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Italian
Course outline
AQA
Italian A Level is offered to those who have already taken GCSE/IGCSE Italian.
The A Level course focuses on language acquisition and knowledge of Italian culture (changes in Italian society; politics and culture of the Italian speaking countries/communities; Italy: immigration, migration and the gap between North and South, and history from the fascist era to the present day). During your A Level course you will have to take part in a presentation and discussion in Italian based on your independent research project and related to the Italian-speaking cultural and social context.
We run many supporting clubs and activities, which all provide extra opportunities to develop language skills, pronunciation and knowledge of Italian culture. At this level, these activities include the Key Stage Three Italian club and Key Stage four and five Italian film club.
Why study Italian? Italian is an important language for people in business, the arts, technology and many professions. It is useful if you are planning careers in art history, music, linguistics, education and international relations. Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, etc. If you are planning a career in one of those fields, you will benefit from knowing Italian. Art historians need Italian. According to UNESCO over 60 per cent of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy.
Italian language, literature, history, and culture have been a source of admiration and study for many writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to E.M. Forster, and so many other writers around the world. Italian is a language of poetry and music, which allows you to read and study great works by Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Pirandello, Calvino and others in the original language.
You will have the opportunity to practise your spoken skills in the weekly conversation lessons conducted by a native Italian speaker and during the Italian lessons.
We believe that visiting the place the native language is spoken is an essential part of learning languages. We advise going on a course in a language school in Italy, staying with a host family and attending lessons in Italian language and other cultural aspects.
