French

“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” - Charlemagne

French with over 220 million speakers, it ranks as the sixth most widely spoken language in the world. French is the native language of some 76 million people across 51 countries and the second most widely spoken in the European Union.

Studying French can lead to careers in Business, Law, Computer Games Development, Travel and Tourism, Speech Therapy, Teaching, Journalism, Interpreting and Translating and is useful in careers such as Engineering and ICT.

It is also the language of our closest neighbour and one of our most popular holiday destinations. Being able to communicate in French allows you to get a more authentic experience of French culture and lifestyle. A language of international institutions. French is an official language of the United Nations (UN) and many UN bodies. It is a working language of the European Union and other regional organisations, such as the African Union. It is also one of the two official languages of the Olympic Games.

A language of culture and knowledge. French-language films and literature are the most widely distributed after English-language works. With its wealth of cultural sites, particularly museums, France has become the world’s leading tourist destination. Its universities rank third in terms of their foreign student numbers. France also has the largest network of international schools.

All students study both French and German in Years 7–9 and can choose to continue with one or both of them to GCSE and A-Level. All our staff are subject specialists with a wealth of teaching experience.

As a department, we aim to provide each student with an enjoyable and rewarding experience of learning French, and we use a range of engaging classroom materials and activities to help build their confidence.

The topics studied are relevant to students’ lives and lessons aim to develop communicative competence based on a sound grasp of grammar through a variety of fun and challenging activities. Students also learn about daily life and culture in French-speaking countries around the world.

We place great emphasis on trips to France to develop speaking skills and extend cultural and historical knowledge. In Year 10, the entire cohort goes on a six-day trip to the country of the language that they have chosen for GCSE. The French group goes to Tours (Loire Valley) and they stay with families on a homestay basis and attend lessons in the morning. There are also opportunities for Sixth Formers to go on a week’s work experience in France with Halsbury, and we currently run a trip to Paris with the History department for Sixth Formers as well.

WHAT IS STUDIED AT KS3?

In Year 7, two forms will learn German, and the other two forms will study French. During this first year, great emphasis is placed on how to learn a language, essential skills in language acquisition and familiarisation with key terminology, which proves very effective in future MFL lessons in Year 8 and beyond.

We take a lexicogrammar approach and work with EPI (Extensive Processing Instruction) methodology.

In Year 7, our areas of focus are:

Term 1: Basics and Introductions

Term 2: Describing oneself and one’s family or friends

Term 3: School

Term 4: Food

Term 5: Free time

Term 6: Free time

In Year 8 our areas of focus are:

Term 1: My identity – personality

Term 2: My identity - music

Term 3: Past holiday

Term 4: Where I live

Term 5: Leisure (3 tenses)

Term 6: Leisure (3 tenses)

In Year 9 our areas of focus are:

Term 1: Social life – social media, celebrities, free time

Term 2: Wellbeing – illnesses and health

Term 3: Wellbeing – exercise and physical activity

Term 4: Future jobs

Term 5: Future jobs

Term 6: My ideal holiday

In Year 8, those taking French as a second modern foreign language in Year 8 have a slightly different programme. For their first year, they will follow a similar programme to Year 7 and then, in the second year, they will follow a condensed, accelerated form of the Year 8 and 9 topics.

What is Studied at KS4?

At Kendrick we follow the AQA specification. For further information please follow the link below:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/french/gcse/french-8652/specification

In conjunction with this course, we use our own materials and subscribe to the online Kerboodle resources.

Our schedules to explore key topics for Years 10 and 11 look as follows:

YEAR 10

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Identity and relationships with others	Healthy living and lifestyle	Education and work	Free time activities	Customs, festivals and celebrations	Celebrity culture

YEAR 11 GCSE

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Where people live	Travel and tourism, including places of interest	The environment	Media and technology	Revision and preparation for orals and final papers	GCSE examinations

GCSE French has a Foundation tier (grades 1–5) and a Higher tier (grades 4–9). Students must take all four question papers at the same tier. All question papers must be taken in the same series.

PAPER 1 - LISTENING

What's assessed:

Understanding and responding to spoken extracts comprising the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier.

Dictation of short, spoken extracts.

How it's assessed:

Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation tier), 45 minutes (Higher tier).

40 marks (Foundation tier), 50 marks (Higher tier).

25% of GCSE.

Recording controlled by the invigilator with built-in repetitions and pauses.

Each exam includes 5 minutes’ reading time at the start before the listening material is played and 2 minutes at the end for students to check their work.

Questions:

Section A: Listening comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks at Foundation tier, 40 marks at Higher tier).

Section B: Dictation where students transcribe short sentences, including a small number of words from outside the prescribed vocabulary list (8 marks at Foundation tier, 10 marks at Higher tier).

PAPER 2 - SPEAKING

What's assessed:

Speaking using clear and comprehensible language to undertake a Role-play.

Carrying out a Reading aloud task.

Talking about visual stimuli.

How it's assessed:

Non-exam assessment (NEA).

Foundation tier: 7–9 minutes + 15 minutes' supervised preparation time.

Higher tier: 10–12 minutes + 15 minutes' supervised preparation time.

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier).

25% of GCSE.

Questions:

The format is the same at Foundation and Higher tier, but with different stimulus materials for the Role-play and Reading aloud task.

Role-play – 10 marks (recommended duration: 1–1.5 minutes at both tiers).

Reading aloud task & short conversation – 15 marks.

Recommended duration: 2–2.5 minutes (Foundation tier), 3–3.5 minutes (Higher tier).

