Is Welsh the Move? Choosing Cymraeg for A-Level

Awdur: Max

On the 30th of Ionawr we had a taster of what A levels are going to look like in Six Forms. Schools from Newport, including Caerleon High School, St Joseph High School and Newport High School came to join in this great opportunity here at Bassaleg High School. 

At the start of the day we had a talk with 4 pobl enwog who use Welsh in their day to day jobs and all the opportunities it creates for them. We had a chat with Nick Yeo who has his own Welsh Podcast. Iolo Cheung who is an Interviewer/Journalist who speaks both English and Welsh and him being able to speak Welsh is so crucial because he can do the Welsh interview and summary of the story and the English version. Thirdly Aneurin Owen a Dragons RFC player who speaks Welsh to his team but he gets the opportunity to do interviews in Welsh and commentary in Welsh. Lastly Abbie Bolitho a producer who produces Welsh dramas. They talked about what they do and then they went on to explain all the opportunities they got from speaking Welsh. Fy hoff Spokesperson was Iolo Cheung. I learnt about how knowing Cymraeg has such an impact with journalism and all the cool, fascinating opportunities it opens up for him. He was even chosen to go to Qatar for the World Cup to watch Wales!

After that we had 3 workshops. We had one about Welsh journalism and how to write a catchy title. We had another about the course and what we expected from A Level Cymraeg. Then the last one was on Welsh culture and fun Welsh facts. This was a great way to find out what to expect for A Levels. We had the chance to win some cool yellow sunglasses and book marks. We had to write our own articles about Casnewydd being the new New York. I learned that during A Level, we get to astudio a film, Patagonia, and famous historical Welsh events. After that it definitely persuaded me to choose Welsh A level. Welsh is definitely right for me. It opens up more cyfleoedd for jobs and you get countless benefits!