All middle school students at our international school study either a foreign language, a mother tongue language or both. Languages are a huge part of our international school's culture. We strongly value multilingualism and supporting our students' language learning.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE Acquisition programme
The GESS Language Acquisition Programme starts in grade 6. Our students are given the choice of studying Mandarin, French, Spanish or German as a foreign language. Through expert tuition and a student-centred approach, our students can progress to studying the foreign language in the IB Diploma Programme.
Entry Requirements for Language Acquisition Programme
The Language Acquisition Programme (Mandarin, Spanish or French) starts in grade 6 at beginner level. Students joining grade 7 need at least 1 year of previous study and for grade 8, at least 2 years of previous study. Students that do not meet the language proficiency requirements for Mandarin, Spanish or French and do not study a mother tongue language will take beginner German.
There is a beginner German class in each grade and our students can progress to studying German in the IB Diploma programme as well as the prestigious DSD (Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe) German proficiency exam. Studying German as a foreign language opens your child’s future to some of the world’s most successful companies as well as leading global universities. Over 15 million students study German as a foreign language worldwide.
DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO SPEAK GERMAN TO JOIN GESS?
No, our German programme is designed for students who do not speak any German. There is a beginner German class in every grade. Most new students joining our international section do not speak German. There is no requirement for parents to speak German either.
