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From a GCSE examiner’s point of view, I believe most students do not underperform in writing because they lack ideas, motivation or effort. Much more often, they underperform because they have been taught a version of GCSE writing that does not reflect how writing is actually assessed. Year after year, the same issues surface in exam papers. Students rely heavily on scaffolds , they misunderstand what “complex language” really means and accuracy at sentence level is sacr

One of the most powerful ways to build confidence, fluency and motivation in the MFL classroom is through purposful games. I believe that well-chosen, low-prep activities can transform the energy of a lesson while driving serious progress in retrieval, phonics, grammar and spontaneous use of the target language. Below is a bumper list of 30+ tried-and-tested MFL games  you can use across key stages. They work brilliantly in German, French, Spanish and beyond. ⭐ Retrieval & M

There’s a lot of talk everywhere about the new 2026 GCSE MFL exams and for good reason! The updates are designed to make language learning more meaningful, focusing on real communication rather than memorised scripts and let's hope they will! The part, I would like to focus on in this post is the Role-Play  section in the speaking exam. If you’ve ever taught GCSE languages, you’ll know role-plays have always been around in some form but the new version asks students to use th

In the world of MFL, book looks can sometimes feel like a tick-box exercise or a stressful scrutiny. Too often - and this can be the case...

When we talk about language learning, “speaking” often feels like the ultimate goal. It’s what learners and parents usually see as...

This academic year has been an incredibly full and rewarding one for me, filled with opportunities to speak at conferences locally,...

As language teachers, we’re always looking for ways to boost engagement, increase confidence and help our learners feel that what they’re...

Using the target language (TL) in Modern Language lessons is both a commendable and complex endeavour. However, for it to be successful,...

When we talk about teaching languages, it’s easy to get caught up in the grammar structures, the tenses, or the ever-growing pressure of...

Languages open doors - whether it’s making new friends, traveling the world, or landing a dream job. But despite all the benefits, Modern...

Being able to step into someone else’s classroom and see them teach is such a privilege. I always remind myself of this because teaching...

In today’s globalised society, the importance of learning multiple languages is more apparent than ever. Language skills open doors to...

As the 'newish kid on the block' in terms of the new GCSE MFL specification in England, incorporating read-aloud activities in the modern...

In the domain of language teaching, teachers often find themselves faced with the challenge of engaging students who seem disinterested...

In the dynamic landscape of modern language education, the quest for effective teaching methodologies that enhance students' ability to...

Achieving success in GCSE exams is a challenging journey for all students, but those with the lowest prior attainment often face unique...

This year (March, 2023), I attended Eva Lamb's session at the Language World Conference organised by the Association for Language...

Learning a language is a cumulative and dynamic process that involves acquiring, processing, and retaining vocabulary and structures....

I decided to write this blog post because too often, when I chat to my fellow colleagues either at conferences, subject meetings, or...

One of the most effective teaching strategy for languages classroom are worked examples. As a type of instructional method, they provide...