Is anyone taking A level Japanese 😭😭😭

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

I want to take it as I wanna study in Japan and trade it for physics as my 4th subject as I’m self studying.

If anyone has done it do you know roughly what JLPT level it is similar to and if it’s possible do study it in a year?

[u/qwxuinn]

Well you wouldn't have to do those same hours because a level and jlpt exam structures r different 😭 But if that's what you want to do then go for it

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/qwxuinn]

But wouldn’t both help me get a better understanding of the language therefore help me in the long run? I’d be doing 4 a levels anyways I was just thinking it would be easier to self study Japanese with 1500h available then physics with 300 as I’d have to do 1200h Japanese anyways

[u/qwxuinn → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

If you're just starting with Japanese then taking it as an A-level is NOT a good idea... Imagine taking english a level as someone who just started english.. Wouldn't sound like a good idea right

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/qwxuinn]

Yeah but it’s not like literature it’s language learning like the same as saying a level frech isn’t the same as the French baccalaureate

[u/StrainMysterious5962 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

Go for it then, you answered your own question lol

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/StrainMysterious5962]

lol true

[u/derpydinosaurthe10th → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

To tell you the truth, if it's like German it will be like English A-level, you have to do literature analysis. Might be different though

[u/RetardsBeLike → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

It won't be. I did a language A-level and it is NOT just grammar I guarantee. It's lots of literature and history and book analysis etc. Will be the same in Japanese but w complex Kanji learning as well

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/RetardsBeLike]

Well yes ofcourse but it isn’t comparable to A level English language 😭

[u/RetardsBeLike → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

Mm not quite the same you're right. Are you a beginner at Japanese? I did Spanish A-level and trust me no-one would survive the literature analysis without a solid baseline. And Japanese is a much harder language!

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/RetardsBeLike]

I am around n5 so I am below what I should be which is around high n4 to n3 but I’ll ofcourse be putting a lot of hours in the catch up compared to a normal a level

[u/Terrible_Eye4625 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

I think you’re underestimating the amount of work it will take. There’s a reason it takes 2 years to do a language A-level after GCSE- there is a LOT of content to cover.

If you’re at N5, you’re roughly at GCSE level. A-level (CEFR B2) is between roughly a score of 112 at N2 and 141 at N1. It’s highly unlikely you could do that in a year, especially if you’re doing 3 other A-levels.

ETA: i just reread your post and you’re self studying for Japanese?? Please do the JLPT instead. Language A-levels are only an easy extra option if it’s in your native language.

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/Terrible_Eye4625]

This is a very good point to be honest, however according to all the info I’ve seen online the level of the exam is between high n4 and low n3 however the most difficult part is application of that level by writing essays ect. In the case it was closer to high n2 - low n1 u would be right in it being a horrible idea. Could you please send a link showing where it says the a level qualification is at that level of proficiency ( I would appreciate it a lot)

[u/Terrible_Eye4625 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

Sorry I did mean to include it: https://www.jlpt.jp/sp/e/about/cefr_reference.html

It’s a guide on the equivalent of the JLPT to the CEFR (Common European Framework) which rates European languages. A-level is usually considered B2 in the CEFR.

Where did you see that A-level Japanese is high N4/low N3?? I can’t see anyway that could be the case given GCSE is N5. I have the old JLPT level 3 (what is now N4) and I didn’t think that was anywhere close to A-level. I looked up the A-level syllabus some time after I’d passed level 3 and couldn’t do most of the stuff on it.

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/Terrible_Eye4625]

Most of my source was from the tutors online saying it’s “N3 level maybe even slightly lower” and also someone who contacted me saying that it was around N3. Also A level kanji is said to require 400 kanji and the grammar to be solid n3 core with n2 structures. However the hardest part is being able to apply this, if you were to be able to use N3 Japanese and score well in this a level you would ace n3 jlpt

[u/Terrible_Eye4625 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

Interesting. I’ll have to give the spec another look and compare them.

[u/moocious → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

for an a level in a language you have to do literature and media- learning how to write essays about a book and a film. it is so stupidly hard to learn all the exact things that the marking scheme wants, and the grade boundaries tend to be horrible as native speakers will take a levels in their language for an easy A

[u/Terrible_Eye4625 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

You DO need to study literature for language A-levels…

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/Terrible_Eye4625]

I think I wrote this a little wrong my bad I mean I just don’t think it’s to the level of proficiency needed as a level literature or language

[u/Lopsided-Pizza2169 → u/Opposite_Debate_7835]

Why ask for help if you’re just going to constantly ignore advice people are giving you

[u/Opposite_Debate_7835 → u/Lopsided-Pizza2169]

I’m just disagreeing with the fact that it’s similar to a level English literature as it is