FRENCH
Level: A Level
Examination board: Pearson Edexcel
Specification: 9FR0
Course Contact: Madame West, Subject Lead – Languages
Entry Requirements:
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GCSE French Grade 6
If you did not study GCSE French, B1 proficiency in French (CEFR) or Grade 8 in a GCSE or B1 proficiency in another similar language (Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Catalan) and a strong motivation to fill the gaps in your knowledge.
Studying French will broaden your knowledge and understanding of the world and of the people, cultures and ideas that shape it.
You will learn to communicate confidently, analyse and respond to authentic texts and film and express yourself with clarity and flair: skills highly prized by universities and employers. French also opens the door to fantastic film, literature and culture.
'Language carries culture, and culture carries the values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.'
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Are you interested in...
How music, film and literature reflect life in the French-speaking world?
The challenges and opportunities of multiculturalism and immigration in France?
How language shapes the way we think and communicate?
What makes French one of the world's most influential languages?
Researching a Francophone topic of your own choice?
Social Issues and Trends in the French-speaking World
Explore contemporary France through themes such as family life, education, the changing world of work, music, media, multiculturalism and immigration, developing your ability to discuss and debate current issues in French.
Political and Artistic Culture in the Francophone World
Discover the political and cultural life of France and the Francophone world, including positive political engagement, demonstrations and strikes, immigration, and how France's rich artistic heritage is reflected in its literature, cinema and music.
French Literature and Film
Study a French novel and film in depth, exploring character, themes and context while developing your analytical and essay-writing skills.
Independent Research Project
Choose a topic that fascinates you from the Francophone world; perhaps history, politics, sport, fashion, cinema, music or literature.
Research your chosen subject using authentic French sources before presenting and discussing your findings in your speaking examination.
ASSESSMENT
3 exams at the end of Year 13
Listening, reading and translation (40%)
Writing (30%)
Speaking (30%)
SUBJECT EXPERTS
Madame West, Subject Lead – Languages
Madame West is an expert in coloniality and racism in the French-speaking world which are explored through the film study and the sociopolitical issues covered in the course. She is experienced with supporting A-level students with university applications and choosing the right next steps for them.
Madame Roy
Madame Roy is an experienced A Level French teacher whose expertise centres on the literary component of the course and the French Resistance - a subject rooted in her degree studies and deepened by her time living in Lyon, the historic centre of the Resistance movement in France.
Madame Saunders
Madame Saunders is a University of Cambridge trained Modern Languages teacher. Having completed research in second language acquisition and communicative competence, she specialises in the linguistic elements of the course. From her experience teaching English in Paris, she is passionate about supporting students to acquire confidence and fluency in additional languages for both use in academia and beyond the classroom.
Study visits and enrichment
Possible work experience placement abroad in a French-speaking country (subject to numbers and availability).
Engagement with local French Institute and Alliance Française events (London, Cambridge).
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FRENCH CAN LEAD TO A CAREER IN:
law and diplomacy
politics and the civil service
international business and management
media and communications
translation and interpreting
travel, tourism and hospitality