Long time no see, am I right? Being a languages enthusiast, a question I'm frequently asked on my Studygram is "How do you revise A-Level/GCSE languages?"- and I get it, there's hardly any information out there online about it! Obviously, it's still early days for me as I'm in Year 12- but I thought there'd be no harm in sharing some revision techniques that I've found to be helpful so far, and I will be sure to update this post should there be anything else I want to add further down the line. I hope you find this post useful, and be sure to add anything else in the comments down below!
G x
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V O C A B :
Along with frequent grammar practise, I think that the single-handed best way to improve your grades in A-Level languages is to learn as much vocab as you can. Now, of course... everybody has their own ways of doing this- but what I've found to be most effective is to make flashcards on Quizlet:
There's a couple of main points that I want to make about vocab, really:
• Whilst at GCSE it was perfectly acceptable to just learn the vocab from your textbook, this should only really be a starting point at A-Level. During the half-term, I always tend to type up the textbook vocab for the next topic that we'll be covering and learn it in advance, which just makes my life that little bit easier- particularly for Spanish, given that I didn't do it at GCSE.
• Speaking of GCSE languages, I would highly recommend that you review your GCSE vocab every now and then- yes... the topics may not be completely relevant, but you'd be surprised at the amount of high-level, transferable vocab you'll have forgotten over the course of the months.
• What I've found particularly helpful at A-Level, which I didn't do at GCSE, is to create an extra set of vocab for every topic dedicated to the new words I come across in lessons, homeworks etc. Again... the more you can learn, the better- particularly in the way of synonyms (those summaries aren't getting better by themselves!).
• If that's not enough for you, how about trying to get a hold of the vocab list either from another textbook for your specification or for a completely different specification altogether? Of course, this isn't essential but if you want to go the extra mile- in the words of Tesco- every little helps.
• Setting your phone, or any gadget really, into the target language can be a great way to learn some new vocab subconsciously- particularly if you're on AQA and happen to have a cyberspace topic!
• Finally, vocab isn't something that you can really cram- not if you want it to stick, anyway. As with anything, little and often is key; personally, I spend about an hour reviewing any vocab (for both languages) every day on my long-term learning feature on Quizlet- or any other sets that I've learnt.
• Whilst at GCSE it was perfectly acceptable to just learn the vocab from your textbook, this should only really be a starting point at A-Level. During the half-term, I always tend to type up the textbook vocab for the next topic that we'll be covering and learn it in advance, which just makes my life that little bit easier- particularly for Spanish, given that I didn't do it at GCSE.
• Speaking of GCSE languages, I would highly recommend that you review your GCSE vocab every now and then- yes... the topics may not be completely relevant, but you'd be surprised at the amount of high-level, transferable vocab you'll have forgotten over the course of the months.
• What I've found particularly helpful at A-Level, which I didn't do at GCSE, is to create an extra set of vocab for every topic dedicated to the new words I come across in lessons, homeworks etc. Again... the more you can learn, the better- particularly in the way of synonyms (those summaries aren't getting better by themselves!).
• If that's not enough for you, how about trying to get a hold of the vocab list either from another textbook for your specification or for a completely different specification altogether? Of course, this isn't essential but if you want to go the extra mile- in the words of Tesco- every little helps.
• Setting your phone, or any gadget really, into the target language can be a great way to learn some new vocab subconsciously- particularly if you're on AQA and happen to have a cyberspace topic!
• Finally, vocab isn't something that you can really cram- not if you want it to stick, anyway. As with anything, little and often is key; personally, I spend about an hour reviewing any vocab (for both languages) every day on my long-term learning feature on Quizlet- or any other sets that I've learnt.
G R A M M A R :
As tedious as it may be, getting a good grasp of grammar is essential at A-Level because the mark schemes are a hell of a lot harsher with what they'll allow. There are a couple of methods that float my boat when it comes to grammar:
• For those pesky irregular verb conjugations, I've found it incredibly useful to write them out on Post-It notes and stick them around my room. As I didn't do the Spanish GCSE, I had to learn how to form a lot of tenses in a short period of time- and by having some irregular conjugations dotted around my room, I could learn these subconsciously in addition to the regular ones without overwhelming myself.
