Language Department & Certifications

A Multilingual Education to Excel in Our Interconnected World

At International School San Patricio Toledo, we aim to support and celebrate linguistic diversity by providing bilingual education in English and Spanish, along with additional foreign language options in the curriculum. Furthermore, students have the opportunity to prepare for and take official Cambridge, Goethe Institut, and DELF exams to obtain globally recognised English, German, and French certifications directly through our school.

Recognising the complexity of different languages and the benefits of multilingualism, the IB Continuum presents itself as the ideal educational system to prepare our students for a globalised, multicultural world where multilingual skills are vital for success.

Leading Bilingual Tuition from 1 to 18 Years

We offer bilingual education in English and Spanish to all students until the IB Diploma Programme. Subjects are taught in both languages, with certain disciplines taught exclusively in one language or the other. Approximately 50% of classes are conducted in Spanish and 50% in English from Nursery 1 to MYP3, excluding French and German hours. Our school life and routines are also bilingual. This means that our students acquire complete bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, opening doors to future global opportunities.

Preparing Our International Students to Succeed

From MYP3 onwards, most subjects can be taken in English only, a decision guided by our pastoral team to ensure students can perform to their best abilities. This option is ideal for our international students, but also for Spanish ones planning to attend university abroad.

International students have the flexibility to complete all exams, homework, and personal MYP4 projects in English. English textbooks are provided to facilitate their understanding of subjects delivered solely in Spanish. Additionally, they can take extracurricular Spanish language classes as private tuition.

Become Fluent in 4 Languages at Our School

Alongside the study of the English and Spanish languages, students from 3 to 16 years take German and French as foreign languages.

At the age of three, children have an hour of French and an hour of German lessons every week in a fun and stimulating environment, with the level of difficulty increasing as students progress through the school years. Upon reaching the MYP Stage in Secondary School, they may choose either French or German to study in-depth, to become fully proficient in that language by the end of the Middle Years Programme. At the Diploma stage, learners can take either French or German as a B Language subject.

When they graduate from ISSPT, students will speak three languages fluently, and have a good command of a fourth language. These linguistic skills will be extremely useful when applying for jobs in competitive career fields in our globalised world.

60+ Languages at the DP level with Self-Taught Mother Tongue

In the Diploma Programme, we can cater for over 60 world languages through our unique programme of School-Supported Self-Taught (SSST) Literature A courses. Students who choose this option will graduate with a bilingual diploma. With this exclusive pathway, ISSPT can successfully support all DP students whose mother tongue is not offered at our school.

Obtain Official Language Certifications at Our School

Cambridge YLE Examinations

From PYP 4, children at our school receive preparation to take the Cambridge YLE exams – always considering their interest in doing so, and whether their level of English is sufficient to excel in the exam. Then, at the end of Primary School, our 11-year-old students can take the Preliminary English Test (B1 level).

The exams are carried out on campus with official Cambridge examiners. Parents are informed throughout the process and their support is required to ensure their children are fully prepared to tackle these exams.

Cambridge ESOL Exams

MYP and DP students are prepared for the Cambridge University ESOL exams to achieve either a First Certificate (B2) or Advanced (C1) level by the end of the MYP programme. Generally, our Diploma students achieve a C2 level of English in the Proficiency exam by the end of the programme when they graduate.

As in the Cambridge YLE exams, the ESOL exams are taken at our school with official Cambridge examiners.

German & French Certifications

At the Diploma stage, students receive preparation to take official examinations in their language of choice – Göethe for German and DELF for French – to obtain globally recognised language certifications. These exams are usually taken outside of the school, although families receive support from the school, particularly from the teachers in the Languages Department.

Find out how we can develop your child’s linguistic and communication skills, expanding their horizons for a life of success at school and beyond.

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