Italian A Level Online.
Deep thinking about Italian society, literature and culture.
Personalised learning
LinguaThinking provides A Level Italian courses for independent candidates wishing to study Italian alongside other A Levels, or outside of traditional school settings.
Teaching is delivered by Dr Catherine Buckwell who holds a PhD in Italian Literature from the University of Cambridge where she also taught Italian literature and translation at undergraduate level. Catherine has over 15 years of experience teaching Italian A Level, IB and (I)GCSE in leading UK independent schools. As a graduate, she also studied at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and has taught English in high schools and language schools in Italy.
In addition to learners of Italian as a foreign language, Linguathinking also provides pathways for native, semi-native and heritage speakers.
Linguathinking gives specialist support to independent candidates.
Italian courses at LinguaThinking focus on students’ individual academic needs while ensuring rigorous and in-depth engagement with the syllabus. Teaching foregrounds linguistic precision, fluency, cultural understanding, deep critical thinking and advanced literary and film analysis, and is informed by a close understanding of the assessment framework.
Lessons are designed to foster academic confidence and independence in students, while developing skills relevant to further study and human interaction, as well as encouraging wider cultural and intellectual curiosity. LinguaThinking views learning Italian as a valuable skill for life: a subject that students should deeply enjoy and find very rewarding.
Small group lessons are also offered, where there is sufficient interest.
Cultural Immersion and Enrichment
The Italian A Level course at Linguathinking courses include immersive approaches to language learning through online enrichment opportunities where cultural experience plays a central role. These experiences deepen linguistic understanding and help students engage with language in meaningful ways, both academically and in real-world contexts.
Carnevale di Venezia: visita virtuale
Visite virtuale: Il patrimonio culturale
Il patrimonio culturale
Material and Immaterial cultural heritage
A Level Italian students, explore cultural heritage as an expression of identity and explore its role in building social cohesion, as well as its economic and educational significance. Virtual visits enable students to critically examine the role of monuments, artefacts and museums in shaping national identity and collective memory, and to consider contemporary questions surrounding funding, preservation, and overexploitation of historical sites.
Live performances of Italian music festivals connect students with Italian music genres and encourage critical reflection on the relationship between Italian-language music, and national or regional identity, linguistic and cultural heritage, and its place within a commercial and globalised context.
Virtual visits to Italian celebrations such as the Carnevale di Venezia and the Battaglia delle Arance invite students to explore how festivals express historical traditions and contribute to national or regional identity, while also considering the challenges posed by globalisation and cultural change. Online lectures, screenings, stage performances and commentaries on prescribed films such as ‘Cinema Paradiso’ or ‘La vita è bella’ enrich understanding and encourage advanced literary and critical analysis.
These experiences invite reflection on traditions, beliefs, and artistic expression as dynamic forms of cultural identity and support sustained cultural engagement alongside linguistic development.
Literature
Students study the set text “Io non ho paura” by Niccolò Ammaniti. Lessons develop advanced skills in literary analysis by encouraging students to engage deeply with with language, themes and motifs presented in the text, as understood within their cultural and historical context. Students expand their critical vocabulary and learn to apply specific literary language, enhancing their ability to analyse in close detail while carefully considering the stylistic choices of the author. As well as developing skills in essay-writing, lessons draw on longstanding experience in literary criticism and academic writing and are often informed by academic research on the set text.
Course Overview: A Level Italian
An A Level in Italian enables students to develop their linguistic skills alongside an exploration of key social, cultural, political and historical developments in Italy and the Italian-speaking world, helping students understand how Italian society has evolved and continues to change.
Topics include the evolution of the Italian family, changing attitudes to marriage and family life, and the phenomenon of mammoni. Students also explore the education system and challenges faced by young people, including la fuga dei cervelli, (a significant outflow of young, educated Italians seeking opportunities abroad), alongside developments in the world of work such as gender equality, unemployment, family-run businesses and new working models. Students also study political and artistic culture across Italian-speaking countries and communities; the development and influence of music, its impact on popular culture, and the role of the media, including freedom of expression in print and online journalism. Cultural heritage is explored through festivals, traditions and everyday cultural practices.
A final section focuses on Italy as a society in transition and its modern history. Students examine the impact of immigration, challenges linked to migration and the divide between Northern and Southern Italy, before exploring the rise of Fascism, life under Mussolini during the Second World War, and Italy’s transition from dictatorship to democracy with the establishment of the Italian Republic.
The course includes the study of popular literary texts and films (both contemporary and more classical titles) and an individual student research project.
Students will sit the Pearson Edexcel A Level in Italian.