• Speaking of verbs, every couple of weeks I like to do a tenses blurt. If you don't know what blurting is, it's a revision technique where you set yourself a timer (I always set mine to 10 minutes) and jot down absolutely everything you can remember on a topic without any notes- only once you've finished can you go back, correct any mistakes and add missing information. By blurting all the different formations and any irregulars, I can make sure that my tenses are up to par- and quite frankly, it's important they're kept this way because any errors with the tenses are counted as 'serious' which can cost you a lot of marks!
• Now I don't just want to focus on verbs here, so here's something that can be applied to both tenses and other grammatical concepts alike: making mind-maps. What I really like about mind-maps is that you have the choice to simply put them up around your room and learn the information subconsciously, or learn it actively by covering up the body of the mind-map and talking yourself through the topic.
• Having said the above, some topics just don't need an entire mind-map of their own- and that's where my grammar flashcards come out to play. These are great for focusing on the nuances of the language- for example, one I made recently for French asked "What happens to the position of pronouns in the imperative?".
• The main way to practise grammar, however, is to do practise questions. Luckily, there are quite a few workbooks out there now for A-Level languages- but don't forget that there are also a lot of resources out there online that you can access for free, and I've linked some of my favourite websites at the bottom of this post.
• Speaking of verbs, every couple of weeks I like to do a tenses blurt. If you don't know what blurting is, it's a revision technique where you set yourself a timer (I always set mine to 10 minutes) and jot down absolutely everything you can remember on a topic without any notes- only once you've finished can you go back, correct any mistakes and add missing information. By blurting all the different formations and any irregulars, I can make sure that my tenses are up to par- and quite frankly, it's important they're kept this way because any errors with the tenses are counted as 'serious' which can cost you a lot of marks!
• Now I don't just want to focus on verbs here, so here's something that can be applied to both tenses and other grammatical concepts alike: making mind-maps. What I really like about mind-maps is that you have the choice to simply put them up around your room and learn the information subconsciously, or learn it actively by covering up the body of the mind-map and talking yourself through the topic.
• Having said the above, some topics just don't need an entire mind-map of their own- and that's where my grammar flashcards come out to play. These are great for focusing on the nuances of the language- for example, one I made recently for French asked "What happens to the position of pronouns in the imperative?".
• The main way to practise grammar, however, is to do practise questions. Luckily, there are quite a few workbooks out there now for A-Level languages- but don't forget that there are also a lot of resources out there online that you can access for free, and I've linked some of my favourite websites at the bottom of this post.
C O N T E N T :
It goes without saying that you need to know your topics off by heart and back to front- especially for Paper Three. Again, I've compiled some methods specific to this below- but you'll also notice that I've added some ways in which you can stay engaged with the language, which is equally crucial if you're aiming for the top grades!
• When it comes to learning content, I've found that making mind-maps is one of the most beneficial revision techniques; not only does it help you to get a good all-round knowledge of the topic, but it lends itself well into a bit of extra research- let me tell you, knowing a few extra statistics or names of laws will almost always look impressive in a speaking exam!
• Again, don't underestimate the importance of practise questions when it comes to content- you'd be surprised at how many marks you can lose due to sloppy exam technique. After I've done a set of questions, I'll be sure to write a Post-It note detailing any key errors (which I quickly look back at before a test) and anything I need to do to follow that up- as well as typing up any new vocab. As a side note, let me know if you'd like to see a blog post about how I tackle every type of question in Paper One- while I wanted to include it here, this post would've been far too long!
• Speaking of exam technique, I've been trying to do more and more reading in my target languages- whether it be news articles, pieces of literature or just following Instagram accounts that post in the languages. It's not going to work miracles overnight- that's a given- but over time... greater exposure to the language will help you learn the little nuances that'll improve your translation skills, and you can obtain some great high-level vocab from them too.
• Similarly, listening to the radio/music and watching shows/films in the language is incredibly helpful- and not too taxing to do either! If you want to get into the two but don't really know where to begin, I have a few links down below- but as for films, I would definitely ask your teachers as they're almost guaranteed to have a few you can borrow.
• Linking back to the first point, staying up to date with the news and what's going on in the country can be really helpful- particularly for your speaking exam, wherein you could slip in some of this knowledge (which I'm sure would be looked upon favourably).
• Finding a pen-pal that you can practise your language skills with can be invaluable too- allowing you to go beyond the textbooks and learn the language the way it's spoken nowadays (i.e. colloquialisms and whatnot else). Admittedly... I haven't been up to speed with this lately, but I found the app Tandem really helpful at GCSE if it's something you're interested in.
