What are broad features of assessment in modern languages?

Assessment in modern languages will focus on children and young people’s progress in developing and applying their skills in listening, talking, reading and writing.

Teachers can gather evidence of progress as part of day-to-day learning during individual and collaborative activities, for example engaging in relevant conversation or correspondence with peers and adults about people, places and daily life where the language is spoken, and through talks, writing, and presentations, using ICT as appropriate. Specific assessment tasks will also be valuable in assessing progress. From the time when children and young people begin their learning of a modern language through to the senior stages, they will demonstrate progress in their skills in communication and language learning, in their knowledge about language structure, and in their awareness of social, cultural and geographical aspects.

Approaches to assessment should identify the extent to which children and young people can apply these skills in their learning and their daily lives and in preparing for the world of work. For example:

• How well do they contribute to discussions?
• Are they increasingly able to extract key information from texts?

Assessment of progress in modern languages involves making judgements about the success of children and young people in extending and using their vocabulary, increasing their comprehension of the written and spoken word, developing their understanding of language structures and rules and applying these accurately in familiar and new real-life situations, including in social contexts or in giving instructions or directions. For example, they:

• communicate with increasing confidence, accuracy and fluency
• demonstrate through responses their enthusiasm and motivation for modern language learning and their developing cultural and international awareness.

Assessment should promote enthusiasm, motivation and willingness to try out the language in other areas of the curriculum and beyond school. These will be indicators of children and young people’s long-term success as modern language learners and global citizens.