Course content: AS (Year 12) Latin language: Students start Year 12 by learning to translate more complex sentences and passages using the grammar and syntax they learned at GCSE. Over the course of the year, students meet more advanced grammar and expand their vocabulary to the prescribed AS vocabulary list. We also start working on prose composition – translating from English to Latin – which further consolidates students’ confidence in working with the language. The passages we translate are all adapted from the history and mythology of Classical antiquity, so the language becomes a window through which pupils witness and learn about the ancient world. Latin literature: Students work with two longer extracts of surviving Latin literature written by ancient Romans. One will be prose and the other will be verse. Students learn about the writing’s contexts, how to translate it and – most crucially – how to appreciate it critically as a piece of literature. A Level (Year 13) Unseen translation: Students translate passages of unadapted ancient prose and verse literature in Latin. The prose author we study is the historian Livy. His Ab Urbe Condita (From the City’s Founding) narrates the history of Rome from its mythical beginnings through to urban legends and his own time at the beginning of the reign of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. The verse author is Ovid, whose work includes the Metamorphoses, the best source of Greek myths we have today, and several collections of witty, postmodern love elegy. Latin prose: Students work with two notable texts of Latin prose literature. One of them will be the text they studied in Year 12, but at a more advanced level; the other will be an author they haven’t yet encountered. We also read wider selections of the texts and learn about relevant cultural context in English so pupils have a greater understanding of their wider contexts. Latin verse: Students study two extracts of surviving Latin verse literature. Like the prose, this will include the text studied in Year 12 and a new author they haven’t met yet. We learn about how Roman poetry is structured and deeply appreciate the literary techniques of Latin writers. Other skills developed Latin A Level is a gateway to logical thinking, literary analysis, and cultural insight, rigorously developing a wide range of skills. As a systematic language, Latin develops logic, problem solving and attention to detail – much like Maths. Equally, exposure to Roman historians, poets and orators builds evidence evaluation, argumentative writing, creative thinking and public speaking. Latin provides the basis of about 60% of English words. It is the origin of some of the world’s most widely spoken languages, like French, Spanish and Portuguese, and has loaned words to several other languages. Understanding Latin significantly enhances students’ understanding of modern languages and how they function and evolve. Overall, Latin cultivates diverse skills simultaneously, making it an ideal choice for versatile learners and a valuable complement to any other A Levels – no matter what students have chosen to study or what they want to achieve in their lives. Career value Latin is extremely well-regarded by virtually all universities and professional sectors. It is universally recognised as being academically challenging, developing several skills to a high standard and promoting overall personal development in those who study it. In the past, it was a requirement for doctors and lawyers to study Latin, and many students of Latin still go into these professions. The focus on argumentative, creative and analytical skills mean that Latin opens the door to a wide range of careers and sectors, including public relations, journalism, the media, academia, politics, government, education, finance, and more. Students of Latin are also, contrary to intuition, well-placed for STEM fields, such as engineering, linguistics and statistics, due to the focus on systems, logic and problem solving. Furthermore, as the basis of many modern languages, Latin will be very useful if you ever plan to travel to a country where Romance languages are spoken, whether that is for pleasure or work. Romance languages tend to come easy to people with Latin: they recognise many important words instantly, and they can often reach a conversational level in a matter of days.