S1-S3 BGE
Pupils in S1-S3 develop their skills in the foreign language in 4 broad skills – talking and writing (using language) and listening and reading (understanding language).
Pupils cover a range of topics and grammar, from talking about themselves and their family, their leisure interests and holidays (to name only a few), to developing presentation and ICT skills in preparing projects and presentations on many themes, such as “French/Spanish speaking countries” and “My ideal French/Spanish home” (to name but two!)
In BGE pupils are assessed regularly in the 4 skills mentioned above, and their performance in these assessments, along with class work and home work, determines their overall level in Modern Languages.
S4 National 3-5
National courses build on the topics, grammar, and skills that pupils have been developing in the BGE.
National 3-4 courses involve internally assessed SQA assessments (externally verified by the SQA to ensure National standards are being adhered to). Upon successful completion of the course and appropriate performance in the assessments, pupils will be awarded a National 3 or National 4 qualification – there is no end of year external examination.
National 5 course candidates sit the final external SQA examination during the exam diet in May however their final talking assessment is completed prior to this.
S5/6
All of our National qualifications offer vertical progression – so any S4 pupil gaining a National qualification is able to continue their study of the language at the next level up – as such pupils gaining N3 can study N4 in S5/6, N4 pupils can continue on to N5 in S5/6 and our N5 pupils can study Higher in S5/6.
Higher French/Spanish offer progression for pupils in the themes and skills and grammar from National 5, and again will sit the final external exam in May having completed their talking exam prior to this.
In S5/6 we also offer horizontal progression. This means that any pupil who achieves a qualification in one language in S4, can study the other language at this level in S5.
S6
Pupils have the option to undertake vertical/horizontal progression if they did not study the language in S5.
An S6 pupil who achieves an A or a B in one language at Higher level in S5, is able to “crash” the other language at Higher level in S6.
