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Welsh Second Language

A-level Welsh Second Language — Cymraeg Ail Iaith — is WJEC’s qualification for learners of Welsh in Wales: regulated by the Welsh Government, approved by Qualifications Wales, and not available to centres in England. It is deliberately not the same qualification as first-language Welsh, and the two may not be combined — a candidate for this examination may not sit the First Language Welsh AS or A level, and anyone who took Welsh or Welsh Literature (First Language) at GCSE is barred from it altogether. Neither is it shaped like a modern-foreign-language A-level with its four skills and its three papers. It is a UNITISED qualification of six units, three AS and three A2, which may be sat in stages: AS Unit 1 Film and Oracy (15%), AS Unit 2 Non-examination Assessment (10%), AS Unit 3 The Use of Language, and Poetry (15%), A2 Unit 4 Drama and Oracy (25%), A2 Unit 5 The Welsh Language in Society and Translanguaging (15%) and A2 Unit 6 The Use of Language and the Short Story (20%). Three features of it have no parallel anywhere else in this catalogue. First, ORACY IS EXAMINED TWICE — in Unit 1 and again in Unit 4 — by an external examiner who visits the centre in the summer term, with candidates assessed in pairs or groups of no more than three; a group of three is examined for approximately 35 minutes in Unit 1 and approximately 45 in Unit 4, and between them those two units carry 40% of the A level. Second, a tenth of the qualification is a genuine NON-EXAMINATION ASSESSMENT: a Package of three extended pieces on a subject connected to Wales, between 1,500 and 2,000 words in all, one of them written by hand in two hours under special conditions and never redrafted — and that same Package is then defended orally, individually, in Unit 1 Section B. Third, TRANSLANGUAGING is named content: in Unit 5 Section B candidates read material in English and respond to it in written Welsh, and the specification states plainly that the text should not be translated. The assessment objectives are three: AO1 use of spoken language, AO2 responding to texts, AO3 using written language. Read them from the per-unit table rather than from the headline percentages, because the headline figures do not sum: the per-unit table gives AO1 30%, AO2 25% and AO3 45% of the full A level and totals correctly to 100. Unit by unit it runs AO1 10 + AO2 5 for Unit 1; AO3 10 alone for Unit 2; AO2 5 + AO3 10 for Unit 3; AO1 20 + AO2 5 for Unit 4; AO3 15 alone for Unit 5; and AO2 10 + AO3 10 for Unit 6. That distribution is the single most useful planning fact in the specification: Unit 4 is the heaviest unit in the qualification at 25% and two thirds of the whole AO1 allocation sits inside it, while Units 2 and 5 are marked on written language alone. The literary and cultural syllabus is prescribed by name: the film Patagonia; five poems from the Fesul Gair anthology by Iwan Rhys, Grahame Davies, Gwion Hallam, Myrddin ap Dafydd and Tudur Dylan Jones; the play Crash by Sera Moore Williams; and four short stories by Mihangel Morgan, Llio Mai Hughes, Marlyn Samuel and Ioan Kidd. Every one of those four prescriptions carries WJEC’s stated right to change the set work on adequate notice, so the list is fixed but not permanent and must be confirmed for your own examination series. A NOTE ON THE LANGUAGE OF THESE NOTES, which is a platform convention and not a claim about how the subject should be taught: the explanatory prose here is in English because the whole UK A-Levels notes corpus is English-medium, while the examination itself is conducted entirely in Welsh and every word a candidate writes or speaks in it is Welsh. Because this is a SECOND-language qualification the notes are written for a learner and gloss generously — ordinary Welsh vocabulary is translated, not assumed — and they teach production rather than recognition: model phrases, sentence frames and the mutations you will actually need are given in full so that you can say and write them. Y treigladau, the mutations, are treated as the central grammatical system they are, and every mutated form printed anywhere in these notes has been checked against its trigger.

0/70 Texts14 Chapters~403 min total

Continue reading — Chapter I Table of contents

WJEC Welsh (Second Language), Summary of assessment — six units, three AS and three A2, unitisedSpecification §3.1, assessment objectives and weightings, including the per-unit tableSpecification §4.2, grading, awarding and reporting — the uniform mark scaleSpecification §2.1, Unit 3 Section A — correcting errors in text, and the grammar inventory that supports itSpecification §2.1, prepositions am, ar, at, dan, dros, drwy, gan, heb, hyd, i, o, wrth (+ soft mutation)Specification §2, Knowledge and Understanding — the structures, grammar and patterns of both spoken and written Welsh+185 moreFoundationStandardAdvanced

