ABSTRACT
Until the mid-1980s, writing, for instance in the form of translations, dictations and essay writing, as well as reading, tended to predominate in modern foreign languages (MFL) teaching. Since then, however, the full value of speaking and listening has been recognised and generally the four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking have been equally weighted in the National Curriculum and in GCSE qualifications, although the 2007 draft GCSE criteria (QCA, 2007a) allow for slightly more flexibility, with 20-30 per cent possible for each of the four skills. Consequently, a multi-skill approach prevails, in which no one skill is usually taught discretely. The use of terminology such as ‘respond’, ‘react’, ‘summarise’ in the statutory framework encourages the integration of skills. Progression within each and across the four skills is an important issue.
