Italian AS Level

If you have a passion for all things Italian, you like the Italian food, weather, Italy’s history, art and culture, you would love to speak the language of Pavarotti and Sofia Loren more fluently and wish to carry on after your GCSE, then this is the course for you. Please see below for more detailed entry requirements. In the first few weeks, students will revise some basic grammar from GCSE and start to develop their vocabulary in relation to the topics for the AS exams. Throughout the course, students will - study the topics for the AS exam - learn the grammar for AS exam - develop understanding of the spoken and written forms of Italian using magazines, newspapers, videos, listening activities and songs - communicate confidently, clearly and effectively in Italian through both the spoken and written word, using increasingly accurate, complex and varied language - develop critical insights into, and contact with, the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of countries or communities where Italian is spoken Towards the end of the course, learners will - consolidate the grammar - be introduced to Italian literature and history - learn more about the Italian way of life - be able to discuss in class about the different topics - understand and respond, in speech and writing, to spoken language - demonstrate knowledge of and apply accurately the grammar and syntax - demonstrate knowledge and understanding of aspects of the chosen society It is essential that students dedicate between 4-6 hours a week to homework and revision. Homework will be set each week. In addition to the set of homework, it is advisable to look through the work covered in class each week. Mock exams will take place during the year. By the end of the course Students will have studied vocabulary in the following topics : - Youth and culture concerns - Lifestyle : health and fitness - The world around us - Education and employment Students will have studied the following grammar: - Gender and agreements of nouns - Articles - Tenses : present, past ( perfect and imperfect), future ( future present and perfect) ,conditional ( conditional present and perfect) ,gerund, subjunctive ( present and past) , past historic and infinite with other verbs or with prepositions - Modal verbs - Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns, direct and indirect pronouns, possessive, relative, demonstrative - Possessive adjectives, demonstrative, interrogative - Comparative and superlative - Prepositions - Passive - Direct and Indirect speech - Adverbs Students will have been introduced to the following cultural items - Italian songs - Italian art - Italian literature - Life in Italy ( culture and mentality ,history and geography) - Food and drink in Italy ( and a lot of useful recipes) - Italian movies About the tutor Rossella is originally from Verona, Italy and has lived in the UK for almost 6 years. She is a trained teacher both in Italy and in the UK with more than 18 years teaching experience. Rossella is very passionate about her language and her country and always tries her best to transmit this passion to her students. In her spare time Rossella enjoys gardening, reading and cooking. She often goes to Italy to collect items to be used for her lessons.

What will happen on the first evening? You don’t need to bring anything more than pen and paper and a willingness to speak. You will be introduced to the course and the teacher will give you a list of useful web sites and book shops .The teacher will tell you about the textbooks and how you can purchase them for the next class. What materials or equipment need to be provided by the student? On the first evening you will only need pen and paper. However, after that, please do have the text books. You will be required to purchase these and the costs are £15.00 - £30.00 Any additional costs the student is likely to incur? Exam fees are paid up front when the student enrols on to the course. All learners must take the exams. Many students like to buy additional materials such as dictionaries and study guides. These are not required and are at the expense of the learner. Sometimes the group likes to attend an evening meal together at the end of term and each student pays for him/herself. The teacher will provide you with the “tools” you need to “build” your Italian knowledge. If you want to achieve to the best of your ability and wish to achieve a good grade, you need to study at least 1 hour every day. Students are required to take the mock exams set up during the course. These are useful for the learner to have an idea of what to expect the day of the exam and it is in the mean time a good way to test themselves.

You must have studied the language previously. There is no automatic entry to exam level classes. Students who would like to enrol on AS level classes will usually have an A or A* grade at GCSE. All students who would like to enrol on an AS language class will need to attend an assessment evening at the Cheltenham campus. If you would like attend a session, please contacts the Languages department on 01242 532139 or email: languages@gloscol.ac.uk Please note that all courses are subject to a minimum number of learners. We endeavour to run all classes on the first evening, but a minimum number of learners must have pre-enrolled. Please do enrol to ensure the class will run on the first evening. A decision to continue to run the class will be made based on the number of learners who attend the first week.

Students are required to take all exams associated with AS Italian. Progression is possible from AS to A2 with a C grade or higher and approval from the tutor. The college offers modern language courses in ten languages. Many of our learners study more than one language over their time at the college.