Blimey : MFL A levels have changed

[Piggywaspushed]

Disclaimer : went to school in Scotland in the late Middle Ages.

I studied French and German as CSYS level (kind of like A2) and got As so considered myself good. But what my DS is doing now is really turning him off. we did three lit texts in French and German (this may have been more than we needed knowing my school!) and some history (German was east Germany and education , I remember; French I think was the resistance) But all our teaching was basically in English, certainly all our discussion of texts and I SWEAR we wrote essays in English!

DS can't even seem to learn grammar in peace now without it being related to some 'ishoo' and even his homework is set in detailed Spanish.

I know this is all very worthy - but it's no wonder kids talk about the gulf between GCSE and A level in MFL!

DS already dropped French after one week. He can't drop Spanish, not least because he got near as dammit full marks at GCSE. You wouldn't know it, though. He is really struggling, hates it and is now being supervised in free periods to force him to work... there is no shame emoji so I went for blushing...

The teaching isn't great either, which does not help. Boys definitely respond negatively to weaker teaching much more than girls ime.

Anyone else share my his suffering?

[NotCitrus]

My kids start French with a fluent French speaker in Reception. Thing is, they just seem to learn a few songs and limited vocabulary again and again and the Y4 kid knows little more than the one in Y1 and is bored rigid! They have a lovely accent though. I should give him a French dictionary and textbook and tell him to teach himself.

I had similar - did the first year of learning French four times in 3 schools and second year 3 times in 2 schools. After which I gave up as one year in Y9 of German had already given me more.

When I did GCSE it was a school requirement that you be shipped off to a family for two weeks to practice the language - none of this whole class going and mostly speaking English. Safeguarding hadn't yet been invented, admittedly. Fortnight of mum telling me all her woes and her 'hooligan' son swearing at her, and drinking with girl and friends and attending school for a week, was most educational.

[Acopyofacopy]

Another German here, now teaching MFL in England!
Becoming a teacher here has been somewhat eye-opening. In Germany English and French lessons were conducted entirely in TL, I was relatively fluent by the end of Year 9. But: languages are core subjects.
Very different picture here! The quality of language teaching is, ahem, variable. The old GCSEs were a complete joke.

I love the new GCSEs, but many of my colleagues are struggling because they surpass their own ability. They will lead to proficient linguists who will be able to cope with MFL A levels. Current Y10-13 have been dealt a really crap hand, though.

[Boulshired]

I do not think we have ever been committed in teaching language at school to a fluent level for all, most adults I know who have good language skills have family fluent or lived overseas. The welsh have shown if there is commitment then children at an early age can be taught to be bilingual. I do think in my own children’s cases they were exposed to more MFL at primary but it was so spread out between French, Spanish and German and a few others that they would never get to any level of conventional skills. Even at GCSE DS1 has less German language skills compared to my GCSE French from the 80’s.

[Piggywaspushed]

To be fair, I don't really want or aim for DS to be fluent (as I agree that requires immersion, probably abroad). I just want him to enjoy it and feel motivated :(

I think he might just take up a new language at uni.

[PurplePillowCase]

op there is a huuuge difference between fluency in writing/understanding (which can and should be achieved with a-levels) and conversation.

[Piggywaspushed]

Yes, indeed- I know that. By fluency, I meant fluent speaking.

Because he has tow Spanish speakers as his teachers (one of whom actually isn't a teacher at all) I think most of the focus is on Spoken Spanish. Apparently, though, this is fine, according to feedback.

The more I hear, the more dismayed I am. The acting head of MFL is not who I thought it was. It is now a French woman who teaches DT... The only actual Spanish teacher is very inexperienced and is now, I am guessing, having to resource the teaching of the Spanish FLA as well as organise her own teaching. I don't want to be 'that parent' but I might actually request the programme of study...I need reassurance that there is a coherent route through the new A Level.

[Kokeshi123]

"It would be helpful if bilingual children could have a form of accreditation for their ability."

I agree. I think that if a child speaks French (or whatever) at home, then by age 18 they should, pretty much by definition, be aiming at a higher level than a "regular" non-native speaker by age 18.

Not saying that they should be expected to be at the same level of literacy as an 18yo who has been through the French schooling system either; they should probably be aiming for a level that is in-between the two.

My daughter is bilingual; if we went to live in the UK, I would not encourage her to do GSCEs or A-levels in her "other home language" for a number of reasons, one of which is that I would worry that it would make her look like an unadventurous candidate who wants easy As. I would prepare her to sit other, more challenging qualifications in her language which are not school-based. These could then be listed in her CV.

[Allthebestnamesareused]

We have found that where there are joint honours then having the MFL means that there are lower grade requirements.

eg. Economics at a good uni for economics such as LSE requires A*AA for Economics but only AAB for Economics and German which was why I thought I might seek to persuade DS into doing German (my idea not DS's at all) but I am leaving well alone after the A level horror tales I am hearing on here.

[Partridgeamongstthepigeons]

Did A level French and German in 91, all essays in the target language. All books studied in the language too..

Boule De Suif
L’étranger
Poss another in French

Das Tagebuch Von Anne Frank
Das Brandopfer
Mutter Courage (can’t remember if it has a K at beginning).