French

French is spoken by nearly 400 million people on every continent, is spoken in more than 40 countries and on 5 continents. Students develop an understanding of French and learn to communicate confidently, clearly and effectively. They will also develop an awareness and understanding of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of the countries or communities where French is spoken.

As a result, students develop greater understanding of the French language as well as different aspects of France and Francophone culture.

Exam board: AQA

How the course will be examined: 100% examination at the end of the course.

Listening, Reading, and Writing - 50% of the course (2.30 hours)
Writing - 20% of the course (2 hours)
Speaking - 30% of the course (21 to 23 min)

What is the structure of the curriculum?

Year 12

Year 13

Aspects of French-speaking society:

current trends

La famille en voie de changement: The changing nature of family
La cyber-société: The cyber-society
Le rôle du bénévolat: The role of volunteering

Artistic culture in the French- speaking world

Une culture fière de son patrimoine: A culture proud of its heritage
La musique francophone contemporaine: Contemporary French-language music
Le septième art: Traditional French Cinema.

Study of a film

La Haine de Mathieu Kassovitz

Aspects of French-speaking society:

current issues

Les aspects positifs d’une société diverse: The positive aspects of a diverse society
Quelle vie pour les marginalisés?: What life is like for the marginalized?
Comment on traite les criminels?: How criminals are treated.

Aspects of political life in the French- speaking world

Les ados, le droit de vote et l’engagement politique: Teenagers, the right to vote, and political engagement
Manifestations, grèves - À qui le pouvoir?: Demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power?
La politique et l’immigration: Politics and immigration

Study of a book

No et moi de Delphine de Vigan: No and Me by Delphine de Vigan

Why the curriculum is sequenced this way:

Moving from GCSE to A-Level French is an exciting step! It is the moment where students stop just practicing the language and start using French to explore the real world—opening doors to global career opportunities, travel, and a completely new perspective on culture and politics.

To make this transition as smooth as possible, our course is carefully designed to build students’ confidence and skills step-by-step to become confident and fluent speakers.

Year 12: Building Confidence

We start with topics that students already know about and studied at GCSE. This allows them to focus on getting their grammar right and building their confidence.

Year 13: Expressing Big Ideas

In the second year, students move from just describing things to debating real-world issues. This is where they learn to express their own mature opinions on big topics.

The Personal Project: During the course, each student gets to pick a topic they are genuinely interested in—whether that’s French fashion, a historical event, or a specific sportsperson. They conduct their own independent research on it and then speak about it in their speaking exam. It’s a fantastic way for students to show off what they care about.

How is this course assessed?

Constant recall (grammar/ content/ vocabulary)
Regular exam questions throughout each topic
End of topic assessment involving past paper style questions
End of year examination

How can I revise for this course?

Using Quizlet to revise key vocabulary
Revising grammar content (past/ present/ future)
Brainstorm pros and cons arguments
Create fact files for each topic
Being informed - read/ listen to the news in French, watching films with French subtitles.
Quote banks and character profiles for the book and film to help with essay writing.