Why study A Level French?
You will enjoy it! In addition to developing your fluency in French, you will study a range of interesting topics which will give you a great understanding of the French-speaking world, its people, culture and history.
French is spoken on every continent in the world and has around 200 million speakers – a true global language! It is an official language in 29 countries eg France, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Senegal . . . which opens up the job market for you. In our 21st century global economy, your future will be greatly enhanced by knowledge of a foreign language and according to The Independent, can even be ‘extremely lucrative’ for your career opportunities.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb has said:
“It has never been more important for young people to learn a foreign language than now. An outward looking global nation needs a new generation of young people comfortable with the language and culture of our overseas trading partners.”
How will I be assessed?
There are three exams at A Level, all taken in the summer of Year 13:
- Paper 1: A Listening, Reading and Writing test
- Paper 2: A Written exam based on the film and book studied
- Paper 3: An Oral exam, including questions based around an independent research project
In the Listening exam you have individual control of the material and can pause, repeat etc as you wish.
Students should have achieved at least a strong Grade 6 at GCSE.
What skills will I gain from studying French?
There are so many cognitive benefits to being able to speak more than one language including improved memory and decision making as well as increased literacy skills.
Universities and employers value an A Level in a language because of the impressive range of transferable skills you develop. According to various research studies, these include:
- Problem Solving
- Enhance Productivity
- Intercultural understanding and awareness
Where can French lead?
Good language skills open the door to an array of exciting opportunities and careers. A survey of employers by the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) and Pearson found that almost two thirds of businesses say foreign language skills are important among their employees, particularly in helping build relations with clients, customers and suppliers.
Languages can be combined with almost any other subject at university; from sciences to journalism, law to accountancy and engineering to marketing. Indeed, many graduate application forms include a separate section for language ability showing how much employers value languages.
This course is challenging yet rewarding and students who study A Level French with us achieve excellent grades and often continue to study the language at university. If you study languages at university, even as part of another degree, you will have the fantastic opportunity of spending a year abroad, possibly as an assistant or at a job placement or a university. Languages are your passport to travel easily for work or for pleasure.
Matthew Fell, CBI UK Policy Director has said:
“As the UK looks to strengthen its trading relationships with nations across the world, our education system must adapt to support this goal. Studying foreign languages, developing cultural awareness and understanding global business is vital if the UK is to maintain a competitive edge on the international stage.”
What will I study?
French speaking Society and Culture
- Culture and Heritage
- Cyber Society
- Contemporary Music
- One film in French
- Diverse Society
- Teenagers and the Vote
- Demos and Strikes
- Politics and Immigration
- One book in French