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Section 2

Framework for Modern Languages

2.1 Attainment outcomes

The framework for modern languages 5-14 provides a manageable means of organising what pupils should know and be able to do as a result of their learning in modern languages. It is important to recognise that this framework is a way of describing the curriculum and of identifying the desired outcomes of learning. There are four attainment outcomes within the framework: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Listening
Pupils will listen and react verbally and non-verbally to a wide range of texts in varying forms. They will listen for a variety of purposes: to extract information and instructions, to react to others and for enjoyment. Listening may also involve watching.

Speaking
Pupils will develop the fluency and, where the task and the degree of support allow, accuracy to speak in the foreign language for a variety of purposes, including transactions, social interaction and the expression of opinions and feelings.

Reading
Pupils will read a growing range of printed and screen material for a variety of purposes, including the gathering of information, the deduction of meaning and the enjoyment of the texts themselves. Reading is also closely connected to writing and speaking, encouraging young people to see the relationship between the written and spoken forms of the language.

Writing
Pupils will write or word-process texts for a variety of purposes, including the transfer of information, the consolidation of understanding, the establishment of contact and the creation of imaginative pieces.

Throughout P6-S2 all four outcomes should have prominence in the programmes of study. The four outcomes are interrelated and mutually supportive as in, for example, listening and reacting to others. Frequently two or more outcomes are involved in a language-learning activity, such as reading a text with a view to writing imaginatively about it at a later stage. This interaction supports both outcomes during the learning process, as well as during the task, and has a crucial impact on the outcome.

In the earliest stages of language learning it is understandable that greater emphasis may be placed on listening and speaking activities in the modern language. However, reading and writing should also feature in the programmes of study from the outset to support the diversity of learning styles within the class. In addition, increased use of technology, such as fax and e-mail, strengthens the case for the inclusion of reading and writing at an early stage in the learning and teaching programme.

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