A guide to
Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language
Introduction
Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language learners develop a curiosity about languages and cultures and enjoy learning and using languages. Learners will develop positive attitudes towards speakers of other languages. They will communicate effectively through the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking and develop awareness of language learning.
Our Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language is a generic framework for teaching foreign languages. You can teach any foreign language using the Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language framework, except for English. This is because the Cambridge Lower Secondary programme is designed to be delivered in English and therefore higher CEFR English levels are needed. Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language is aligned to A1 – A2 CEFR levels.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language learners:
- develop a curiosity about languages and cultures and how these shape their perceptions of the world
- develop positive attitudes towards speakers of other languages and a sympathetic approach to other cultures
- recognise similarities and differences between languages
- enjoy learning and using languages
- communicate effectively through the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening
- develop awareness of the nature of language and language learning
- develop a solid foundation in the skills required for continued study of a foreign language.
Teaching Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language
We provide a wide range of practical resources, detailed guidance, innovative training and professional development so that you can give your learners the best possible experience of Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language.
We believe that for teaching and learning to be effective, there should be alignment between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. We have designed Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language around this principle:
Curriculum – taken from Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language Curriculum Framework
9Sc.05 Give simple directions from place to place, using connectors such as first, then, and next.
Pedagogy – An activity from the Stage 9 lesson plan
Ask learners to work individually and draw a map for the character. It should have objects to collect points in different locations of the map and obstacles.
Give out an envelope with cut out prepositions of place. Check learners' understanding of these prepositions before starting the next activity.
Ask learners to work with a partner. Tell them to take it in turns and show their maps from the game to each other. Each learners should look at their partner's map and explain where the objectives are for the character to collect. They should use prepositions from the envelope. For example, The mushroom is under the shelf.
In class feedback, talk about any problems learners had with communicating or understanding the instructions and invite peer correction of common errors, e.g. with vocabulary choices or pronunciation.
Assessment
Learners give simple directions to each other using the map and the prepositions from the envelope. They get feedback of common problems during this communication activity.
Curriculum Framework
The Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language Curriculum Framework is available to download on the Modern Foreign Language (0771) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site. It provides a comprehensive set of learning objectives that give a structure for teaching and learning and can be used to assess learners' attainment and skills development.
The alignment of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language to the CEFR is illustrated below. Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language programmes provide a solid foundation for the further study of a foreign language at Cambridge IGCSE™ or O Level and beyond:
We have divided the learning objectives into seven main areas called ‘strands’, most of which run through every lower secondary stage:
These seven strands and their respective learning objectives work together to support the development of knowledge, skills and understanding. The Grammar and Vocabulary strands provide learners with the linguistic features they need to engage with the language receptively (Listening and Reading) and productively (Speaking and Writing). The Cultural Understanding strand develops learners’ empathy and understanding for people from other cultures and their cultural norms.
Each strand is further subdivided into ‘sub-strands’.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language includes strands on cultural understanding, vocabulary and grammar. By understanding the cultural context of a language, learners can better develop empathy for and understanding of people from other cultures. Studying grammar and vocabulary is essential for your learners when learning a foreign language because it allows them to understand the structure of a language and the meaning of words. Grammar helps learners understand how sentences are constructed, while vocabulary provides the words they need to communicate. Together they form the foundation for understanding and using language effectively.
Our Lower Secondary programme is part of the Cambridge Pathway. This pathway leads seamlessly from primary to secondary and pre-university years. Each step of the pathway builds on the learners’ development from the previous one or from other educational systems. This curriculum framework is typically for learners aged 8 to 11, but it may be appropriate to use it for slightly different ages to suit your context.
You can download more information on progression from the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
Find information from the Progression grid
Find information from the Progression grid
In the Progression Grid, identify the stage that you will be teaching, and the prior knowledge that learners are expected to have. It is important to ensure that this prior knowledge is secure before moving on to new skills and knowledge.
