Modern Languages

Modern language courses, including French, Spanish, and Italian, provide the skills and knowledge needed to communicate effectively in a second language and broaden your horizons.

Learning a language opens up a whole new world of exploration, allowing you to develop a deeper understanding of different cultures or simply improve your ability to get more out of visiting other countries. 

Levels explained

Our modern language programmes are organised into three grouping of proficiency and mapped to the CEFR. The CEFR organises language proficiency in six levels, A1 to C2, defined through ‘can-do’ descriptors. It describes in a comprehensive way what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively.

• Beginners (A1 - A2)

  Basic User

  Hours of study required (inc. homework): 180 - 200 hours

  • Can understand and use very basic expressions to satisfy concrete needs.
  • Can introduce themselves and others, ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people they know and things they have.
  • Can interact simply as long as the other person speaks slowly and clearly.
  • Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most intermediate areas, such as shopping, family, employment, etc.
  • Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
  • Can describe in simple terms aspects of their background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need.

• Intermediate (B1 - B2)

  Independent user

  Hours of study required (inc. homework): 500 - 600 hours

  • Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school or leisure-related topics.
  • Can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
  • Can produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
  • Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.
  • Can understand the main ideas of a complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization.
  • Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
  • Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

• Advanced (C1 - C2)

  Proficient user

  Hours of study required (inc. homework): 1,200 hours +

  • Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer clauses, and recognise implicit meaning.
  • Can express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
  • Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
  • Can produce clear, well- structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices.
  • Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read.
  • Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.
  • Can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.