Urdu

Urdu is a living language which, according to estimates, is spoken by close to 100 million people around the world. It is the official language of Pakistan, a status which it shares with English. It is also spoken and understood in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Middle East, and many other countries around the world where Pakistani communities have settled.

In India, Urdu is spoken in places with large Muslim communities or cities that were once power centres of Muslim Empires. They include parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kashmir, Bhopal and Hyderabad. Some Indian schools teach Urdu as a first language and have their own syllabus and exams.

The Urdu community in the UK numbers about four hundred thousand speakers.

The closest relation of Urdu is Hindi. Spoken Urdu and Hindi are almost identical at the day-to-day functional level, apart from certain words. After learning Urdu, you’ll find it much easier to speak and understand Hindi but written Hindi will remain a mystery as it’s written in a different script.

Other languages written in the same script as Urdu include Pashto, Kashmiri and Panjabi, although Panjabi is also written in a script called Gurumukhi. The Urdu script is over 90% similar to the Persian and Arabic scripts as well, so learning Urdu will help you to read the Arabic and Persian alphabets. Urdu vocabulary also borrows about 40% from Arabic and Persian.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/other/urdu/guide/facts.shtml

Key subject aims

An understanding of Urdu in a variety of contexts
A knowledge of Urdu vocabulary and structures
Transferable language learning skills
The ability to communicate effectively in Urdu
Awareness and understanding of countries and communities where Urdu is spoken

Knowledge and understanding

Urdu requires students to develop their knowledge of vocabulary and structure in a range of settings.

Are relevant and of interest to the student
Correspond to the student’s level of maturity
Reflect, and are appropriate to, the culture of countries and communities where the language is spoken
Relate, where appropriate, to other area of curriculum

KS3

Students continue to develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the target language. They are encouraged to work independently, in pairs, in groups or as a class, on various tasks. Students are expected to do homework and to learn vocabulary on a regular basis. There are end of unit/ task tests in which all skills are tested.

Students in year 7 are introduced to the alphabet and taught basic reading and writing skills.

Students in year 8/ 9 study the following topics personal identification, family, education, house and home, food and drink, health and fitness , shopping, hobbies and interest and weather and climate.

KS4

The edexcel GCSE in Urdu consist of four units based on the following skills: speaking listening, reading and writing.

The GCSE combines controlled assessments of speaking and writing skills foundation or higher tier external assessments for the listening and reading skills.

Skills

Reading/listening

Urdu qualification requires students to:

Develop the ability to listen and understand spoken Urdu in arrange of contexts and variety of styles
Communicate in speech for a variety of purposes
Read and respond to different types of written language
Communicate in writing for a variety of purposes
Understand and apply a range of vocabulary and structures
Develop language learning and communication skills which can be applied broadly

The following topics are covered for reading/listening

Out and about

Visitor information
Basic weather
Local amenities
Accommodation
Public transport
Directions

Customer service and transactions

Cafés and restaurants
Shops
Dealing with problems

Personal information

General interests
Leisure activities
Family and friends
Lifestyle (healthy eating and exercise)

Future plans, education and work

Basic language of the internet
Simple job advertisements
Simple job applications and CV - School and college
Work and work experience

Speaking and writing

develop the ability to listen to and understand spoken Urdu in a range of contexts and a variety of styles
communicate in speech and writing for a variety of purposes
understand and apply a range of vocabulary and structures
develop language learning and communication skills which can be applied broadly

Topics which are covered for speaking and writing

Media and culture

Music/film/reading
Fashion/celebrities/religion
Blogs/internet

Sport and leisure

Hobbies/interests
Sporting events
Lifestyle choices

Travel and tourism

Holidays
Accommodation
Eating, food, drink

Business, work and employment

Work experience/part-time jobs
Product or service information

Grammar and vocabulary

Pupils are taught to:

consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through:
- studying their effectiveness and impact in the texts they read
- drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and using these consciously in their writing and speech to achieve particular effects

Urdu G.C.S.E is a two year course, students either be entered to do the short course or the full course.

Full course consist of reading, .speaking, listening, writing.

Short course consist of listening and speaking or they can do writing and reading.

Useful Links

Subjects