FRENCH

Communicating in a foreign language is an essential skill for the 21st century Over 80% of the world does not speak English as a first language Whether for work or travel, languages are important for interacting Linguists are increasingly attractive on the job market, where their knowledge and transferrable skills make them amongst the most sought-after graduates in the UK Speaking more than one language improves your skillset; for example, skills such as multitasking, decision-making and communication are improved

French is the second most sought-after language by employers in job postings in the UK According to the Office for National Statistics, France is the UK’s 3rd most important non English-speaking export market French is extremely important for both inward and outward tourism France is the 2nd most popular destination for people from the UK travelling abroad

What is the course content?

Four key skills are taught and assessed: Speaking; Listening; Reading and Writing Topic-based content includes aspects of contemporary French society A book and a film are studied Weekly conversation classes with native speaking assistants support pupils with their speaking skills In the Upper Sixth pupils do an independent research project, where they choose a topic of personal interest connected to the Frenchspeaking world and present their findings in the speaking exam

Examples of topics areas:

° Gender equality in the French-speaking world

° Racism in the French-speaking world

° Politics in the French-speaking world

° Popular culture in the French-speaking world

° Film: La Haine

° Literary Text: No et Moi by Delphine de Vigan

How is the course assessed?

AQA A level French is examined in three exams at the end of course The core skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking are almost evenly balanced

° Paper 1 assesses skills in listening, reading and translation

° Paper 2 assesses written skills through two essays on a film and a book studied during the course.

° Paper 3 is a speaking exam with two sections: spoken response to a stimulus card on one of the topics from the study of the target language society followed by a discussion of the candidate’s Independent Research Project

What else should I consider?

Good A level linguists are interested in developing communication skills and have an open mind towards learning about new cultures Languages combine with any subject combination Common subject combinations recently have been languages with economics/business, history or geography Some scientists thinking of medicine or engineering also take a language as their third A level It is easy to add a new language to a lot of degree courses and many universities offer the opportunity to take a sandwich year abroad The French department will be offering a new trip to France All pupils see the French assistant for weekly bespoke lessons

Pre-course material

To gain a good understanding of both the culture of the French-speaking world and the French language, pupils are recommended to: 1) Read France: An Adventure History by Graham Robb, a non-fiction exploration of the history of France; 2) Watch films and series in French on a streaming service; 3) Keep up with the news in French using Euronews at https://fr euronews com; 4) Practise French through listening to songs and working with the lyrics on www.lyricstraining.com