Modern Foreign Languages

“You live a new life for every language you speak. If you only know one language, you only live once.”

Czech proverb.

At BGGS we are passionate about the benefits that learning a language can bring. We offer languages for all as we strongly believe in languages as a skill for life and something students should enjoy and find rewarding.

Stephen Fry, the celebrated actor, comedian and writer is a renowned polyglot, (able to speak several languages). Please click here to see why he, like us, believes passionately that languages are important.

Our curriculum allows students to develop intercultural understanding, embrace their own culture and celebrate diversity. We aim to develop confident, resilient learners who can thrive in the world of work using the transferable skills that they have learned. Our objective is to enable students of all abilities to develop their language skills to their full potential, equipping them with the knowledge to communicate in a variety of contexts with assurance.

Here at Bordesley Green Girls' School and Sixth Form, our aim is for students to enhance their intellectual curiosity, their open-mindedness and their engagement, in order to take their place in the world as global citizens.

For marking and assessment information, click here. Click on a language to see our curriculum.

Year 7 French
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Basics - Numbers, calendar, classroom language, talking about my age and someone else's, saying when my birthday, and that of another family member, is, describing hair and eyes, Christmas Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Spring	Saying where I live and am from, talking about my family members, saying their age and how well I get along with them, counting to 100, describing myself and another family member, saying why I like/dislike them, être and avoir. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Summer	Talking about pets (I have and would like to have), asking key questions, saying what jobs people do, why they like/dislike them and where they work, comparing people's appearance and personality, saying what's in my school bag/classroom, describing colour. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work

Year 8 French
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Talking about food, likes/dislikes and why, mealtimes, talking about clothes and accessories I wear, how frequently and when. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Spring	Saying what I and others do in our free time, talking about weather and free time, talking about my daily routine. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Summer	Describing my house, indicating where it is located, saying what I like/dislike about it, saying what I do at home, how often, when and where, talking about future plans for holidays. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work

Year 9 French
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Recap of personal details - talking about name, age, birthday, saying how you are, talking about your nationality and where you live, members of the family and physical description of them, how well you get along with someone and why, your life when young, what makes a good friend, opinions on marriage. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Spring	Talking about activities you do online and why, advantages/disadvantages of life online, activities last weekend and why, free time activities such as sport, music, games, books, tv, film, activities next weekend and why, Easter. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Summer	Talking about festivals you do/do not celebrate and why/how you celebrate, last year's and next year's celebrations, discussing school subjects, likes/dislikes and why, discussing teachers, school rules, differences between French/UK schools. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work

Year 10 French
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Describing town/area where you live, compass directions, saying what is in your town/village, opinions of town/village and future living plans, describing your house/rooms of the house, transport, directions around town, the city of Paris. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Spring	Talking about where you normally go on holiday, how you usually travel, where you stay, usual holiday activities, ordering in a restaurant, describing a past holiday, problems on holiday, where you plan to go for a future holiday, regions of France. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Summer	Discussing school location, facilities, clubs, discussing daily routine and school timetable, giving opinions about uniform, your ideal uniform, plans post-GCSE, other future plans, discussing Work Experience, famous French-speaking people. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
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Year 11 French
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Talking about charity work and volunteering, discussing illnesses, issues such as healthy eating, obesity, smoking, alcohol, drugs, environmental and other global problems, what we should do to help the environment/resolve global problems. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Spring	Discussing plans for later life, plans for travel, where you would like to live and why. Revision of all topics/past paper practice for mock exams. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work
Summer	Exams Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of Term Combined Assessment Tasks - on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work

Year 8 Arabic
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Alphabet, word formation, myself and family, pets Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and Sept & Oct work End of term combined assessment task on the whole term’s work.
Spring	Classroom objects, where do you live, school, school subjects Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and January & February work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	Interests, sports, Music Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and April & May work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 9 Arabic
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Free time activities, socialising with friends and family, likes/dislikes Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and Sept & Oct work End of term combined assessment task on the whole term’s work.
Spring	Preferences; experiences; destinations Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and January & February work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	Customs and everyday life; food and drink; shopping Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and April & May work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 10 Arabic
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Reading; music; sport; film and television, everyday life, celebration Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and Sept & Oct work End of term combined assessment task on the whole term’s work.
Spring	Food and drink; shopping; social media and technology Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and January & February work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	Town, region and country Holidays, school Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and April & May work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 11 Arabic
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Local area, Holiday preferences; experiences; destinations, accommodation, dealing with problems. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and Sept & Oct work End of term combined assessment task on the whole term’s work.
Spring	School types; school day; subjects; rules, school trips Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and January & February work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	Jobs; careers and professions Ambitions, further study; volunteering, environment Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and April & May work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 8 Spanish
Term	Topic Enquiry Questions/ Key Skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Basics - Numbers, calendar, classroom language, talking about my age and someone else's, saying when my birthday, and that of another family member, is, describing hair and eyes, Christmas Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Spring	Saying where I live and am from, talking about my family members, saying their age and how well I get along with them, counting to 100, describing myself and another family member, saying why I like/ dislike them. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Summer	Talking about pets (I have and would like to have), asking key questions, saying what jobs people do, why they like/dislike them and where they work, comparing people's appearance and personality, saying what's in my school bag/classroom, describing colour. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.

