The French course constitutes an integrated study with a focus on language, culture and society. It fosters a range of transferable skills, including communication, critical thinking and creativity.

Course content:

Year 12

The A Level French specification builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills gained at GCSE. Students will develop their understanding of the Francophone world through studying various themes such as family, cyber-society, volunteering, heritage, music and cinema. There will be authentic spoken and written sources. Students will study a film (La Haine) and they will respond critically in writing to the work studied.

Year 13

In addition to the skills they have gained in Year 12, students will further develop their knowledge of the French speaking world as a whole.
They will explore themes such as: criminality, politics, democratic rights, immigration and the marginalised. Students will study a book (No et Moi) and will respond critically in writing to the work studied. Students will also complete their Individual Research Project, where they will have the opportunity to research and explore a theme of their choice related to a Francophone country. By the end of the A Level course, students will have a detailed understanding of contemporary French life and will be able to converse confidently in French.

Assessment criteria:

3 exams as follows:

Listening, Reading and Writing: Students will listen to spoken passages from a range of contexts and sources, covering different registers. There will be questions in French for both listening and reading – 2 hours 30 minutes

Writing: Two essays, one about the film and one about the book studied, and a translation – 2 hours

Speaking: Role play, presentation and discussion of the Individual Research Project – 21-23 minutes