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In 2004 Labour decided to make Languages an option subject. Sadly, this has partially resulted in its long-term decline. The EBacc has arrested the decline in the study of academic subjects such as Languages at GCSE level, but this is just because head teachers and senior leaders in schools have forced a percentage of students […]

As an experienced teacher of the subject, this author’s answer would be “No.” As part of the GCSE course in languages, students have to complete four controlled assessments: two written and two spoken. These four components make up 60% of their final GCSE grade. For each task, students have to prepare around 300 words of […]

Whether studying for History GCSE or A level, students always have to write essays on specific topics, events or people. This usually involves some research, in addition to consulting the relevant handbook chapter(s). Whilst in the past students headed for the library to find additional reading material, nowadays they are more likely to consult the […]

A recent article in The Guardian (3/9/2013) reported on the OCR (currently the largest UK examination board) pronouncement that coursework, previously a significant, almost synonymous, part of GCSEs , should come to an end.   Apparently, it is “open to abuse”, not from the pupils, but from the teachers, who try to use it to “optimise […]

Getting a tutor to help with your child’s education only used to happen in a limited set of circumstances; generally in the case of a student struggling with their sixth form studies and only ever in the months leading up to the examinations.  Nowadays, though, it’s a different story. The educational charity The Sutton Trust […]

This article continues the discussion started in the post Compulsory GCSE English and Maths in Further Education Part 1 As a practical guide to using the sixth form to help with achievement in Maths, I would begin by arguing that classes need to be set according to previous achievement, so that the teaching is appropriate […]

Teenagers who fail to achieve a C grade or better in GCSE English and Maths will have to continue to study the subjects, the government has announced. The rule change means that 16-year-olds who fail to achieve a good pass in the two core subjects will have to make moves towards re-sitting the exams at […]

Has your English Language A Level course made you even more curious about how language works and how people use it to communicate?  If so, you may be interested in studying English Language and/or Linguistics at University.   Lancaster University, where I teach, has the largest department of Linguistics and English Language in the UK. […]

Many of our students will achieve good results this year. However, learning from home is not something that should ever be undertaken lightly and requires a good deal of motivation and dedication. Given the ever growing number of students who undertake the challenge, it must be admitted that statistically, as in all things in life, […]

Does Studying A level Spanish improve my conversational Spanish? I was asked this question myself recently. Not knowing the answer myself, I asked Laura Lopez-Sheriff, one of Oxford Open Learning’s Spanish teaching team, to answer for me.  This is what she said: “Studying A level Spanish most definitely will improve your conversational skills, for the […]