Colchester Royal Grammar School: French

French

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GCSE Course (edexcel 1228)

All students in years 10 and 11 study French to GCSE. It is likely that students will be entered for higher level papers at GCSE so that they have the chance to achieve levels up to the maximum. They are taught in groups of similar ability, which allows all students to be appropriately challenged.

Candidates are examined in the four National Curriculum areas: speaking and writing (the productive skills) and listening and reading (the receptvei skills). Equal weighting is given to each skill. The majority of the answers in the listening and reading examinations will require the use of French. Dictionaries are not allowed in any terminal examination paper. They will, however, be used in many areas of classwork and homework, particularly for written coursework, which most students will undertake over the two years.

Six topic areas are studied during the course:

• At Home and Abroad
• Education, Training and Employment
• Health and Fitness
• House, Home and Daily Routine
• Media, Entertainment and Youth Culture
• Social Activities

There are a number of sub-topics involved in each of these areas. Through studying these, students will develop their abilities for discussion and manipulation of the language, leading to the option of AS/A-level French, for the most successful.

Students benefit from their exposure to another culture through its language. More importantly, although the ability to speak two or three languages of the European Union may not itself be a passport to a career, there can be no doubt that those possessing such skills will be at a distinct advantage in the future job market.

A-Level Course (OCR AS 3861, A 7861)

Full specification

The main aims of this course are:

• fluency and range of expression in both speaking and writing;
• knowledge and awareness of French and Francophone culture, institutions and current events;
• an ability to listen to, present and debate different points of view with accuracy and conviction.

The Programme of Study

Much of the teaching is delivered through topics; thus students develop language competence and discussion skills. Some topics covered are: L'environnement, La publicité, Le cinéma, Le monde du travail, L’éducation, L'immigration et le racisme, L'Europe, Le chômage, La vie politique.

Students extend their GCSE skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing; for example:

• Speaking
  Further pair and group discussion work; presenting an oral topic in front of an audience, extended role play.
• Listening
  Using French radio and video to listen both for gist and for detail and to extend language awareness.
• Reading
  A range of magazine and newspaper articles extend the student's ability to understand different registers of language and specialist vocabulary. Literary texts (novels, short stories, plays and poems) will be studied, and analytical skills expanded.
• Writing
  Messages, summaries, headings, paragraphs and essays all help develop accurate and fluent written expression. Creative and imaginative work is positively encouraged!

Trips to films, plays and other cultural events form part of the programme, as do language conferences. Students are encouraged to organise their own independent study visit to France as an important part of building their confidence and fluency.

The Examination

The examination will be made up of a number of modules. Some of these will involve a single skill, such as speaking, whereas others will require mixed skills, such as reading and writing. The modules studied in year 12 lead to the AS-level qualification; those studied in year 13 extend this to the A-level qualification.

Beyond A-level

Many present and past students of A-level French from this school are eager to continue their language study. Many choose, or chose, to do a degree course in French or French in combination with other disciplines at university (Economics, Law, Linguistics, Business Studies, Geography, European Studies, Politics, Sciences, etc.) There are many courses which combine French with another foreign language (e.g. German), enabling students to take two modern foreign languages into the work place. With the accent on the world of work topic in French, particularly at AS level, this is a clear advantage.