Table of contents · 14 ChaptersT·14

Ch. IFoundations: grammar and register5 texts · 0 read

Ch. IIWriting in a range of forms5 texts · 0 read

Ch. IIIOracy and speaking skills5 texts · 0 read

Ch. IVListening and responding5 texts · 0 read

Ch. VFilm study5 texts · 0 read

Ch. VINEA: the Package5 texts · 0 read

Ch. VIIUse of language and poetry5 texts · 0 read

Ch. VIIIReading and comprehension5 texts · 0 read

Ch. IXContemporary Welsh culture and media5 texts · 0 read

Ch. XDrama study5 texts · 0 read

Ch. XIThe Welsh language in society5 texts · 0 read

Ch. XIITranslanguaging5 texts · 0 read

Ch. XIIIAdvanced use of language5 texts · 0 read

Ch. XIVShort story study5 texts · 0 read

Instrument · 01Recommended study order

Instrument · 02Exam structure

The six units, the weightings, and what the two sets of mark figures actually mean: Six units, three AS and three A2, all of them contributing to the full A level: AS Unit 1 Film and Oracy, 15%, entry code 2020U1; AS Unit 2 Non-examination Assessment, 10%, 2020U2; AS Unit 3 The Use of Language and Poetry, 15%, 2020U3; A2 Unit 4 Drama and Oracy, 25%, 1020U4; A2 Unit 5 The Welsh Language in Society and Translanguaging, 15%, 1020U5; A2 Unit 6 The Use of Language and the Short Story, 20%, 1020U6. Two different sets of numbers describe these units and they must not be confused. The SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT prints RAW marks — 60, 60, 120, 75, 80 and 100 — which are what the examiner actually writes on the script. The grading section prints UNIFORM marks — 75, 50, 75, 125, 75 and 100 — which are what appears on the results slip. The uniform marks total 500, and the specification says it plainly: an AS GCE has a total of 200 uniform marks and an A level GCE has a total of 500. Unit 3 makes the difference visible, because its 120 raw marks map onto a uniform maximum of 75. The uniform mark scale exists so that candidates who reach the same standard receive the same mark whichever series they sat a unit in, which is precisely what makes staged assessment possible. Grade thresholds are published in uniform marks: at A level 400 is a grade A, 350 a B, 300 a C, 250 a D and 200 an E; at AS the same ladder runs 160, 140, 120, 100 and 80 out of 200. Note carefully that 400 is the A THRESHOLD and not the total. The A level is graded A to E, but this specification’s uniform-mark table stops at grade a and prints no A threshold of its own, so confirm the current A* arrangement with WJEC rather than assuming the rule that applies to a sister qualification.
The assessment objectives, and why the per-unit table is the one to plan from: Three assessment objectives. AO1, use of spoken language, asks a candidate to speak the language correctly and confidently with a range of linguistic resources in a context-appropriate register; to listen attentively and respond sensibly by raising questions and developing relevant viewpoints in a balanced manner; and to interact, summarise and come to balanced conclusions. AO2, responding to texts, asks for knowledge of specific texts and their background through critical analysis that discusses and evaluates other interpretations; appreciation of different literary genres; coherent response to literary, visual and factual subjects both orally and in writing; specific reference back to the original text with justification; and translanguaging by understanding and interpreting the text — with an extra A-level clause requiring candidates to collate, compare and evaluate information across media and reach balanced conclusions. AO3, using written language, asks for correct, clear, proficient writing with a range of linguistic resources, effective use of grammar in context, and awareness of different registers for different purposes. There are two AO tables in the specification and they disagree. The objectives table heads AO1 at 25%, AO2 at 25% and AO3 at 45%, which sums to 95 and cannot be right; the per-unit table gives AO1 30, AO2 25 and AO3 45, which sums to 100. Plan from the per-unit table. It reads: Unit 1 AO1 10 + AO2 5; Unit 2 AO3 10; Unit 3 AO2 5 + AO3 10; Unit 4 AO1 20 + AO2 5; Unit 5 AO3 15; Unit 6 AO2 10 + AO3 10. Three consequences follow immediately. AO3, written language, is the largest objective at 45% and it is examined in four of the six units. AO1 is 30% and lives entirely in the two orals, two thirds of it in Unit 4 alone. And AO2, at 25%, is the smallest objective even though four set works are prescribed — so knowing the texts matters, but writing and speaking accurately matters more.
The two oral examinations — Units 1 and 4, and the group of three: Oracy is not a bolt-on in this qualification: it is examined twice and the two oral units carry 40% of the A level between them. Both run the same way. The assessment is external — an examiner appointed by WJEC visits the centre during the summer term — although teachers are expected to assess candidates internally during the year, and the centre’s own assessment is used to guide the examiner, who alone has the right to determine the final marks. Candidates are assessed in pairs or groups of NO MORE THAN THREE, selected on the basis of candidate ability or at the examiner’s discretion; a lone candidate is examined individually. The examiner’s role is defined narrowly and it tells you exactly what to expect: to stimulate discussion by asking questions, to initiate a change of direction in the discussion, to ask a candidate to provide evidence to substantiate ideas or develop an argument, and to ensure that each candidate has an opportunity to respond. Marking considers the ability to demonstrate specific information about the film or the drama and its background, to listen attentively to others, raise questions, develop opinions, interact and form conclusions — and, separately, the ability to speak Welsh correctly and proficiently using a register appropriate to the purpose and audience. Unit 1 has two parts: Section A, a group discussion of the film, approximately 20 minutes per group, so approximately 35 minutes in total for a group of three; and Section B, an individual response of approximately 5 minutes on the Package produced for Unit 2. Unit 4 has three: Sections A and B together, approximately 30 minutes per group, covering living through the medium of Welsh and then the prescribed play; and Section C, an individual synoptic response of approximately 5 minutes on themes running across all the texts studied — family, relationships, responsibility, love and communication. A group of three is therefore examined for approximately 45 minutes in Unit 4.
