James in German exam record
A Shropshire boy has become the youngest child in the country to pass a new nationally-recognised language qualification for his skills in learning German.
A Shropshire boy has become the youngest child in the country to pass a new nationally-recognised language qualification for his skills in learning German.
Just six weeks before his eighth birthday James Clarke and other pupils from Years 3 to 6 at Woore Primary School were entered for a new Asset Language qualification in German in June this year.
He successfully passed the first stage of tests in listening to German and has just received a certificate for his achievement.
A feature of the qualification is that learners can be assessed for their skills in reading, writing, listening to or speaking a language in separate tests.
Sue Jones, headteacher at Woore Primary School said: "We are delighted that James' achievement has been recognised.
"During the time pupils are in Key Stage 2, they learn three languages; German, French and Spanish. The pupils thoroughly enjoy their language lessons.
"We are supported by colleagues at Grove Language College in Market Drayton who teach our pupils."
The new language qualification, which can be used by language learners of all ages, is administered by one of the UK's leading exam boards, OCR.
Based on OCR's own figures for the number of passes in languages in 2006/7 across a broad range of its qualifications, Shropshire is identified as a 'hotspot' county bucking the trend in the national decline of languages.