Subject Pages
Italian
Benvenuti! Welcome!
Italian is offered to students as an ab-initio course (no prior learning of Italian is required). Although the course begins in Year 9, this does not mean that pupils are at a disadvantage having never studied it before. This is an ‘intensive’ course and students will still have access to the top grades at GCSE. Students can choose to take Italian as a first or second language. Currently, students are provided with topic area booklets and other resources are also used frequently. Students start to study Italian in Year 9 and learn the basics of pronunciation, transactional language, introductions and grammar (and some essential Italian recipes), then from Years 10-11, the course follows similar topics to the other GCSE languages. The aim of this course is not only to learn the Italian language but also to instil a passion for Italian life and culture that will persist beyond GCSE!
Staffing
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Head of Department |
Mrs D Albert |
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Teachers |
Mrs D Albert |
Key Stage 4
We currently only offer Italian as a GCSE course.
Assessment, Marking and Feedback
At GCSE, students will be given regular homework in order to develop their productive skills - all skill areas will be assessed regularly throughout the course. In Italian, students will also receive a recipe as homework to try out each term!
Receptive skills ( Reading/ Listening/ Vocabulary)
Marked numerically. Whole class discussion and feedback given where appropriate.
Productive skills ( Speaking/Writing)
Speaking: Verbal feedback given (always) and points awarded according to GCSE mark scheme (where appropriate).
Writing: Written comment with constructive feedback and targets (always) and points awarded according to the GCSE mark scheme (where appropriate)
GCSE Examinations:
Final GCSE Exams for June 2017 and 2018 remain as the old specification. Therefore, some students will continue with the old specification which entails coursework. The coursework elements will be produced during the course.
- Writing Coursework 30% (two written assessments)
- Speaking Coursework 30 % (two speaking assessments)
- Reading 20% (at the end of GCSE course)
- Listening 20% (at the end of GCSE course)
A new GCSE specification for Italian has been issued for teaching from September 2017. For students who started in Year 9 in 2016, they will be taught the new specification.
Pupils will be assessed in all four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) in their final GCSE exams at the end of Year 11. Speaking assessments are the first assessments to be completed and will be conducted around May by the teacher, recorded and sent off to be marked. Reading, Listening and Writing will be done in the Hall during the exam period.
Specification
Please click here for the AQA GCSE Italian specification (for exams June 2017/ June 2018)
Please click here for the AQA GCSE Italian specification (teaching from 2017 and for exams 2019)
Exam Support
Advice
The best advice I can give is learn your vocabulary! Vocabulary tests are essential to build vocabulary and practise grammar.
Apps like ‘Duolingo’ are free and are a great way to build your confidence and learn/consolidate your vocabulary in a fun and interactive way. Please click here to learn more.
Past papers
Please click here for the pre-2017 AQA GCSE Italian past papers and mark schemes
Please click here for the new AQA GCSE Italian past papers and mark schemes