Contact Teacher: Mrs K Christie, Head of Languages
Exam Board: AQA
Vision
Students will develop their linguistic confidence in a safe and supportive environment in which they are encouraged to take risks. The lessons foster cooperation, collaboration and teamwork. Students will develop their linguistic skills through the use of authentic materials (songs, articles, stories) in a positive atmosphere. Their teachers are experts in building positive relationships and they will have high expectations of students to engage and adapt to the pace of their lessons. Students will find teachers draw on their own experiences, which helps to take the subject outside of the classroom. They will be challenged to question where they have seen language used in the wider world, out of school. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a residential visit abroad.
French Learning Journey
This is a visual representation of how students' knowledge and skills develop through the French curriculum.
(click on the image below to view a larger version)
Why study French?
A foreign language is a key to open doors to other worlds. It covers many topics taught in other areas, such as History, Geography, Science, Literature, Economics and Religious Studies. It is useful in the working world as many companies have international links and prefer employees with knowledge of another language. It is also a challenging academic exercise, highly valued at university level, and it is enjoyable.
Course Details
Students taking a modern foreign language in the Sixth Form will be able to build on their experience at GCSE by increasing their linguistic competence and their self-confidence to express their ideas in another language. They will gain a more detailed insight into the culture of French speaking countries, improve their general communication and research skills and also learn much about other issues in the world about us.
The key themes of the A-level course are:
- Social issues and Trends
- Political and Artistic Culture
- Grammar
How the course is taught and assessed
Students will have nine periods with a specialist teacher over two weeks. It is also important in independent study time for students to research current affairs and news items on the internet and to read in French (online, books, newspapers).
Lessons will be predominantly in French and will involve active participation from the students. Students will have a course book but will also use texts from the internet and other sources as well as audio material for listening practice.
The terminal papers will be assessed as:
• Listening, Reading and Writing (40% of A-level)
• Writing (based on study of Literary texts and films) (30% of A-level)
• Speaking - based on an individual research project (30% of A-level)
Entry requirements
Anyone intending to take French at A-level will normally be expected to have achieved a Grade 7 or above at GCSE, the minimum expectation is a Grade 6.