Can someone please help me understand what this level means ?

[fakeblonde]

DD1 is at the end of year 9.Due to medical problems she has struggled at school but we are really pleased with her progress since high school.
I got her report tonight which was lovely .
She attained a level 6 in every subject except French.In this subject she got given a level 2 !
On top of this confusion was a glowing report from her French Tutor.
Fortunately she is not taking french-she is however doing another language a year early in 9 months , so we thought she was ok with languages.
Why a 2 ? And if it was so awful why a glowing report about how well she did in it ?
I am confused.
Is level 6 for everything else ? Thanks so much .

I know this, when your child starts school (reception) they start them at p levels P6 up to p1 (or is it the other way round?). Then they start at 1c up to a maximum of 7a. When they start secondary school most kids would be expected to be at 4c in all subjects EXCEPT language, because in the UK we do not do languages from reception. So in yr 7 you start languages at the bottom ie at 1c therefore by year 9 a level 2 is good. I suppose yr 9 for languages is the same as a yr 2 in maths IFYSWIM. Hope that is coherent.

Has she done French since Year 7? Like Floo says, languages start at a lower level. However, after a term or so of French my children were getting level 2s. By the end of Yr7 children in the top set for French are generally getting level 3-4, and by the end of Yr9 most children are getting levels 4-6, possibly a tiny bit higher, depending on which set they are in.

I would ask to speak to the tutor if you feel her report and general flair for languages do not match the level given. Or did she perhaps miss an end of unit test?

ISWYM now.
Yes she only started French in year 7 and yes she did miss a major test.
I just wish it expained it briefly in the report as it would have made reading it far easier.
Thanks for your replies

In my defence my dd is only in yr 7.

Sounds like a mistake. Level 6 in everything indicates an able child, who is at least capable of a B in GCSE.

If she didn't do French at primary school this may be partly the cause, as it takes a full key stage to catch up. But it still sounds like a mistake to me. Contact teacher, and ask for confirmation.

Definitely must be a mistake - check with teacher. DS3 got level 6 in French & German.

MFL Levels are not comparable to other subjects, because they are starting new.

At our school the absolute highest they can achieve by the end of yr7 is a Level 4 (just), and an 'average' child would get a Level 2.

I have lots of information on this, if you want more. For instance, these are the Level descriptors that we use for Speaking:

L1 I can say single words or short phrases.
L2 I can say a variety of short phrases.
L3 I can take part in simple conversations. I can ask and give replies two or three times.
L4 I can take part in longer conversations. I can ask questions and give replies three or four times.
L5 I can take part in conversations, giving information and opinions. I can speak about the future or the past, as well as the present.

"MFL Levels are not comparable to other subjects, because they are starting new."

As fakeblonde says, it would be nice if teachers could explain this when they give out reports! How are we supposed to know that Languages have their own special set of rules? [exasperated icon]

I feel really stupid because I wrote a letter to school to query DS's French result. He got Levels 5 or 6 in his academic subjects but only a Level 3 in French, which seemed out of keeping. I now discover that, far from being poor for a Y7, it is actually quite good.

Wychbold - it does sound as though there are some communication problems there. Did you ask your ds about it?

All children should know their current working level (CWL) in all subjects, and also next steps for improvement.

Anyway 5s and 6s in other subjects at the end of yr7 is very good.

"All children should know their current working level (CWL) in all subjects"

Really? I have just looked back at DD's report for Y7 (different school). We weren't told their current working level. We were told their predicted Level two years' hence. [extremely confused icon]

I didn't labour the point with DS about his French because the rest of his report was so good: it would seem like nit-picking and concentrating on the negative. I couldn't understand why he got such a low Level because the narrative report, exam grade and parents' evening for French all seemed so positive. I thought, perhaps, someone had made a transcription error.

when i wrote my reports this year, i explained what the levels meant. (teach MFL)

off to polish me halo.