Pupils from Linnéskolan compete in languages - want to be the best in Skåne

On Tuesday, six pupils from the ninth grade will go to Helsingborg. There they will compete against other pupils in the south of Sweden.

It is about the International Language Competition, which is arranged by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden. Pupils from all over Sweden participate.

The school made it to the finals last year in two languages. This time they will compete in all three modern languages.

- We are very proud of our pupils who have made it through to the finals against tough competition, says Sofia Högstedt, teacher in German.

To qualify, pupils had to do a test with 80 questions.

- It's great that we made it to the regional finals. We have worked hard for several years to learn the language, says Irma Gerguri, who is competing in Spanish.

The pupils also need to know facts about the languages that they are competing in.

- Am I nervous? Yes, very, says pupil Carl Bengtsson (French).

How will you prepare yourself?

- By reading a lot of facts about France.

The German grammar scares some pupils from choosing German in primary school.

- Grammar is a difficult part that requires a lot of work, but once you understand it, it flows, says Thion Mondeé.

The question is how crucial the teachers are for the students' success.

Rares Pugna, Spanish teacher, is unsure.

- It’s hard working boys and girls and we teachers do our best. We are very pleased that the pupils have a good language level when they move on to high school.

Nina Bengtsson is a teacher in French. She thinks that the cooperation between colleagues, across language boundaries, works well.

- We give each other input and ideas about the teaching. Peer learning is very important.

The school also has exchanges with foreign schools and there are language students as an extra resource for lessons.