IGCSE MFL - any opinions?

[MrsMot]

Dd's school are moving to the AQA IGCSE for MFL. She's currently Yr9 and after much humming and hawing likely to do French and German.

School is billing it as a way to properly extend able students towards A-Level and ditch controlled assessments which is says weren't a true reflection of language ability.

Anyone any experience/thoughts?

Increasingly continuous assessment is being discredited. Conventional GCSEs are moving towards more formal linear exams.

My only thought re. your situation is if the IGCSE is 'harder' then she'll presumably risk getting a lower grade. Universities, and especially employers, are very unlikely to make allowance for this in the future. They'll just see it as 'not good enough'.

My DD's school has moved to iGCSE in MFL for the able students only.

It is a bit harder to get a top grade and thus better preparation for those likely to study A level MFL.

My children have done IGCSE in several languages and did no controlled assessment. They also did not learn prepared answers to oral questions as friends sometimes say their children did though I am not sure whether that is because of the qualification or the school's choice.

They didn't seem to have problems moving to A Level and IGCSE results were fine.

IGCSE is a slightly different syllabus but it isn't that much different and all schools choose between a variety of boards and exams anyway. IGCSE or GCSE - it's neither here nor there really if the department is sound.

Slipshod you're right there is no prepared answers to learn for the oral well at least not for the Cambridge IGCSE you just learn likely answers to questions and learn a variety of topics and hope they come up. I understand there is also more emphasis on properly learning the grammar.

TBH that'll be fine for dd, languages are v much her strong point, she likely to do at least one at A Level. It's a grammar (we're in Bucks) and everyone has to do at least one MFL so I don't think they'd move to a syllabus they feel would cause their results to drop. Thanks!

No-one should consider doing A level MFL unless they have learned the grammar. It makes no difference as to GCSE or iGCSE. It might, however, depend on the quality and thoroughness of the teacher! My DD did languages at A level but found GCSE far too easy. Her independent school had no policy to enter anyone early except the Maths geniuses. I would have thought a Bucks Grammar school would have no difficulties getting students the highest grades at MFL iGCSE.

Agree with MillyMollyMama re grammar. DD1 found the step up from GCSE French to AS French very hard as her GCSE school had not put in the grammar work.