Revision Plan for this week

You're so close to the exams now that it is really even more important that you knuckle down to revision.

This week, focus on opinions - that includes:

• adjectives which express someone's opinion
• boring, interesting, exciting, difficult, easy, expensive, busy, useful etc
• verbs to express opinions
• I like, I love, I hate, I don't like, I prefer
• expressing favourites
• my favourite
• structures which introduce a point of view
• I think, I am of the opinion, in my opinion

Think about revising.  How are you doing it?  Is it bringing rewards?  Do you find that you can remember everything, or are you just staring at stuff and then forgetting it?  There is little point trying to just stare at vocabulary.  Use apps, revision guides, linguascope (get the password at school).  Try making some flashcards, posters, using post-it notes etc.  Ask your teacher for more advice if you still struggle after trying loads of things out.  Try evernote peek.

Learning adjectives can be really difficult if you struggle to remember vocabulary out of context.  What trying to learn them in pairs? - opposites are often easy to try and work with.

More advice will come later this week - we will try to help you to structure your revision over these last few weeks.

Last minute preparations for the writing exam

So, the exam is now tomorrow!  Wow, it comes round ever so quickly, doesn't it!  

Remember that there are keys to success and you need to make sure that you apply them no matter which language you study.  I remind you about the blog entry I wrote about the mark scheme.  

Content

 Notice that you need to make sure you give more than simple opinions (I like, I hate) if you want to get more than 6/15 in this section.  It is in this section that it is probably easier for you to get loads of extra marks.  You need to be using 'points of view' in your writing if you want to be able to access more than 7 marks for content - no matter HOW good your writing is.  Explain your points of view and try to give loads and loads of information.

Range

Some of you will be able to access the higher band marks, but if you are aiming to get a C grade, make sure you link sentences together (but, because, although, however etc), that you don't always use the same adjectives to describe everything and that you answer the question.  Don't always use 'in my opinion' for your point of view phrases, but use 'I think' or 'I believe' as well.  The clue is in the word 'range'.  A range of flavours for ice-cream would be weak if it only offered vanilla and strawberry - your writing is very similar!

Accuracy

 This is pretty self explanatory - the more accurate the work, the higher the mark; however, notice here that you need to have accurately formed verbs for 3 or more marks here.

GO FOR IT AND GOOD LUCK!

Revision apps (free or under £2)

Well, revision for the exams really should be at the top of your 'to do' list at the moment (in with washing up after dinner, cleaning out the rabbits, going to football practice, having a bit of time out, going to visit nan and grandad etc), but in all seriousness, it is pretty important for you now.  You only get this chance once and think about all the help that you've been given.  You were handed timetables and seat numbers etc the other day and now it is all beginning to seem very real.  Languages are easy, right ... there's only two half hour exams and they're mostly multiple choice ... WRONG - those examiners are out to get your brains working for those to half hours - they want to find out what you know (and what you don't!).  The exam papers are designed to test you and to challenge your ability in French / German / Spanish - they know what they're looking for ... and we know how to show them that you know your stuff.

But, we also know that 'revision' as a concept is quite challenging.  Your lives are exciting and you know about keeping at the cutting edge of technology - post it notes are great, but you had a new tablet for Christmas and your phone is vibrating ... well, put those two bits of kit to good use.

Here's the first few apps that I'm going to share with you ... keep revisiting this webpage because I'll put more and more up over the next few weeks, but there's no point telling you everything all at once - you won't use them all at the same time, will you.

I know that these are all available on Apple, but you'll have to let me know (@CHTSMFL) if they are available on other platforms too and I'll update this blog to let others know.  Likewise, if you come across others (Apple, Android, Google etc), then tweet them to us (@CHTSMFL) and we'll be able to include them in the next list:

Spanish Phrases
In many ways this is more phrase-book-like, than GCSE, but it has loads of good structures which tend to come up in the listening paper (I say that, but it doesn't mean that they won't come up in the reading!).  Completely free. 
Link to itunes to get the app

German Phrases
In many ways this is more phrase-book-like, than GCSE, but it has loads of good structures which tend to come up in the listening paper (I say that, but it doesn't mean that they won't come up in the reading!).  Completely free. 
Link to itunes to get the app 

GCSE French - foundation (Revision buddies)

