Doing a MFL language A level privately?

[Katisha]

DS's school seem to be on the verge of abandoning MFL A levels, at least this year, because of small numbers. He is very keen to do German though and we'd rather not move schools for sixth form.

So how advisable would it be to try and get a tutor and do it privately? And would it need two years? He'd be doing three other A levels in school.

[BoboChic]

I have advised several applicants from Paris schools who have CEFR qualifications in a language rather than French bac, IB or A-level and who want to study MFL in the UK. The combination of mother-tongue literature (French bac or IB English) with Italian or German CEFR qualification resulted in by-return-of-post university offers for MFL Italian/German at top RG universities.

[daphnedill]

And I've advised many UK A level/IB students and spoken to numerous MFL admissions tutors! You are not talking about the same thing. You have admitted that these students have studied mother-tongue literature IN ADDITION to a CEFR qualification. A CEFR qualification on its own is NOT enough for admission to a language degree. I don't suppose for one minute that you would think that a candidate with just an IELTS qualification would be eligible to study English at a British university.

Please stop giving the OP misleading advice.

[BoboChic]

All prospective students have a bouquet of relevant qualifications.

IELTS is not the same thing as CAE. CAE is the equivalent to the CEFR qualifications from the Goethe Institute, Istituto Italiano di Cultural, Instituto Cervantes etc

[Katisha]

Basically he wants to do German because he loves it and wants to keep a language in his arsenal, and keep options open as he doesn't know what he wants to do yet - he will probably be doing maths, chemistry and physics at A level as well.

I know he could do an engineering university course that would let him study for a year in Germany and that you actually only need GCSE for that, but that limits his choice to the universities who offer that.

He basically wants to take it to A level for love of the subject and I am so frustrated that the school that has instilled this in him now won't let him take it any further. We've basically been told to look elsewhere if he insists on doing German at A level. Which is why I wanted to explore the possibility of doing it on the side as it were, so that he doesn't have to spend an hour each way on the bus to the alternative school.

[BoboChic]

If he wants German for year abroad purposes in a STEM degree, CEFR qualifications are ideal (far more relevant than A-level).

[titchy]

If the MFL is an adjunct to a STEM degree GCSE may well be sufficient - see here as an example:
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/aeronautics-department/aeronautical-engineering-year-abroad/

[Katisha]

Yes I know that GCSE is sufficient for that sort of thing, although he may not decide to go down that route.
As I say, he wants to do German A Level because he really really wants to.

[boredofusername]

A CEFR qualification on its own is NOT enough for admission to a language degree.

I am not convinced. Home-schooled children get onto uni courses all the time with unorthodox qualifications.

As I said above, I'd check first, but I would be very surprised if a German faculty would not consider someone with decent German evidenced by some other means than A level as long as they had three decent A levels in other subjects. Possibly not for a single honours German, but my uni expected you do to do 2-3 subjects for a humanities degree in year one anyway.

Does he want to do A level because he wants to do all the surroundings study eg history, culture etc? Or does he want to do the language mainly? if so, I'd have thought the Goethe Institute exams would be good enough for his interest, but it's annoying if you then have to do an A level you didn't want to do, and end up getting a lower grade because of it.

I can see this being an issue for my son as well, he's only in year 8 but things can only get worse.

[daphnedill]

Katisha, Presumably your DS wants to do German in preference to some other subject, which he will now be forced to do. I would imagine he also wants to have some kind of life outside study. From a practical point of view, studying German to a worthwhile level is going to take from at least 5-10 hours of study a week. The Goethe-Institut will not count in his UCAS application, as he is a home student applying for a course in his native language. I would be very wary of what bobo is claiming, because she has already made factual errors. Please check for yourself if in doubt.

If he wants to study abroad as part of an Erasmus programme, many universities offer Goethe-Institut courses as part of the degree. He would only need a good GCSE (if that) to get on to a course. Meanwhile, he could keep his German up to scratch by visiting the country or logging on to 'Deutsche Welle', which has the news in slow German and its own courses or some other means.

