#gcse languages

hiya, sorry for not getting back to you sooner!

it absolutely is possible! very much so! i self-studied a vast majority of the course myself.

➵ the key point to remember with gcse languages, is that the qualification is purley made up of grammar and vocab. all of which is on the specification. no culture is necessary at this point.

to get started, i’d recommend the following:

1. make a motivation mindmap or a list of reasons as to why you’re studying the language; just don’t spend too much time on it, as there are more important things to research.

2. make a month by month study plan, and aim to do a unit or so per month. most exam boards have example course lesson plans that can be find on the qualification’s page - these include grammar and core units. 

3. take the time to browse through resources online, stock pile them for each unit and skill, and make a yourself a masterpost-style document or spreadsheet.

4. figure out how best you learn grammar and vocab. it might be matching up vocab transations like a big card game, for example, or learning them through images. perhaps, for grammar, it’s turning them into formulae.

5. if you’re pressed for time, only choose the most challenging tasks per page; make sure you choose one for each skill though.

things to keep in mind:

• when self-studying, the exam board’s resources  will be your best friends: from specifications, to examiner reports, to past papers and mark-schemes. don’t be afraid to delve into the exam papers of other exam boards either, french is french, and it’ll just expand your vocab.

• at gcse, each skill is 25%, so make sure you don’t neglect any skill (though be sure to work harder in ares that need more improvement).

• with self-study, listening and speaking might be a bit of a tough time, especially if you don’t have anyone to practise with at home. i’d be happy to help with these over skype if you would like!

• if not, i advise you to immerse yourself: listening to specimen tracks whilst in the shower or doing the dishes was a big help to me; try to narrate aloud your actions throughout your day, it’ll test your familiarity with synonymous language, if you get stuck. another speaking exam tip (x)

• i’d also recommend finding a community or people to chat with, if it’s not too outside of your comfort zone. The Student Room, HelloTalk and the /r/French sub-Reddit are great places to start.

• also be sure to take a look at some of my top tips for gcse french (here), they should help with exam technique and structuring revision.

overall, the more planning of your self-study you do beforehand (ie gathering resources), the easier things will be.

further recommended resources*:

https://www.pdfdrive.com/ (pretty good for finding textbooks) https://www.lawlessfrench.com/ (great for grammar) https://www.tes.com/ (great for finding free worksheets and revision guides) Learn French with Alexa on YouTube (great for grammar) https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize (the bbc’s revision guides) https://bonpatron.com/ (grammar and spell-checker)

*when searching for resources online, it might be useful to know that grades 4-7 are A2 on the CEFR scale, and grades 8-9 are just about B1.

➵ if you find yourself in need of very specific resources or just someone to explain a concept to you, it’d be my pleasure to help! i’m considering putting together a resource bank of worksheets for gcse - let me know if that would be helpful.

➵ i also have about five digital revision mindmaps that ive condesed all of the grammar on to, as well as a powerpoint that more or less summarises the entire course in about four hours (it’s hard going, but might be useful) - dm me if either of these interest you.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/111879

Routes into Languages do so much to encourage pupils to learn languages - they put on a variety of events aimed at UK secondary school pupils and provide loads of information about the many benefits of learning languages.