Year 9

Most students will learn French as a compulsory subject in year 9.  The KS3 curriculum has been created to enable students to develop skills and linguistic competence within a range of common topic areas.  Students are taught in mixed ability groups and assessed in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.  Topics which include healthy living, shopping and technology provide an appropriate transition from KS3 to GCSE.

Please see our options powerpoint at the bottom of the page, which is targeted at students who are considering taking French as a GCSE option.

GCSE

The Edexcel GCSE course aims to develop the ability to understand and use a foreign language effectively for purposes of practical communication and to offer an insight into the culture and civilisation of Francophone countries.

Students will study the following themes, on which all the assessments are based:

Theme 1 Identity and Culture, which includes family and friends, technology and social media, food and drink, free time activities and customs and festivals.

Theme 2 Local area, holiday and travel, which includes holiday, home and local area and travel and tourist transactions.

Theme 3 School, which includes what school is like and school activities.

Theme 4 Future aspirations, study and work, which includes using languages beyond the classroom, jobs, careers and ambitions.

Theme 5 International and global dimension, which include sports and music events, environmental issues and good causes.

ASSESSMENT: GCSE French has a Foundation tier (grades 1-5) and a Higher tier (grades 4-9).  All 4 papers must be taken in the same tier and each paper makes up 25% of the overall GCSE. Paper 1(Listening): This paper has 2 sections: multiple-response questions, and questions and answers in English.  Paper 2(Speaking):  This will include a role play, a photo card and a general conversation on two themes.  There will be one speaking test conducted in April or May of Year 11.  Paper 3 (Reading):  This paper is made up of various components: multiple response questions, questions and answers in English, questions and answers in the target language and translation from the target language to English.  Paper 4 (Writing):  The writing examination varies between Higher and Foundation tiers, but both papers will include 2 or 3 writing tasks and some translation from English into the target language, increasing in level of difficulty.

 

A LEVEL

The A level course is a motivating course of study that will enable students to develop an advanced level knowledge and understanding of the French language, the culture of France and other Francophone countries, as well as practical and valuable language and transferable study skills. This specification will help students to prepare for higher education and enhance their employability. 

The exam consists of: Paper 1: Listening, reading and translation (*Paper code: 9FR0/01). Paper 2: Written response to works and translation (*Paper code: 9FR0/02).  Paper 3: Speaking (*Paper code: 9FR0/03).

The themes covered are:

Theme 1: Les changements dans la société française

Theme 2: La culture politique et artistique dans les pays francophones

Theme 3: L’immigration et la société multiculturelle française

Theme 4: L’Occupation et la Résistance

Students will study the novel "L'étranger" and the film "Les Choristes".