Why study Italian?
Linguists at QCL love their dynamic and varied lessons, as well as the wide-ranging extra-curricular offerings such as theatre festivals, drama workshops, cinema trips and trips abroad. The study of a language is exciting and Old Queens always say how happy they are to have done an A-level in a language, whatever sector they go on to work in afterwards.
The ability to speak Italian will certainly help pupils stand out in the job market. There is currently a massive deficit of UK-born citizens who can speak Italian, with only one per cent of businesses surveyed reporting levels of Italian good enough to conduct business deals leading to exports. Yet Italy is an important country in Europe and a leader in global industries such as fashion, automobile, design, food and travel. Italy is the third biggest economy in Europe.
Learning a foreign language is a skill in itself and brings its own rewards as you learn to understand magazines, TV programmes, novels, poetry, the news, and, most importantly, people who speak the language you are learning. You will also learn about Italy's fascinating and ever-evolving political, cultural and contemporary life.
By the end of the course, you will be able to converse fluently and discuss complex issues in detail in discursive Italian. You will be set to continue studying any modern language you wish at university too, from Portuguese to Hebrew, Japanese to Arabic; there are many further opportunities that studying a language A-level opens up.
What will I study? How will I be assessed?
We prepare you for the Edexcel board specification. You will study cultural and social topics, such as film, literature, and music. You will also study contemporary society, such as the changes in the Italian family, and issues, such as immigration and the mafia, along with a historical topic on the rise and fall of the fascist regime. You will research your own topic to discuss in the oral exam (this could be a work of art, a musician, a building or political issue, for instance) and write essays on a book and film that you have studied, as well as be tested on your listening, reading and translation skills.
Our linguists always say how much more interesting the A-level is compared to the GCSE – they are right!