• Again, don't underestimate the importance of practise questions when it comes to content- you'd be surprised at how many marks you can lose due to sloppy exam technique. After I've done a set of questions, I'll be sure to write a Post-It note detailing any key errors (which I quickly look back at before a test) and anything I need to do to follow that up- as well as typing up any new vocab. As a side note, let me know if you'd like to see a blog post about how I tackle every type of question in Paper One- while I wanted to include it here, this post would've been far too long!
• Speaking of exam technique, I've been trying to do more and more reading in my target languages- whether it be news articles, pieces of literature or just following Instagram accounts that post in the languages. It's not going to work miracles overnight- that's a given- but over time... greater exposure to the language will help you learn the little nuances that'll improve your translation skills, and you can obtain some great high-level vocab from them too.
• Similarly, listening to the radio/music and watching shows/films in the language is incredibly helpful- and not too taxing to do either! If you want to get into the two but don't really know where to begin, I have a few links down below- but as for films, I would definitely ask your teachers as they're almost guaranteed to have a few you can borrow.
• Linking back to the first point, staying up to date with the news and what's going on in the country can be really helpful- particularly for your speaking exam, wherein you could slip in some of this knowledge (which I'm sure would be looked upon favourably).
• Finding a pen-pal that you can practise your language skills with can be invaluable too- allowing you to go beyond the textbooks and learn the language the way it's spoken nowadays (i.e. colloquialisms and whatnot else). Admittedly... I haven't been up to speed with this lately, but I found the app Tandem really helpful at GCSE if it's something you're interested in.
L I N K S
General-
My Quizlet- Here you can find sets for AQA Spanish, Edexcel French and AQA French- and I'm currently typing up vocab from the Mot à Mot/Palabra por Palabra books.
Languages Online- Has some pretty handy grammar exercises.
TES- Don't be put off... although a website for teachers, there's an abundance of resources that you can download if you make an account.
My Spotify Playlist- A mix of French and Spanish bops, if I do say so myself.
Get Revising- Another website with plenty of resources- this one more for revision notes/materials.
MFL Online- Has some brilliant resources for a variety of A-Level languages.
Languages Resources- Again, another website with an abundance of resources.
Tandem- If you're in need of a pen-pal...
Also, feel free to contact me via Instagram (@everylittlethingstudy) or email if you'd like access to my Google Drive- where I keep classwork as well as some resources and revision.
Languages Online- Has some pretty handy grammar exercises.
TES- Don't be put off... although a website for teachers, there's an abundance of resources that you can download if you make an account.
My Spotify Playlist- A mix of French and Spanish bops, if I do say so myself.
Get Revising- Another website with plenty of resources- this one more for revision notes/materials.
MFL Online- Has some brilliant resources for a variety of A-Level languages.
Languages Resources- Again, another website with an abundance of resources.
Tandem- If you're in need of a pen-pal...
Also, feel free to contact me via Instagram (@everylittlethingstudy) or email if you'd like access to my Google Drive- where I keep classwork as well as some resources and revision.
French-
France Top 50, Spotify- Rather self-explanatory, a great playlist to get into popular French music.
Souvenirs Playlist, Spotify- If you're into classic French music, here's a playlist for you!
Fun Radio- One of my favourite French radio stations.
Le Monde- If you want to keep up with the news, this is the site for you.
Le Figaro- Another news website for variety.
Souvenirs Playlist, Spotify- If you're into classic French music, here's a playlist for you!
Fun Radio- One of my favourite French radio stations.
Le Monde- If you want to keep up with the news, this is the site for you.
Le Figaro- Another news website for variety.
Spanish-
Spain Top 50, Spotify- Again... if you want to get into popular Spanish music, this is the playlist for you!
¡Viva Latino! Playlist, Spotify- Another predominantly pop playlist...
20 Minutos- A great website for quick reads.
BBC Mundo- If you're into BBC news, here's the Spanish version for you.
eSpanish- A site with some brilliant resources, do note that a lot of old-specification resources are still relevant!
¡Viva Latino! Playlist, Spotify- Another predominantly pop playlist...
20 Minutos- A great website for quick reads.
BBC Mundo- If you're into BBC news, here's the Spanish version for you.
eSpanish- A site with some brilliant resources, do note that a lot of old-specification resources are still relevant!