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thelinguist.uberflip.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 The Linguist 15 AWARDS FOCUS Rachel Smith explains how her sixth-form students outperformed undergraduates to gain top marks in Languages for Business Top of theclass W ith the introduction, in September 2015, of the reformed A-level specifications and the advent of standalone AS levels, Shrewsbury High School revised its A-level offer. The IoL Educational Trust Certificate in Languages for Business (CLB) was chosen as one of the options for sixth-form students, allowing those not studying a modern foreign language (MFL) to A level to continue doing so post-GCSE, and those taking an A level to gain an additional qualification using a different register. In response to student demand, French and Spanish were offered in 2015-2016 – the first year the school ran the course. This year, we have extended this to include German as well. One hour per week is allocated to teaching the course. As all the students last year had already taken a GCSE in the language, it proved possible to study the course in less than the recommended time. The students had approximately 27 hours of study before the final exams in May. Most of the end-of-module assessments fitted into this, but some additional time was needed at the end of the course for the final comprehension, speaking and writing tests. The CLB certificate is made up of six modules: Companies and Organisations, Correspondence and Communications, Rules and Regulations, Travel and Announcements, Sales and Marketing, and Customer Service. At the end of each module students take an assessment, which is marked by the class teacher and moderated externally. Teachers are responsible for entering student details and marks for each of the assessments on a database. The marks for these internal assessments constitute 35% of the final mark (Pass, Merit or Distinction); the remaining 65% comes from exams taken in school at the end of the course and marked externally. There is no doubt that the business orientation of this course appealed greatly to the students last year. Studying aspects of the language which are clearly applicable to real-life situations gave them a sense of achievement and the feeling that they were studying something with a genuine purpose in future life. Though the course does not currently attract UCAS points (something that is being discussed for the future), students included it in their university applications, demonstrating an additional qualification and continuing interest in MFL study. In class, students took part in listening, reading, speaking and writing activities. They particularly enjoyed learning how to make phone calls in a foreign language and acquiring the language needed for social interaction. Most of the course was covered in the timetabled lessons but, on occasion, and especially in preparation for the assessments, students were assigned homework and revision tasks. Modest group sizes (nine students in the French group and three in Spanish) meant that they received plenty of individual attention and feedback, and had a great deal of opportunity to practise. The course is fully supported by a bank of online resources. PowerPoint presentations, recordings and transcripts, printable worksheets, vocabulary lists, games and grammar explanations are provided for the teaching of each module, and the site is easy to navigate. Resources to support the course have been produced by the Language Alliance, and the students appreciated and responded well to the variety of activity types. There was plenty of time for speaking practice in addition to comprehension and writing exercises, and our students both revisited and extended their knowledge of GCSE vocabulary and structures. They particularly enjoyed developing their range of vocabulary to encompass words not encountered at GCSE and built up a bank of extremely useful words and phrases. We were very pleased with the grades achieved for the course, which were the result of a lot of hard work. The CLB is a welcome addition to the MFL qualifications available to post-16 students, and one through which students learn valuable language and business skills. HARD WORK REWARDED (Left to right) Prince Michael presents Rachel with the Pilley Cup; the young winners; and Institute staff at the awards ceremony Rachel Smith is Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Shrewsbury High School. TL ALL AWARDS EVENT IMAGES: © CHRIS CHRISTODOULOU