Latin GCSE

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

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enema
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:45 pm

Latin GCSE

Post by enema »

Does anyone have any feedback on Latin GCSE - volume of work, difficulty, enjoyment etc. DD is considering it and we are wondering how others have found it especially in the reformed gcse context.
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by KB »

Old info only, hopefully someone from last summer will be along soon.
Traditionally it was seen as a tough subject. My DCs were at highly academic schools with many students getting all top grades at GCSE. Latin was often the one that slipped a grade.
There used to be masses and masses of vocab to learn.
It also became much harder than in year 9.
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by kenyancowgirl »

DS1 took it for GCSE. It gets much harder and the volume of vocab that literally just has to be rote learned is quite mind boggling. But if you are prepared to grind and graft then it is perfectly possible to get an A* (or equivalent)
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by Reading Mum »

DD didn’t find it any more work than most other subjects - and less than Art or Music . She quite enjoyed the texts
round2
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 1:14 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by round2 »

Hi my DD is in year 10 and is loving Latin and she doesn't find it at all mind boggling or hard by any means. It is at GCSE level so the demands will be there to consider the level, but I guess your DS does need to enjoy the subject in order to love it at GCSE level.
Pumpkin Pie
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by Pumpkin Pie »

My daughter did GCSE Latin last summer and it is her favourite subject. It has always come naturally to her so she finds it quite easy. The work load was no different to any other subjects. She got a Grade 9 in the summer and is now continuing it at A'Level. She now has the dilemma as to whether to choose Latin for a degree path or follow the sciences. Any advice most welcome!
piggys
Posts: 1636
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:29 am

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by piggys »

My dd is also doing Latin A level having really enjoyed the GCSE. It is regarded very favourably by universities, I know that much :D (not that she did it with that in mind....)
fairyelephant
Posts: 588
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by fairyelephant »

And to balance it out my DD sat it last summer at GCSE, having loved it lower down the school she really didn’t enjoy the GCSE. She felt it was very dull and there was a huge amount of vocab to learn. Having said that she also felt it was quite easy to do well provide you were prepared to put the time in learning. She used quizlet a lot for the vocab and she practised her translations of the texts by translating out loud.
Sephora
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 12:59 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by Sephora »

DD is in year 9 and we are discussing GCSE options, she is interested in a career in Law. Is Latin GCSE a need to have? Any advice is appreciated.
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: Latin GCSE

Post by KB »

Sephora wrote:DD is in year 9 and we are discussing GCSE options, she is interested in a career in Law. Is Latin GCSE a need to have? Any advice is appreciated.
The simple answer is 'No'. Lots of schools don't even offer it. I'd advise making her choice on whether she is motivated to put in the work and if she is doing really well so far.


As to whether its of any use in practice, I guess she needs to ask some lawyers!

With regard to it helping with degree level/ professional study she could look at web pages for institutions and if nothing available then try emailing them specific questions.
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