This is a good app - there are free elements to it (you can revise travel and holidays for free), but you can buy access to the whole thing for £1.99 , or to each of the sections individually for 69p each.  There are past papers for AQA (and other boards, but not WJEC, sorry Year 11) which are available on the app and there are loads of questions related to each topic which are multiple choice as well.  Quite good if you want to focus on a section of the specification at a time. 
Link to itunes to get the app

iGerman GCSE
This is a fab app - it has games and is loads of fun.  It is £1.49 but I think most of you will probably quite like it - they don't have one for French and Spanish, but it seems that there are Maths, Business Studies, English Lit and PE ones as well - I quite like this.  You can choose which topic you want to revise and you can keep scores and try to improve on previous scores as you go - there are whack a monkey and flickball games ... the sort many of you quite enjoy.  If you're interested (or if the bank of mum/dad is paying, then you can even get reports with your marks on them).
Link to itunes to get the app

Cramit GCSE French - AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app
 

Cramit GCSE German - AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app

Cramit GCSE Spanish- AQA
This is specifically for our exam board and features the vocabulary you need.  It is £1.49 and they developers themselves say 'no FLUFF, no GUFF, just the STUFF you need' - there's no games, but you can test yourself, it does seem to include the whole vocab set.
Link to itunes to get the app

Collins French Grammar in Practice
This one has free bits and then you can opt to buy more - the free stuff gives you a bit of a practice at loads of stuff, then the appendices (also free) are really quite good if you need to check out numbers, months etc.  I like this one, but it is more helpful for the writing paper and the higher tier reading paper than it is for anything else.
Link to itunes to get the app

Collins Spanish Grammar in Practice
This one has free bits and then you can opt to buy more - the free stuff gives you a bit of a practice at loads of stuff, then the appendices (also free) are really quite good if you need to check out numbers, months etc.  I like this one, but it is more helpful for the writing paper and the higher tier reading paper than it is for anything else.
Link to itunes to get the app

Revision strategies and hints

Thinking about the writing exam which is now just one week away, you need to remember how to make sure that you get the best marks possible.

Remember there is no point in just putting down a load of words in French, German or Spanish - you must remember to put as much information as possible, and you need, need, need, need, need to share opinions as often as possible!  Opinions and justifications of your opinions are fundamental to success in the writing exam - so long as you do it well.
 
Never underestimate the value of an "I think that", of an "in my opinion", of an "I find" or or a "I am of the opinion that" structure - so long as it is almost always followed by "because"!

Writing preparation and revision - a walk through the mark scheme

So, the writing exam is around the corner.  You've got the question and you've been working hard in lessons.  You need to make sure that you remember to produce French/German/Spanish which is designed to help you to access your grade of best fit.  Remember that it is important to use the mark scheme to help you.  If you need it, it is on pages 14-15 of the specification (it doesn't matter whether you study French, German or Spanish - the mark scheme is the same for all languages) - the specification can be found by clicking here.

Remember that the marks are awarded for the following reasons:

• Content
• Range of Language
• Accuracy

The whole thing is marked out of 30.  Half of the marks available are for 'content'.  You need to think about what you are trying to say, and the message that you give across.  Your answer needs to be relevant - that means that it needs to answer the question/scenario set out in the task.  You need to give lots of information.  Anyone who forgets to include opinions and points of view will be throwing away marks.  Remember that ideas such as 'My house is big' is information, that 'I like my house, because it is modern' is an opinion, and that 'I am of the opinion that mu ideal house would be better than my current house, because it would have ...' is a point of view.  Remember that, just as you PEE in English, you need to POJ - Point, Opinion, Justification, in MFL - this will secure you at least more than the minimum marks.

You need to remember that the range of language is important - if you can use a wider range of vocabulary, do!  There is no point using interesting to describe everything that you talk about, because you are not demonstrating a broad range of vocabulary.  When I was younger, my primary school teacher told us that we couldn't use 'said' - we had to use a range of vocabulary (and I was only 7!) - we were told to use more interesting verbs, such as: told, described, demanded, explained, shared, asked, spoke, shouted, whispered, mentioned etc.  If you're aiming for higher grades, I would suggest that you ban yourselves from using the adjectives kind, nice, interesting, great - use more challenging, more exciting vocabulary ... and try to use any adjective only once - that way you will demonstrate that you 'know stuff'.

Accuracy is exactly what it says ... it is about being accurate with your language - note how this is worth 5/30 - it is far more important to share your message than it is to do it in perfect French, German, or Spanish.  You need to be accurate with verbs to access at least 3/5 of the marks available to you here.