Year 9 Spanish
Term	Topic Enquiry Questions/ Key Skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Recap of personal details - talking about name, age, birthday, saying how you are, talking about your nationality and where you live, members of the family and physical description of them, how well you get along with someone and why, your life when young, what makes a good friend, opinions on marriage. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Spring	Talking about activities you do online and why, advantages/disadvantages of life online, activities last weekend and why, free time activities such as sport, music, games, books, tv, film, activities next weekend and why, Easter. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Summer	Talking about festivals you do/do not celebrate and why/how you celebrate, last year's and next year's celebrations, discussing school subjects, likes/dislikes and why, discussing teachers, school rules, differences between Spanish/UK schools. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.

Year 10 Spanish
Term	Topic Enquiry Questions/ Key Skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Describing town/area where you live, compass directions, saying what is in your town/village, opinions of town/village and future living plans, describing your house/rooms of the house, transport, directions around town, the city of Madrid. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Spring	Talking about where you normally go on holiday, how you usually travel, where you stay, usual holiday activities, ordering in a restaurant, describing a past holiday, problems on holiday, where you plan to go for a future holiday, regions of Spain. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Summer	Discussing school location, facilities, clubs, discussing daily routine and school timetable, giving opinions about uniform, your ideal uniform, plans post-GCSE, other future plans, discussing Work Experience, famous Spanish-speaking people. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.

Year 11 Spanish
Term	Topic Enquiry Questions/ Key Skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Talking about charity work and volunteering, discussing illnesses, issues such as healthy eating, obesity, smoking, alcohol, drugs, environmental and other global problems, what we should do to help the environment/resolve global problems. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Spring	Discussing plans for later life, plans for travel, where you would like to live and why. Revision of all topics/past paper practice for mock exams. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half termly assessment on the skill of Writing, from this half-term's work End of term combined assessment task on all skills, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translation, on whole term's work.
Summer	Examination preparation and revision	External Examinations

MFL Marking & Assessment
How will classwork be marked/ monitored/ graded/ self-assessed?	KS3	Once every 3 weeks; combination of verbal feedback, teacher monitoring using red pen, peer assessment and self-assessment.
	KS4	Once every 3 weeks; combination of verbal feedback, teacher monitoring using red pen, peer assessment and self-assessment.
	KS5	Once every 3 weeks; combination of verbal feedback, teacher marking using red pen and self-assessment.
What classwork will be marked?	KS3	Teachers will comment using red pen and/or praise stickers and improvement stickers, e.g. spelling, accents, etc.
	KS4	Teachers will comment using red pen and/or praise stickers and improvement stickers, e.g. spelling, accents, etc.
	KS5	Teachers will comment using Red pen.
How will students ‘reflect’ on marking/ feedback?	KS3/KS4/KS5	Students complete SMART Marking DIRT tasks and respond to feedback once a half term
How will Homework be marked/ monitored/ graded?	KS3	Peer and self-assessment. Marks recorded by teacher.
	KS4	Exam questions will be marked by teachers as well as self-assessment marking. Marks recorded by teacher.
	KS5	Essays will be marked by the teacher and marks recorded
What are the formal Assessments? When are they marked?	KS3- End of Unit assessment completed termly. End of Year exams for Years 7-9 students in the summer term. All assessments are teacher marked and student feedback. KS4- past exam question paper once every half term. Year 11 winter and spring Mock exams with feedback given to the students. Students also provide feedback. Year 10 End of Year exams in the summer term, including a formal speaking exam. Teacher feedback given to the students. Students also provide feedback. KS5- past exam question paper once every half term, as well as Spring Trial exams.

Year 8 Urdu
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Alphabets, Jor tor, word formation, Myself Developing the skills of reading, writing, forming three and four letter words and grammar.	Half term assessment on reading and writing skills. Topic: Alphabets and Jor Tor. End of term combined assessment task Alphabets and Myself
Spring	Classroom, subjects Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- Reading, Writing and listening test on My house and My class room, focus on Translation and writing simple sentences. End of term assessment- on Physical appearance, classroom and My House.
Summer	My hobbies, Likes and dislikes Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- Speaking and listening about Hobbies. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 9 Urdu
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	My family, extended family and friends Developing the skills of reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on family and friends End of term combined assessment task on Daily routine, My family and friends.
Spring	My Town, Food and drinks Developing the skills of reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on My Town,reading,writing,Translation and Grammar End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	My school, Subjects and opinions Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on My school, subjects and opinions. Writing short sentences and reading. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September. Also numbers, months and days of the week.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 10 Urdu
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	My school, facilities and subjects. Professions and Work Experience. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar and Exam style questions. (40 and 90 word tasks)	Half Term Assessment. My school, facilities and subjects. Reading, writing and grammar test. End of term combined assessment task on the whole term's work.
Spring	Technology in Everyday Life/ Use of Mobile Phones. Lifestyle and Healthy Eating Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- On Technology and use of Mobile phones. Reading, writing and speaking, (Role Play) End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	TV and Cinéma Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- TV and Cinéma End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities

Year 11 Urdu
Term	Topic Enquiry questions/ Key skills	Type of Assessment
Autumn	Travel and Tourism - My Holidays. Celebrations and Festivals. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- A Holiday Abroad End of term combined assessment task on the whole term’s work.
Spring	Global Issues, Poverty and Pollution. Weddings Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- Global Issues, Poverty and Pollution. Weddings End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Summer	Revision and Preparation for exams. Questions from past papers. Developing the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, translation and grammar.	Half term assessment- on two skills and April & May work. End of term assessment- on all work so far since September
Extra-Curricular Activities