Exam Preparation

National 5 Modern Languages (French, Spanish, Italian) – Advice to parents and carers from staff

Coursework already completed

Pupils have completed their Speaking exam and Assignment (accounting for up to 37.5% of overall grade)

EXAM

Writing – Paper 1

Pupils should have planned all four planned bullet points and should now be working on memorising these. It is important that they “chunk” their learning to ensure a high level of accuracy.
They should also be practising structures for the unplanned bullet point both in class and at home. Resources to support this are available on their Teams pages.

Reading – Paper 2

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise reading skills. When practising reading, they should apply the techniques taught in class, such as highlighting key words in the questions and bracketing where the answer appears in the text to ensure they include the required detail.

Listening – Paper 3

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise listening skills and ensure they use listening techniques taught in class such as highlighting the key words in the questions and taking notes down the side.
To improve listening fluency more generally, pupils are encouraged to listen to music or podcasts and watch TV programmes or films in the target language. A particularly useful website is www.lingoclip.com, where pupils can listen to songs and complete gap-fill activities using the lyrics.

Higher Modern Languages (French, Spanish, Italian) – Advice to parents and carers from staff

Coursework already completed

Pupils have completed their Assignment (accounting for up to 12.5% of overall grade)

Coursework coming up

Pupils are preparing for their Speaking exam, which involves a conversation of about 8 minutes in the target language. Pupils have planned all their questions and should be learning these at home as well as in class. It is important that they “chunk” their learning to ensure a high level of accuracy in their planned questions.

EXAM

Directed Writing – Paper 1

Pupils should now be working on memorising their Directed Writing common phrases and bullet points. It is important that they “chunk” their learning to ensure a high level of accuracy. Resources to support this are available on their Teams pages.

Reading – Paper 2

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise reading skills. When practising reading, they should apply the techniques taught in class, such as highlighting key words in the questions and bracketing where the answer appears in the text to ensure they include the required detail.

Listening – Paper 3

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise listening skills and ensure they use listening techniques taught in class such as highlighting the key words in the questions and taking notes down the side.
To improve listening fluency more generally, pupils are encouraged to listen to music or podcasts and watch TV programmes or films in the target language. A particularly useful website is www.lingoclip.com, where pupils can listen to songs and complete gap-fill activities using the lyrics.

Advanced Higher Modern Languages (French and Spanish) – Advice to parents and carers from staff

Coursework coming up over March

Speaking exam

Pupils are currently preparing for their Speaking exam, which involves a conversation of approximately 20 minutes in the target language with an external examiner.
They have now prepared their questions and topics in class and should be continuing this preparation at home. It is important that pupils practise learning their answers or key expressions thoroughly so that they can manage the conversation confidently and respond naturally during the exam. Regular revision of vocabulary, practising aloud, and rehearsing with family members can all help to build fluency and confidence.

Folio

Pupils have been working on either their first or second draft of their portfolio on a piece of literature. Pupils should ensure they access the required resources for this on their OneNote and Teams pages.

EXAM

Reading and translation – Paper 1

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise reading and translation skills. When practising reading, they should apply the techniques taught in class, such as highlighting key words in the questions and bracketing where the answer appears in the text to ensure they include the required detail.

Listening – Paper 2

Pupils should use www.scholar.hw.sc.uk and www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/ to practise listening skills and ensure they use listening techniques taught in class such as highlighting the key words in the questions and taking notes down the side.
To improve listening fluency more generally, pupils are encouraged to listen to music or podcasts and watch TV programmes or films in the target language. A particularly useful website is www.lingoclip.com, where pupils can listen to songs and complete gap-fill activities using the lyrics.

Discursive Writing – Paper 3

Pupils should now be focusing on memorising their skeleton essays and key essay phrases to ensure they are using the appropriate structure and incorporating more complex expressions in their writing. Regular practice at home will help to improve accuracy, fluency, and confidence. Resources to support this revision are available on their Teams pages.