Standard Grade Modern Languages

1. Standard GradeModern Languages What’s it all about?

2. 4 key skill areas Just like in S1 and S2, French, German or Spanish at Standard Grade level involves 4 key skill areas: Speaking Writing Reading Listening

3. Different levels of award. Grades 1 and 2 - Credit Level Grades 3 and 4 - General Level Grades 5 and 6 - Foundation Level Grade 7 - Completed Assessment but did not achieve Foundation Grade 8 - No Award

4. Will there be an exam at the end of the course? Yes, but not for all four key skill areas! For some of the key skill areas, there will be several exams done throughout S3 and S4 in class time but under exam conditions.

5. So, how exactly will I be assessed? Speaking ….. ……is assessed internally (i.e. in class time throughout the year).There are 3 tests per year. One is a conversation in German with your teacher, one is a presentation in German to your teacher and one is a roll-play situation in German with your teacher.

6. So, how exactly will I be assessed? Writing ….. ……is assessed internally (i.e. in class time throughout the year).There are 3 tests per year. Unlike Speaking tests, there is only one kind of Writing test. You have to write a set amount of words in German on a set topic

7. So, how exactly will I be assessed? The three grades you achieve in Speaking will be added together and averaged to give you a single Speaking grade between 1 and 7. The same thing will be done with your three separate Writing grades.

8. So, how exactly will I be assessed? Reading ….. ……is assessed externally (i.e. by an exam at the end of the year).You will have to read a number of passages in German and then answer questions on them in English.

9. So, how exactly will I be assessed? Listening ….. ……is also assessed externally (i.e. by an exam at the end of the year).You will have to listen a number of passages in German and then answer questions on them in English. You will hear each passage of German 3 times and there will be a pause between each question.

10. Internal Speaking and Writing Assessments The first Speaking assessment will be on the same topic as the first Writing assessment and they will both be done around the same time. The topic will have been studied in class and you will be given plenty warning of when the assessments will take place and plenty opportunity to prepare for them, both in class and at home.

11. Internal Speaking and Writing Assessments Possible topic areas for Speaking and Writing assessments include: school life leisure activities holidays career ambitions your town or village

12. Internal Speaking and Writing Assessments It doesn’t matter what kind of class you are in – you can score any grade between 1 and 8 in Speaking and Writing assessments. That is because it is not a set exam i.e. it is entirely up to YOU what you write or say and how much you write or say. If it is good enough, accurate enough and long enough, you will get a Grade 1.

13. How much do I have to write or say in Speaking and Writing assessments? In Writing assessments….. Credit level – approx. 150 words General level – approx 100 words Foundation level – approx 50 words

14. How much do I have to write or say in Speaking and Writing assessments? In Speaking assessments….. There are not word limits as such in Speaking, but obviously the more you have to say, the better your grade will be!

15. External Reading and Listening assessments The Reading and Listening exams will be based on the topic areas covered in the Logo! 4 textbook. There will be plenty opportunity to practise in class by doing actual Standard Grade German Reading and Listening exams from previous years.

16. External Reading and Listening assessments Everybody in Standard Grade German will sit the General level Reading and Listening exams. Depending on what kind of class you are in and how your teacher thinks you are doing in German, you will also sit either the Credit exam or the Foundation exam

17. External Reading and Listening assessments If you pass the Credit exam in either Reading or Listening, your grade in the General exam will not matter! If you pass the General exam in either Reading or Listening, your grade in the Foundation exam will not matter!

18. S3 Assessments Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening assessments in S3 are important….. …… they are used as the basis for your S3 report and also allow your teacher to judge whether you are in the right kind of class and which levels of assessment you should do in S4.

19. S4 Assessments Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening assessments in S4 are even more important….. …… they determine what your Standard Grade award will be in German i.e. what will appear on your SQA Certificate when it drops through your letter box one morning in August 2007!

20. S4 Assessments S4 Assessments must be taken seriously. If you fail to sit all three Speaking assessments and do not achieve at least a grade 7 in each one, you will not only fail Speaking but you will fail your entire Standard Grade German exam!

21. S4 Assessments If you fail to sit one of the three Writing assessments, you will automatically be given a grade 7 for the missing one. If you fail to sit two of the three Writing assessments, you will not only fail Writing but you will fail your entire Standard Grade German exam!

22. Does it matter if I am better in one key skill area than in another? Obviously, yes! But it is not quite as simple as that! Speaking and Reading are double-weighted, in other words the grades you get in Speaking and Reading carry twice the weight or importance as the grades you get in Writing or Listening.

23. In other words, it is better to be better at Speaking than at Writing, and at Reading than at Listening, although it is obviously better to be good at everything!!!

24. Let’s look at a couple of examples

25. Example 1 Speaking grades = 2 + 3 + 2 Average = 2 (x2) 4 Writing grades = 5 + 4 + 6 Average = 5 (x1) 5 Reading grade = 3 (x2) 6 Listening grade = 6 (x1) 6 TOTAL = 21 OVERALL GRADE (TOTAL DIVIDED BY 6) = 3.5

26. Example 2 Speaking grades = 5 + 4 + 6 Average = 5 (x2) 10 Writing grades = 2 + 3 + 2 Average = 2 (x1) 2 Reading grade = 6 (x2) 12 Listening grade = 3 (x1) 3 TOTAL = 27 OVERALL GRADE (TOTAL DIVIDED BY 6) = 4.5