Course Content - What will you be studying?

This course builds on the skills and knowledge learnt at KS3. You will be learning more complex and sophisticated language, accessing different types of texts and audio recordings about topics you will already be familiar with as well as some new topics. Speaking and listening will be as important as reading and writing as the 4 skills are examined at the end of year 11 and each represent 25% of your final grade.

Working with your classmates will be an important part of your lessons. Indeed, learning a language is about interacting with different people. That is why doing so in the classroom will help you develop your listening and speaking skills further. You will learn to express yourself in speaking and writing about things that you are interested in for example you might wish to talk and write about your friends, your hobbies, your plans for the future, a film you watched recently or your opinion on climate change. You will learn to describe, to give your opinion, to recount, to agree and disagree and to advise.

The course will cover themes such as identity and culture, local, national, international and global areas of interest, and current and future study or employment.

You will sometimes get stuck, not knowing how to say or write something properly; not understanding something you hear or read, but you will need to show resilience as if you study hard and put the right amount of effort, you will by the end of this course have an intermediate level in French which only a minority of people in the country have and THAT is rewarding!

Assessment weighting - Exams / Coursework

Students will sit 4 exams at the end of Year 11 either at foundation or higher level:

- Listening Paper [AO1] weighs 25% of the grade
- Speaking Paper [AO2] weighs 25% of the grade
- Reading Paper [AO3] 25% of the marks
- Writing Paper [AO4] 25% of the marks

Who is this course aimed at?

This course is only suitable for students who have learnt the foundations in year 7 and 8 or at least in year 9. The course is therefore not suitable for absolute beginners.

Are you playful when you try to speak French? Are you keen to speak it with your classmates and the teacher without being scared of making mistakes? Are you willing to learn a lot more words and to understand how the French language works? Are you hardworking and willing to learn from home too? Have you always wanted to impress your family and friends with a skill that only you have? Can you see yourself travelling when you are older or working abroad? Then this course might be the perfect thing for you.

Head of Subject

Nadege Marie nmarie-hughes@millbayacademy.org