Year 8 Languages: What to Teach (England)

Your Teacher Information Pack for Year 8 Languages: every national curriculum statement, the tests and dates that matter, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.

The KS3 programme of study covers the whole key stage; it is not split by year.

Current. The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (Nov 2025) says a revised national curriculum will be published by spring 2027 for first teaching from September 2028.

What to teach

Below is the official programme of study for Year 8 Languages: the statutory statements first, then any non-statutory notes and guidance, which schools don't have to follow.

Key stage 3 12 statutory statements

Introduction to Key stage 3 (official text)

Teaching may be of any modern foreign language and should build on the foundations of language learning laid at key stage 2, whether pupils continue with the same language or take up a new one. Teaching should focus on developing the breadth and depth of pupils’ competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on a sound foundation of core grammar and vocabulary. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate personal and factual information that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, developing and justifying points of view in speech and writing, with increased spontaneity, independence and accuracy. It should provide suitable preparation for further study.

Pupils should be taught to:

Grammar and vocabulary Statutory

Pupils should be taught to:

• identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past, and future as appropriate to the language being studied
• use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods, as appropriate
• develop and use a wide-ranging and deepening vocabulary that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, allowing them to give and justify opinions and take part in discussion about wider issues
• use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation

Read this on GOV.UK

Linguistic competence Statutory

Pupils should be taught to:

• listen to a variety of forms of spoken language to obtain information and respond appropriately
• transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy
• initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses, making use of important social conventions such as formal modes of address
• express and develop ideas clearly and with increasing accuracy, both orally and in writing
• speak coherently and confidently, with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation
• read and show comprehension of original and adapted materials from a range of different sources, understanding the purpose, important ideas and details, and provide an accurate English translation of short, suitable material
• read literary texts in the language [such as stories, songs, poems and letters] to stimulate ideas, develop creative expression and expand understanding of the language and culture
• write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions, and translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Read this on GOV.UK

Assessments and key dates

There are no national tests or checks in Year 8. Your school will use its own assessments.

Official documents

• www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study

Trusted free resources

• Oak National Academy – Free, full lesson sequences for KS3 (government-funded).
• BBC Bitesize – Short videos and quizzes by key stage and subject.

Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.

More packs

Other subjects in Year 8: English, Maths, Science, Art and Design, Citizenship, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music, PE.

Find another TIP · National curriculum overview

Questions teachers ask