Classics or Latin?

[Snid]

DD has to choose which of these to take for GCSE. I’ve no experience of either. She’ll probably have to do a MFL too. She says she hates languages and doesn’t see the point in learning a language no one speaks so she’ll probably choose Classics. She’s quite arty if that makes a difference.

As you say she hates languages and is arty, I would say Classics

Should add I loved and was very good at MFLs for gcse, and chose to do Latin (didnt have to do either Latin or Classics) and didn't enjoy Latin and found it difficult. And I'm not at all arty

Doing Ancient Languages is quite different to Modern Languages, no one's bothered about Speaking or Listening!

Doesn't classics include Latin? I'm not saying she shouldn't choose it, more to make sure she's aware Latin is involved either way. MFL are great at gcse though!

Thanks Clever.

I think she will probably go with classics. That seems to be her preference at the moment. I don’t think she really does “hate” languages, as she’s learning one by choice out of school. I think she’s just very “12” and Latin sounds pointless to her. I, on the other hand, would love to learn it. Maybe I’ll get myself one of those books with Minimus the Mouse in.

My DD, who is very good at Latin, has opted for Classics. She thought the course content looked interesting and although she likes/does well at Latin she thinks overall it's quite hard work. I was disappointed as I think she should have gone with Latin but she will do well if she's enjoying her subject so 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Snid - for yourself definitely give minimus a go. It’s got a nice story. There is also minimus 2.

I did Latin and thought it was really nice to get the derivations of certain English words. And also compare with french. It is a lot of work, and challenging for most people. Latin probably ‘looks’ more academic, BUT if she wants to do classics then she’d probably more motivated to study it.

Thanks all. I think I’m going to send her in to school to talk to the classics and Latin teachers. Its almost impossible for her to make an informed decision with so little information.

minimus is on my virtual wish list. It may be a while before I get to Minimus II.

DS (y13) has loved Latin since y7. Had quirky, eccentric, interesting teachers in an otherwise quite ‘corporate’ style school which was a large part of it I think.

They had to pick a language for GCSE, and bizarrely Latin counts as an MFL. Thank goodness as he hated French with a passion, and had very little aptitude.

He wanted to study medicine (is off in September, sob), so had to do 2 of his subjects, but wanted to Latin and Classical Civilisation.

Latin is the language and literature. Class Civ was Greek and Roman Ancient world, history and literature. He enjoyed it, it was a nice balance to his science subjects he said, but a lot of reading, so he chose to just do AS and took Latin to A level. First exam Monday!

Hope any of that helps? I was going to say if your child does not like languages, perhaps CC not Latin - but then DS did not like languages and loves Latin. I think it is the logic and the rules he likes - and the bonus of no oral exam.

Totally agree with @sydenhamhiller . Learning Latin is very different from MFL and often appeals to maths types as well as linguists - kids who like codes and puzzles often like Latin. What year is your DD though? It seems odd to have to pick a GCSE without having studied either subject at all.

Thanks.
she has studied both a bit, they’ve done a term of each? Interestingly, she thought she’d like Classics best but actually really enjoyed the Latin introduction. She’s now edging towards the Latin as she likes that it helps her understand where English comes from. I think she isn’t keen on the MFL as she doesn’t feel she’s good at them, but Latin does seem to be something she was good at, which is always nice. I agree that she seems to see the code in it.

Would she be doing gcse after only a term of Latin? That’s a big ask.

No Mango, they’d not be taking the GCSE exams after a term of Latin. What they’re doing is choosing either Latin or Classics for y8/9. Taking Latin means you can take either Latin or Classics GCSE as an option. Taking Classics narrows that to just Classics, no Latin. I guess it’s pre-choosing an option?

And yes Syd, what she’d really like to do is not Have to do French/Spanish and do Latin instead, but that doesn’t seem to be an option.

Thanks all, I’ve got the syllabus (syllabi? Syllabuses?) which I’ll show DD along with this thread and see what she thinks. I think both sound interesting. I wish I’d had the choice

Ah, I see- I read your initial post as being about choosing GCSEs now (ie Y9 going into Y10).

It’s odd, as it’s sort of choosing GCSE options in Y8 but sort of not. Which makes it even more difficult, as we don’t know what the other options will e.

I did Classics at A Level and then went on to do a BA and MA in it.

I only had to do Latin in my first year of uni and my god did I hate it! Wish I'd done Ancient Greek instead. I basically failed my Latin exam. I wasn't as bad as someone in our year who spent his Latin exam writing a poem to our Latin teacher apologising for doing so badly.

So for me, classics was a lot more interesting. I'm a very visual person and loved the ancient art and architecture modules.

Oh Twizbe, I had my money on Latin, until you posted that. She’s arty, so maybe Classics is the one.

Re-reading the bumpf and it L looks like they get to state a preference, rather than having a straight up choice. Perhaps just as well.

With Latin I think there's a paper on translation, a paper on literature and a paper on culture. Classics is basically on the Classics, there's no Latin in it. The kids I've seen in exams seemed to be writing reams in Classics although there are apparently no revision books to support Classics unlike Latin - so make good notes!! I think Classics is probably very interesting and it looked like there were pictures of artefacts in the exam - but mine who was very annoyed that he had to do something as pointless as Latin is now predicted an 8/9 and got quite into it. For someone arty though who says they don't like languages I'd go Classics.