Japanese

At KS4 we follow the Pearson Edexcel syllabus for GCSE Japanese. The course is assessed at the end of Year 11. There are four exams – one in each of the core skills – and each accounts for 25% of the grade. The course builds on the knowledge gained in KS3 and enables students to meet new and exciting topics alongside familiar ones, all of which are then explored further and in more depth.

Students continue to gain confidence in all four language skills, increasing their vocabulary base and enabling them to write long essays and read extended texts. We aim to develop a deeper understanding of grammar and the structures that underpin the language as well as learning more kanji and continuing to practise hiragana and katakana.

Our teaching and learning continues to involve a wide range of challenging, fun and engaging activities. Students are expected to consolidate their learning at home by independently reviewing each lesson and completing all homework.

The GCSE course is comprised of 5 themes and we spread these across the course whilst allowing plenty of time for revision at the end of Year 11. Students are assessed at the end of each unit. They sit either the foundation assessment (where they can achieve grades 1-5) or the higher assessment (where they can achieve grades 4-9) depending on where they are in the course and their individual ability.

In year 10 we cover the following topics;