Below is an example taken from the Progression Grid showing how knowledge, understanding and skills progress across the stages:
| Learning objective examples | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Strand | Stage 7 | Stage 8 | Stage 9 |
| Reading | 7Rm.01 Understand the main information in a short, simple, familiar text. | 8Rm.01 Understand the main information in a simple, familiar text. | 9Rm.01 Understand the main information in a simple text. |
| Writing | 7Wc.01 Write isolated phrases and sentences. | 8Wc.01 Write simple phrases and sentences. | 9Wc.01 Write a sequence of sentences. |
| Speaking | 7Sc.01 Use isolated sentences to maintain short exchanges, allowing for noticeable hesitation and false starts. | 8Sc.01 Use a short sequence of sentences to maintain short exchanges, allowing for some hesitation, false starts and reformulation. | 9Sc.01 Use a sequence of sentences to maintain short exchanges, allowing for some hesitation, false starts and reformulation. |
| Listening | 7Lm.01 Understand the topic in a short, simple, familiar text, if the speech they hear is slow and clear. | 8Lm.01 Understand the main information in a simple, familiar text, if the speech they hear is slow and clear. | 9Lm.01 Understand the main information in a simple, familiar text. |
Pedagogy
The Curriculum Framework gives you a list of objectives for each stage. Our support materials then give you guidance on:
- the order in which to teach the objectives
- ways of grouping them
- how to differentiate to make the work more or less demanding
- how to integrate effective teaching approaches into activities
- how to formatively and summatively assess learners.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language is a generic framework for teaching foreign languages. You can adapt and supplement this generic curriculum with materials and activities to teach a specific foreign language. You can incorporate authentic materials in the target language, as well as information and activities that help learners understand and appreciate the culture associated with the language. The structure of the Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language Curriculum Framework is designed to support effective teaching of any foreign language within and across the lower secondary stages.
Our support materials, which are designed to help you implement this approach, include:
- Progression grids
- Example lesson plans
- Teacher Guide
- School Leaders' Guide
- Assessment Guidance
- Suggested resources
- Online training
Find and access these support materials, on the Modern Foreign Language (0771) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
You can find more general information about these support materials on the About Cambridge Lower Secondary page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
An integrated approach
It is expected that teachers will adopt an integrated approach to planning and teaching Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language. Each lesson needs to provide opportunities to practise all four skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), as well as a learning objective from the Cultural Understanding strand, where possible. This integrated approach should be implemented from the start of Stage 7. For example, in a short text about lifestyle, learners understand some details when listening or reading, ask and answer simple questions about the text, write words and phrases when answering questions and notice words that might be common to different languages.
At a cross-curricular level, the integrated approach to learning can link content and language by following CLIL methodology. CLIL involves learning another subject (e.g. science or mathematics) through a language, and learning a foreign language through studying other subjects. For example, at Stage 9, learners can read about and listen to short reports and information (9Rm.01 and 9Rd.01) on the effects of smoking (science topic) using simple grammatical structures (9Gs.01) and then write a short summary (9Wc.01).
Language learning is meaningful when it is presented and practised in context. Use contexts that are relevant and interesting to engage learners in their learning and show how the language may be used outside the classroom. If you ask learners to look at a selection of items (online or in a catalogue) and discuss which one they want to buy and why, you will give them practice that is relevant to them, has a clear purpose and encourages them to interact naturally.
Integrating learning
Integrating learning
To further your understanding, look at the Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language Curriculum Framework and identify the matching learning objective links between the Listening and Reading strands.
Find information from the lesson plan
Find information from the lesson plan
Look in the Stage 8 Lesson plan. Find the activity that shows an approach to teaching the following learning objectives:
- 8Ld.01 Understand some details in a simple, familiar text, if the speech they hear is slow and clear.
- 8Sf.01 Make and respond to invitations; discuss and suggest arrangements.
- 8Wc.03 Spell accurately most high-frequency words when writing independently.
Each lesson needs to provide opportunities to practise all four skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing), as well as a learning objective from the Cultural Understanding strand, where possible.
Now choose a Speaking learning objective from the stage you will be teaching. Open the lesson plan for that stage. Find an example activity that integrates that learning objective with Reading and Writing objectives.
For more information on the approaches to teaching and learning in Cambridge Lower Secondary Modern Foreign Language, refer to Section 5 of the Teacher Guide.
Assessment
There is no Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test or Checkpoint for Cambridge Modern Foreign Language. However, assessment is skill important for foreign language learning and teaching as it provides feedback to both learners and teachers on progress and language learning achievements. Assessments allow teachers to monitor learners’ language skill development and identify areas that need improvement. We provide guidance about how learners can be assessed in our Assessment guidance.
Assessment guidance
Assessment guidance provides support and advice on how to assess learners in the classroom, including:
- example activities that can be used for assessing
- approaches to recording achievement and giving feedback to learners
- different approaches to reporting results.
Find the Assessment guidance on the Modern Foreign Language (0771) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
You can find more general information about Assessment guidance on the About Cambridge Lower Secondary page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
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