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Latin GCSE possible?

Last post 04/10/11 at 15:05 by rookielatina, 10 replies
Post started by rookielatina on 02/09/11 at 14:18

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  • rookielatina avatar
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    Posted by: rookielatina 02/09/2011 at 14:18
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    Is it possible for a very small group to reach GCSE standard from scratch in two years on 2.5 hours' teaching a week?
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    Posted by: Andy_91 02/09/2011 at 23:12
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    If they're motivated - yes.

    Used to do it with the old O Levels as well but stopped teaching Latin c 20 years ago, so no great tips, except structure it really well so that the students and parents can see the progress required ie a simplified scheme of work each term.
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    Posted by: lemoni122 11/09/2011 at 00:02
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    Yes. My last two groups have had only 1.5 hours a week. You will find it stressful however, continuously thinking of short cuts. We were using CLC and I had to miss out so many of the lovely stories. I got quite resentful of the management forcing this on me so I've packed it in and moved elsewhere.  Remember you have the literature to prepare as well; it's not just a language.

    re set books: Interlinear translation + notes + David Carter's most useful booklets are the way to go. You can save a hell of a lot of time.  Do Terry Bird's running vocabs cover the GCSE set books? If so they would be invaluable.
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    Posted by: Andy_91 15/09/2011 at 21:38
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    lemoni122:
    Do Terry Bird's running vocabs cover the GCSE set books?

    One of my old teachers, incidentally. Pity he hadn't produced them back in the '60s......
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    Posted by: mpc 17/09/2011 at 17:52
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     Could you consider a short course or the WJEC certificates as an alternative to full GCSE?  That would cut down on the amount you would have to cover.

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    Posted by: lemoni122 21/09/2011 at 22:31
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    Sorry to disagree. GCSE or bust! Who's going to understand the worth of a 'certificate' in Latin? I hope the Welsh board cert eventually is recognised as a GCSE. It is pretty scandalous that it hasn't been when you think of what is required to make sense of Latin. I reckon OCR will have been lobbying behind the scenes for it to have the inferior status. How I wish dear AQA still ran Latin at GCSE. 

  • rookielatina avatar
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    Posted by: rookielatina 23/09/2011 at 14:42
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    Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to reply, v. much appreciated. Actually my remit has now changed. I still have a very small group with no previous Latin experience but I'm now only teaching them 1.5 hours a week. On the plus side, the school understands that this renders GCSE in two years impossible and is open to the kids either taking GCSE in their first year of A-levels or doing some kind of lesser qualification after 2 years. So I guess the OCR short course and the WJEC certificates are an option. Is there anything else I should think about? The OCR short course seems like the simplest option in terms of Latin language. The WJEC looks at a glance to require almost as deep an understanding of the language as at GCSE but just misses out the set text. Does that sound about right? I'm reluctant to take on the Roman History paper as haven't taught anything but language before... any advice gratefully received!

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    Posted by: waterplate 24/09/2011 at 22:55
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    Do the WJEC certificates. The pupils can do Level 1 (marked A* down, but for level 1 not level 2 so make sure no parents/SMT are unclear about that) if they don't make Level 2, so everyone gets a qualification of some kind even if they can't continue to the end of your course. For those who are happy to do the whole lot (which hopefully will be all of them!) you can do Level 2 language/civ and Level 2 literature separately, so you could get them to Level 2 language/civ in the time you have up to Y11 and maybe do level 2 literature in year 12, so they get 2 qualifications equivalent to GCSE in the end, and any who struggle to do the year 12 course, or change school after GCSE, still get at least one GCSE equivalent.
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    Posted by: lemoni122 28/09/2011 at 22:24
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    I worry about the term 'GCSE equivalent'. Will parents/future employers understand this?  Does it say on the cert that it equates to a GCSE grade...? If not I see problems ahead.

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    Posted by: StevenHunt 29/09/2011 at 21:55
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    I suspect that seeing the word "Latin" on the list of achievements would say enough in itself. Employers are very aware of the numerous different qualifications that are available. For those of Classics "professionals" the difference between one type of examination and another is of some significance. But I don't think that sort of hierarchical thinking is prevalent outside academia. Besides, a GCSE at grades A*-D is a Level 2 qualification anyway, so there is no difference at all. If someone gets less than a grade D at GCSE, it is a Level 1 qualification.
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