Unit 2 — the non-examination assessment, its rules and its moderation: A tenth of the A level, assessed on AO3 alone, marked by the teacher during the course and moderated externally by WJEC. The task is a PACKAGE — the specification’s own word for it — focussing on one chosen subject: a specific area of Wales, a social issue, a cultural issue, a vocational issue, an historical subject or a political issue. The subject may be of local or national interest and traditional or contemporary in nature, but it must be connected to Wales. The Package must contain THREE extended pieces in three of seven named formats: a report or article, a portrait, a story, a conversation or interview, a letter, a blog, or a diary. The whole Package should run to between 1,500 and 2,000 words, and one written piece of 400 to 600 words within that total must be completed as a task under special conditions. Appendix A shows each piece marked out of 20 on an AO3 grid, giving the unit its 60 raw marks. The special-conditions rules are strict and specific: two hours in the classroom, conditions similar to those of an ordinary examination, no consultation between candidates, a week’s notice beforehand, dictionaries and short bullet-point materials such as statistics, facts, examples and relevant quotations permitted, completed work prepared in advance not permitted to be brought in, and the use of a word processor prohibited for that task. The rest of the Package may be worked on in the classroom or at home and may be word-processed. Two procedural rules matter more than they look. Work is marked when it is presented to the teacher during the course, and a folio task must NOT be rewritten or corrected once the teacher has corrected it — under no circumstances may a mark be awarded for work corrected in earlier drafts, and the teacher’s corrections and comments stay on the script. And everything is documented: the original stimulus, any preparation the candidate did beforehand, any assistance or guidance the teacher gave, the submission date and any notes for the moderator, on a dedicated WJEC form signed by both teacher and candidate. Where a centre has more than one teaching group the work must be standardised internally; WJEC assigns each centre an external moderator, selects the sample itself after marks are submitted online, and sends it at the beginning of the summer term. NEA marks may be carried forward for the life of the specification. Presentation is assessed too: headings and sub-headings should be used effectively, and a contents page and a bibliography of all books used are required.
The three written papers — Units 3, 5 and 6 — and the prescribed texts: All three written units last two hours and all three require exactly TWO answers, one from each section. Unit 3 Section A is a composite Use of Language question containing different types of linguistic exercise: correcting errors in a text or translating text into Welsh; changing verbs from first person to third, present to past, singular to plural; and writing a personal response in a range of forms. It is backed by a long inventory of grammar the candidate must know and be able to use — verb forms from the present through the pluperfect continuous to the short past and the defective verbs, noun plurals and gender, decimal and traditional numerals, conjugated prepositions, adjective position and comparison, pronouns, adverbs, and nominal, adjectival and adverbial sub-clauses. Section B sets one question on five prescribed poems from the Fesul Gair anthology and asks for a personal response dealing with the content, themes and style of the poems, informed by other interpretations from pupils, teachers and literary critics, using citations and the terminology of literary criticism. Unit 5 Section A asks composite questions on the Welsh language in society: its historical context from the middle of the twentieth century to the present day, and its current situation locally and nationally. Section B is the translanguaging task — read material in English, respond in written Welsh, in the form of a letter, an article or an information pamphlet, understanding and interpreting the content before expressing an opinion on it with an awareness of the target audience; the text should not be translated. Unit 6 Section A is another composite Use of Language question — write a response to a specific task, and exercises changing tense, person or number, choosing the correct verb in a sentence and choosing between similar words — resting on a second and harder grammar inventory that adds the impersonal forms, emphatic sentences, the genitive, composite prepositions, the subjunctive and short verb forms on top of everything required in Unit 3. Section B sets two questions on one of four prescribed short stories plus one synoptic question. Units 4, 5 and 6 all carry synoptic assessment. Dictionaries are prohibited in all three written papers, as are copies of the poems in Unit 3 and copies of the short stories in Unit 6. The set works are named and fixed rather than rotated on a published cycle, but each prescribing section reserves WJEC’s right to change the film, the poems, the play or the stories on adequate notice, so confirm the list current for your own series before committing two years to a text.

Instrument · 03Official sources