Language 3 (L3)

Do you want to be in a school where you hear different languages spoken around you all the time? Where you can practice and develop your third language every day, perhaps chatting with friends in the student café, or working in class on real-life issues?

In line with the school’s mission to enable a multilingual learning environment, at European School Copenhagen we offer Danish, French, German or English as your third language (L3). This will be your second foreign language. By the end of S5, you should have attained Level A2+ in the Common European Framework for Languages.  It is therefore expected that you already have an elementary towards pre-intermediate level equivalent to Level A2 when you start Upper Secondary (gymnasium). 

Languages are at the heart of learning in the European School which is proud of its multicultural and multilingual environment. The language syllabuses make a significant contribution not only to the development of communicative competences, but also to social and civic competences and to the students’ cultural awareness and expression. All students take third language L3 in S5, and students who wish to continue with their third language in S6 and S7 will end up with a Level B1+. 

Danish L3: It is mandatory to have studied Danish at a Level B1+ for you to be able to apply to a Danish University. 

Teaching 

Third languages are taught through the study of literary and non-literary texts, providing relevant context for the development of the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

In S5 we work with: 

• Textbooks and short adapted literary texts 

• Non-literary text analysis and comprehension  

• Expressing personal opinions in conversations and discussions 

• Written texts using a variety of genres, including literature reviews  

• Cultural heritage of the target language  

• Individual learning strategies  

• Research using on- and offline resources. 

In S6 and S7 we delve further into the literary understanding and analysis of different genres. During all three years the following topics are covered: 

• Sociocultural domain 

• Art 

• Cities and countries 

• Cuisine/food 

• Leisure time, hobbies, sports 

• Study 

• Travelling and holidays 

• News and current affairs 

• Media 

Exam 

In S5 you will sit two 90-minute B-tests each school year.  

In S6 you will sit two 135-minute B-tests each school year. 

In S7 you can choose to sit the third language at an oral or written exam (or not at all). The written exam is 3 hours long. The oral exam is 20 minutes preparation followed by 20 minutes examination.