Curriculum Leader

Mr M Fitzsimons

Awarding Body

AQA Course Specification

Entry Requirements

Grade 6 (or above) in GCSE French. If you are interested in taking a different language (e.g. Polish, Turkish, Chinese, Arabic etc) then please see notes in ‘Further course information section’ or the separate area on the website entitled ‘Other Language Qualifications’.

Why choose AQA A Level French?

AXA, BNP Paribas, Danone, EDF, L’Oréal, Michelin, Orange, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Suez, Total… some of the world’s largest companies and leaders in their field have their headquarters in France, so it stands to reason that in the global economy French is an extremely important language. Furthermore, alongside English, French is the only language that is spoken on every continent as well as being both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture and a good base for learning other languages, especially Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian) as well as English, since fifty per cent of current English vocabulary is derived from French.

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What will I study in Year 12 French?

Aspects of French-speaking society: current trends
• La famille en voie de changement
• La « cyber-société »
• Le rôle du bénévolat

Artistic culture in the French-speaking world
• Une culture fière de son patrimoine
• La musique francophone contemporaine
• Le septième art

Dossier littérature
• Study of a French language book

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What will I study in Year 13 French? 

Aspects of French-speaking society: current issues
• Les aspects positifs d’une société diverse
• Quelle vie pour les marginalistes ?
• Comment on traite les criminels

Aspects of political life in the French-speaking world
• Les ados, le droit de vote et l’engagement politique
• Manifestations, grèves – à qui le pouvoir ?
• La politique et l’immigration

Dossier cinéma
• Study of a French language film

Individual Research Project (to be used in the final speaking examination)

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How I will be assessed

There are three examinations in all: 

Paper 1: Listening, reading and writing
Weighting 50% of the total mark

Paper 2: Writing
Weighting 20% of the total mark

Paper 3: Speaking
Weighting 30% of the total mark

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How I will learn

You will learn through opportunities to:
• read about a range of contemporary topics, both in the classroom and independently.
• listen to authentic recordings based around contemporary topics.
• regularly learn vocabulary through the online program Vocab Express.
• develop the appropriate skills to be able to write essays in French.
• gain in-depth grammatical knowledge.
• develop links with students in our partner schools in western France.

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French can be studied as a single degree course or combined with virtually any other subject. A number of our former students have gone on to study languages at degree level, often at Russell Group universities and usually in conjunction with other languages, including Spanish, Russian and Italian. Anyone choosing to study French at degree level would normally be expected to spend up to a year living and working or studying in a French-speaking country.

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A knowledge of one or more foreign languages can be useful in a wide range of careers. For some jobs such as translating, interpreting, lecturing and teaching, language skills are essential. In other professions, including IT, law, finance, journalism and sales the ability to communicate in another language is a major advantage.

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Further Course Information

All students are provided with access to the Kerboodle online course and resources which include a range of listening and reading opportunities and assessment practice. Regular homework is a key part of the A level course while independent study is strongly encouraged so that students can remain up to date with current affairs and the culture of the French-speaking world.

Interested in taking another Language such as Arabic, Polish, Chinese, Turkish, Russian etc?
We have a long and very successful track record at McAuley of students achieving A Level and GCSE qualifications in alternative languages such as Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Polish and Turkish. Although we are not always in a position to offer specific tuition, we can investigate the options available to anyone who has good writing and reading skills in a particular language. A wide range of A Level languages is available. Please speak to a member of the Modern Foreign Languages department or email mfitzsimons@mcauley.org.uk if you would like to find out how to make the most of your language skills.

We are officially an International School!
McAuley is a recipient of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award for the breadth and variety of our work with other schools across the globe. This is an area which we are developing further and we are always on the lookout for new ideas and suggestions. Come and join us!

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