Warden Park School, an 11 to 16 comprehensive in West Sussex, is using Asset Languages’ applied World of Work language qualification to challenge its able German students.

The school, which has specialist language college status, is keen to set goals for its Year 11 pupils who have been fast-tracked through their GCSE German in Year 10.

Eileen Walling, MFL AST at Warden Park and a colleague offered Asset World of Work assessments to Year 11 students for the first time in 2008/9, “to broaden their expertise". It‘s part of the school’s Year 11 enrichment programme.

“I think the World of Work Intermediate exam is a much more authentic, more realistic test than the GCSE. It gives the students the opportunity to apply their language skills. There’s also more inference required in Asset so it takes the learners’ thinking skills that bit further.”

Students took speaking and reading tests only. “We kept the speaking tests informal. I encouraged students to use visuals in their presentations to the class. Preparing for the assessments encouraged their self management, self-starter skills. They chose to talk about an organisation which interested them, allowing for personalized learning.”

Eileen was pleased with the results of the World of Work exams which met her expectations of her capable students. A third of her group went on to do AS level German. “We are interested in all ways of keeping students motivated in German. Asset had a role to play in that with the students last year.”