I think there is also the issue that to treat everyone the same the
University would have to know in every case the precise linguistic case
history. To give two hypothetical examples.

Someone has a French mother and an English father and has the surname Smith.
The child is brought up by the mother speaking French in France. When the
child is 10 mother and child move to England and eight years later the
student takes French A level and applies to a university. How will the
university know that the student has a different linguistic history from one
who lived in the UK the whole time and has no French relatives ?

Another child has an English mother and an Egyptian father, and in the early
years moved between both countries and was effectively bi-lingual with no
first language. From aged 6 the child lived in the UK and only took up
Arabic again as a teenager having to learn the written language from scratch
outside normal school hours. Should the Arabic A level be ignored ?

My feeling is that discriminating fairly between language A levels is very
dificult and best avoided.

Geoff Smith

*************************************
Geoff Smith
Principal Officer
University Secretariat
Sheffield Hallam University
City Campus
Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

Tel: 0114 225 3854
Fax: 0114 225 3498
Email: [log in to unmask]




-----Original Message-----
From: Edwards, Sara [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 05 June 2003 11:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A-level languages


Dear all,

I do not see why this is even an issue - language A levels are transferable
skills like any other. Native speakers of a language will not be having any
easier or lower standard of A level than any other, that is they are not
studying the language as a second language they are studying it as a
subject. I am from Wales and am a Welsh speaker. I studied Welsh G.C.S.E
Language and literature. Do you accept native English speakers who have
studied English A level?. The only question you should be asking is what
level they studied the language to A level (though it is highly unlikely
that they will have been able to/would have bothered wasting their time
studying it as a second language if they are native speakers.

Sara Edwards
Vice President Equal Opportunities
Liverpool Students Union

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jones, Alison [SEC] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: 05 June 2003 10:42
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: A-level languages
>
>
>Dear colleagues,
>
>I have been asked by colleagues within the University for my views on
>whether we should accept A-level language qualifications from native
>speakers of that language.  The question has been put specifically in
>terms of the acceptance of A-level Hindi or Urdu, but I would think
>that the acceptance or not should apply to all languages, otherwise
>this does present a problem.
>
>Any views?
>
>Thanks
>Alison
>
>Alison Jones
>Race Equality Project Officer
>University Secretary's Office
>Telephone 0113 283 2600 ext 4929
>email [log in to unmask]
>