Reading aloud task: Minimum 35 words (Foundation), 50 words (Higher).

Includes a short unprepared conversation.

Photo card discussion – 25 marks.

Recommended duration: 4–5 minutes (Foundation tier), 6–7 minutes (Higher tier).

Response to the content of the photos (approx. 1 minute at Foundation, 1.5 minutes at Higher).

Unprepared conversation: Recommended duration 3–4 minutes (Foundation), 4.5–5.5 minutes (Higher).

PAPER 3 - READING

What's assessed:

Understanding and responding to written texts focusing predominantly on the vocabulary and grammar at each tier.

Inferring plausible meanings of single words when embedded in written sentences.

Translating from French into English.

How it's assessed:

Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation tier), 1 hour (Higher tier).

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier).

25% of GCSE.

Questions:

Section A – Reading comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally (40 marks).

Section B – Translation from French into English, minimum 35 words at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier (10 marks).

PAPER 4 - WRITING

What's assessed:

Writing text in the language in a lexically and grammatically accurate way in response to simple and familiar stimuli.

Translating from English into French.

How it's assessed:

Written exam: 1 hour 10 minutes (Foundation tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher tier).

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier).

25% of GCSE.

Questions:

Foundation tier

Question 1 – Student produces five short sentences in response to a photo (10 marks).

Question 2 – Student writes a short piece in response to five compulsory bullet points, approximately 50 words in total (10 marks).

Question 3 – Student completes five short grammar tasks (5 marks).

Question 4 – Translation of sentences from English into French, minimum 35 words in total (10 marks).

Question 5 (overlap question) – Student writes a piece in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks).

Higher tier

Question 1 – Translation of sentences from English into French, minimum 50 words in total (10 marks).

Question 2 (overlap question) – Student writes a piece in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks).

Question 3 – Open-ended writing task where the student responds to two bullet points, producing approximately 150 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (25 marks).

WHAT IS STUDIED AT KS5?

At Kendrick, we follow the AQA specification. For further information please follow the link below:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/french/a-level/french-7652/specification

The AQA books provide a basis for our teaching.

In conjunction with this course, we use our own materials and subscribe to the online Kerboodle resources.

Our schedule for Years 12 and 13 looks as below:

YEAR 12

Teacher 1	Teacher 2
Term 1: Family	Term 1: Heritage
Term 2: Family	Term 2: Heritage
Term 3: Technology	Term 3: Film
Term 4: Technology	Term 4: Film
Term 5: Volunteer work	Term 5: La Haine
Term 6: Volunteer work	Term 6: Music

YEAR 13

Teacher 1	Teacher 2
Term 1: La diversité / Kiffe Kiffe Demain	Term 1: Le droit de vote et l’engagement politique
Term 2: La marginalisation/ Kiffe Kiffe Demain	Term 2: Les manifestations et les grèves
Term 3: La criminalité/ Kiffe Kiffe Demain	Term 3: L’immigation
Term 4: Revise for exams	Term 4: Revise for exams
Term 5: Revise for exams	Term 5: Revise for exams

PAPER 1 - LISTENING, READING AND WRITING

What's assessed:

• Aspects of French-speaking society

• Artistic culture in the French-speaking world

• Multiculturalism in French-speaking society

• Aspects of political life in French-speaking society

• Grammar

How it's assessed:

• Written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes

• 100 marks

• 50 % of A-level

Questions

• Listening and responding to spoken passages from a range of contexts and sources covering different registers and adapted as necessary. Materials will include complex factual and abstract content and questions will target main points, gist and detail. Studio recordings will be used and students will have individual control of the recording. All questions are in French, to be answered with non-verbal responses or in French (30 marks)

• Reading and responding to a variety of texts written for different purposes, drawn from a range of authentic sources and adapted as necessary. Materials will include complex factual and abstract content and questions will target main points, gist and detail. All questions are in French, to be answered with non-verbal responses or in French (50 marks)

• Translation into English; a passage of minimum 100 words (10 marks).

• Translation into French; a passage of minimum 100 words (10 marks).

No access to a dictionary during the assessment.

PAPER 2 - WRITING

What's assessed:

• One text and one film or two texts from the list set in the specification

• Grammar

How it's assessed:

• Written exam: 2 hours

• 80 marks in total

• 20 % of A-level

Questions

• Either one question in French on a set text from a choice of two questions and one question in French on a set film from a choice of two questions or two questions in French on set texts from a choice of two questions on each text.

• All questions will require a critical appreciation of the concepts and issues covered in the work and a critical and analytical response to features such as the form and the technique of presentation, as appropriate to the work studied (eg the effect of narrative voice in a prose text or camera work in a film).

No access to texts or films during the assessment.

No access to a dictionary during the assessment.

Students are advised to write approximately 300 words per essay.

PAPER 3 - SPEAKING

What's assessed:

• Individual research project

• One of four sub-themes ie Aspects of French -speaking society or Artistic culture in the French -speaking world or

Multiculturalism in French -speaking society or Aspects of political life in French speaking society

How it's assessed:

• Oral exam: 21 – 23 minutes (including 5 minutes preparation time)

• 60 marks in total

• 30 % of A-level

Questions

• Discussion of a sub-theme with the discussion based on a stimulus card (5 – 6 minutes). The student studies the card for 5 minutes at the start of the test (25 marks).

• Presentation (2 minutes) and discussion (9 – 10 minutes) of individual research project (35 marks).

No access to a dictionary during the assessment (including 5 minutes preparation).

Students may take the assessment only once before certification.

Assessments will be conducted by a visiting examiner and marked by an AQA examiner.