Sri Lanka Advanced Level (A/L) Examination Syllabus - Languages

The Sri Lanka Advanced Level (A/L) Examination is a national exam administered by the Department of Examinations under the Ministry of Education. It is similar to the British Advanced Level and serves as an entrance requirement for Sri Lankan state universities. The exams are offered in Sinhala, Tamil, and English mediums. Students typically take the exam after completing grades 12 and 13.

The A/L examination covers four main streams: Physical Science, Biological Science, Commerce, and Technology. Within each stream, students choose three subjects. In addition to the three stream subjects, all students must take a General English test and a Common General test. A passing mark on the Common General test is required, but the General English test result is not considered for university entrance.

The Languages stream falls under the Arts stream. Available language subjects include Sinhala, Japanese, French, English, Arabic, Tamil, Pali, Sanskrit, Malay, Russian, German, Hindi, Chinese, and Korean.

French:

The French syllabus aims to develop communicative skills, focusing on language as a system and its relationship to culture. Students learn about French literature, including poetry, prose, and drama. The syllabus emphasizes the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Chinese:

The Chinese syllabus aims to cultivate interest in learning the language, strengthen pronunciation, and teach character writing, including stroke order and basic radicals. Students learn grammatical structures, compose sentences, and practice conversational Chinese for everyday situations. The syllabus also introduces Chinese traditions, culture, and literature.