French

‘Studying French in the Sixth Form is extremely rewarding. Students can combine French with a wide variety of subjects and will explore Francophone culture and its rich language through a range of topics and sources’.

Skills Required

You should aim to begin the course with a firm knowledge of the major verb tenses and forms for both regular and irregular verbs. A working knowledge of the bulk of GCSE vocabulary will also be assumed.

Course Overview

French adds to the overall profile of a student and improves a student’s chances of getting into a good university and later into an interesting career. Over the last few years many King Edward’s students have gone on to study French at university or to combine French with an additional subject, ranging from business and economics to management and law.

The size of our French classes allows for considerable individual attention and a great deal of lively interaction. Each class has a team of teachers, and students have a 25 minute lesson with one of our two French assistants every week. There are numerous opportunities available to develop linguistic skills, be it in lunchtime workshops, borrowing a French DVD or book, or by taking part in the Sixth Form trip to France.

The French Department is a lively and welcoming place to be and the French teachers are dedicated and positive in their approach to students, offering their time generously.

The language facilities are outstanding. The classrooms have interactive whiteboards and there is a multi-media centre where students can practise and develop their oral and aural skills. Students work with their own iPads or laptops and use these in lessons to have access to their digital courses for years 1 and 2 and a wide range of additional information and resources to help support their studies. Students are encouraged to keep up to date with what is going on in the French-speaking world.

Methods of Assessment

The two main areas of study during the French A Level are; social issues and trends and political, intellectual and artistic culture.

Paper 1 Listening, Reading & Writing

Students will listen to and read passages from a range of contexts and sources, and answer questions in French as well as non-verbally. There will be text summaries and translation both into and out of French.

Paper 2 Writing

Students will answer an essay question in French on both a film and a literary text studied in class.

Coursework Speaking

Students will have a 20 minute speaking assessment, where they will have a discussion around a card based on a theme from the course, and then present and discuss their own research project.