Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Subjects

Spanish

Spanish at CCHS

At CCHS, we have been teaching Spanish as an additional language in the Sixth Form since September 2006. From the beginning of the academic year 2009-10, we will be offering Spanish ab initio within the International Baccalaureate. This course will be offered both to IB students as part of their Diploma and to A level students as a complement to their other Sixth Form studies. At the end of the course, they will receive an IB certificate in ab initio Spanish. The students will be encouraged to exploit their previous experience of language learning and their understanding of the structure of language to support their learning of Spanish but no previous knowledge of the language is required.

Throughout the course, we will be establishing proficiency in the language, oral, aural and written, and will be building a systematic understanding of Spanish grammar. We meet five times a fortnight. The IB course covers the following seven broad topic areas: the individual, education and work, town and services, food and drink, leisure and travel, the environment and health and emergencies. The source material will be contemporary and texts will be drawn from a variety of Spanish speaking cultures.

The IB ab initio examination comprises of two written papers, one text handling and one essay and two oral tests, the individual and the interactive. Students will take part in three interactive orals during Year 13, the best of which will be submitted. All sections of the examination require a clear understanding of grammar, and texts will be drawn from the topic areas listed above.