or twice a week.

I love Memrise, I create my own courses (they now have a subsidiary called Decks for user created content but it still works the same) so I can practise exactly what I want to learn. It drills you really thoroughly. I also second using Duolingo - which goes up to a really high level - and using podcasts or vlogs created in your language. Best of luck

I'm another adult who dropped languages at 16, and returned to them recently.
1 I started with Duolingo, which I think it great for early vocab and grammar.
2 Then supplemented it with a podcast, Coffee Break French, which is the best teaching I've ever had for speaking & listening, especially my pronunciation.
3 Then I bought a couple of books, one on grammar (turned out to be an A level text) and one on longer reading comprehension.

I absolutely love it! Love the fact that now I'm a grown up I can learn for the love of it with no pressure of exams or revision. And the resources that are available now?! It would be brilliant to be a student nowadays with apps and websites and podcasts and Netflix...