It is very sad that German is no longer offered at A level/IB in so many UK schools (including some indies). I'm afraid your only realistic option if he really wants to study Level 3 German is to change school.

[IrenetheQuaint]

Saying that the OP's DS only needs GCSE to do Erasmus in a German-speaking programme is all very well, but he'd surely find it much easier and more enjoyable if his German was at a higher starting standard than that.

I know there are a few people who can motivate themselves to learn a language to a decent standard without classes or living the country, but they're few and far between, and listening to slow news on Deutsche Welle occasionally is no substitute for proper teaching and practising with other students.

OP - are there any German evening classes near you? Or any chance your school could band together with other local schools or colleges to offer a German A or AS level?

[BoboChic]

daphne - of course the Goethe Institute qualification will count in a UCAS appligation. It will be in addition to three A-levels.

Overseas applicants to British universities often offer CEFR qualifications, which are much more popular and accessible in some other countries than they are in the UK where people are notoriously lacking in interest in MFL.

[daphnedill]

No, they won't. UK universities will either make an offer based on three A levels/IB or one based on UCAS tarriff points. Goethe-Institute qualifications don't count. www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/entry-requirements/tariff/tariff-tables You have no direct experience of A levels or university applications by UK students.
The OP isn't interested in the experience of overseas students, nor is this thread about the British lack of interest in MFL.

[daphnedill]

Irene, The OP's son's school has already said that he needs to move schools, if he wants to do German. Evening classes are no substitute for A level and very rarely cover more than the basics, which will already have been taught at GCSE. In any case, evening classes in German are becoming increasingly rare, because they rarely attract minimum numbers. I agree that listening to the news in German is no substitute for proper teaching, but it might be a way of keeping an interest ticking over.

[BoboChic]

Daphne - you are confusing two issues and getting bogged down in red tape. Universities are not idiots!

[Katisha]

Thanks everyone. To clarify I am only really interested in the actual A level rather than other language qualifications. We have no specific end in mind, other than DS is so keen to do it.

Given that changing schools would entail two hours a day on a bus, I still feel inclined to redeem that by staying at the same school and perhaps trying to get a private tutor for the German A level.

The question therefore is does this still have to take two years - Daphne you would say yes? Also given that the A level is changing to linear is this not a good idea to try and do it over this period - would a tutor be clear enough about the new exam - or - can he do it in a year, ie 2017 rather than 2018. He is bright and motivated and predicted to get A and hopefully A* at GCSE German.

[catslife]

He would be able to take the new AS level in 2017 OP but as I said earlier he won't be able to take the final A level exams until 2018 (the old A2 exams in 2017 will only be available for students who started the course in September 2015 or before).
This is a consequence of the transition to linear qualification and only applies for the first year the course is introduced.

[Katisha]

Ah right thanks - the mechanics of the new timeline have rather escaped me

[boredofusername]

Just wondered if this was an option for the OP's son: www.interhigh.co.uk/key-stage-5-curriculum/

[daphnedill]

Ah! I didn't realise that Interhigh offered German A level, because they don't offer GCSE German. I've just looked at their site and I think it's probably new, but they seem to have a good tutor, who seems clued up (Google her CV). Probably worth investigating. Your DS would have to do the new A level, whether he does it in one year or two. He'll be in the same boat as everybody else. He might be able to do it one year, but it really depends how committed he is and how firm his grounding has been at GCSE. There's a huge jump from GCSE to A level languages. If he decides to go ahead with it, I would really recommend that he does some work himself on grammar and reading/listening after GCSEs have finished. The Goethe Institut's London website has some good materials for A level students.

[daphnedill]

PS. German A level has always been linear - that's not the issue. The big difference is in the content of the topics studied, especially the prescribed literary texts. Without AS, there will be more teaching time, which is good. AFAIK none of the specifications has been finally approved by Ofqual.

[Jynxed]

Katisha - we are in exactly the same position as you one year on. DD's favourite subject is German, she really wants to keep it on, but the school no longer offers German A level. Can I ask what you did, and is it working? Thanks