Italian GCSE AQA enrollment

[PinkHippoDonkey]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could please share some advice on enrolling a child as private candidate to take an additional GCSE.

My son is interested in doing an Italian GCSE and has been independently studying for some time but his school don't offer it.

We've decided on applying for the the AQA board certification and I've been reaching out schools listed as participating on their website, but so far every one has said they don't offer that anymore. AQA really need to update their website!

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this or any advice to share? Particularly parents of home-schooled children please.

He's determined to take the GSCE this year but it's proving to be very difficult to organise! We are based in Norfolk, but would be willing to travel to London if that might be better?

Thanks so much x

I would phone AQA as their website is out of date, and zsk if he can it it at his own school, on the basis that they are probably already an exam centre for AQA. You will have to pay a nominal fee to sit the papers as a private candidate and to cover the oral test.

Hi OP I am familiar with the group Tutors & Exams who facilitate exams for students who are sitting them outside school (eg HE or for other reasons).

They have centres across the UK - suspect St Neots might be closest to you.

You will incur late fees now tho as it’s after 6 Feb. It will cost you £560. They do offer Italian tho.

Has your son had any tuition? Does he take another MFL at school? Just bc it’s useful even for a native speaker to have some input on exam technique.

Even if his school doesn’t offer it as a subject they should still be able enter him for the GCSE and order the papers in for him to sit it. It’s a fairly common thing to do with GCSE languages, especially when it comes to native speakers. DD’s best friend is half Dutch and the school allowed her to sit the GCSE exam despite not routinely offering it.

They’ll need to find someone who can speak Italian to do the speaking exam part. I’m assuming he’s not in year 11? If he is, another centre may not work because the Italian writing exam is in the afternoon after a science exam that almost all student take. You’d have to do a dash to the other centre at lunch time.

Tbf I kind of assumed @PinkHippoDonkey had asked her DC's school if they would facilitate it (even if they don’t offer the GCSE) as yes, that would make the most sense. Mate of DS's took polish GCSE (his mother tongue) at their school. So have you framed it in that way OP?

There would need to be someone to run the speaking exam – not sure if a native-speaker relative would be appropriate but you could perhaps find an Italian tutor willing to come and conduct it for a fee?

Definitely talk to the school about whether they could enter him. Many schools facilitate this for native speakers.

Is he a native speaker? Or just self-taught?

Even if he is a native speaker, it's important to know how the assessment works - he could speak beautiful correct Italian throughout the speaking exam and still not get a very high score because he hasn't included enough different tenses. Similarly with the writing.

If you can't organise GCSE, there are alternatives; when you're a teenager you tend to think only in terms of GCSE/A-level, but there are Italian CILS certificate exams which align to the European Framework of Reference for Languages. (GCSE is roughly A2 to B1 on that framework, I think)