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French - Course Description 

The focus of the Modern Foreign Languages team is to develop the ability of our students to communicate successfully and effectively in the target language. We also put great emphasis on independent learning and achieving excellence; therefore, it is the ability to express themselves linguistically, resorting to different ways, which will be assessed in all parts of their course and eventually at GCSE level.

The main aims of the department are:

  • To encourage and develop the ability to use the target language effectively for communication.
  • Active learning with both students and teachers in roles, acting out real-life situations relevant to both ages and interests of students.
  • Involving language genuinely needed to perform any task; offering an insight into the culture and civilisation of the foreign language countries.
  • To provide enjoyment and to stimulate their awareness of languages.
  • To encourage positive attitudes to foreigners and foreign languages as well as respect and understanding of foreign culture and civilisation to counteract prejudice.
  • To enable learners to communicate effectively in everyday situations involving either foreign visitors in this country or themselves visiting a foreign country.
  • To make a provision for trips abroad in the early stages of learning.
  • To provide students with enough opportunities to experience success, enjoyment and feeling of acquiring a sound and satisfactory linguistic knowledge

Our intention is to provide always carefully structured activities and well-chosen authentic material designed for both foundation and higher level of achievement in all Attainment Targets. We aim to offer a balanced variety of work and material allowing students to move with enthusiasm from comprehension to creation of their own utterances and written work in the target language. Thus, in our three-part lessons, we aim to cater for all the abilities through the planning of activities which are aimed to suit students’ different learning styles and develop the four auricular skills.

Our KS3 & 4 Schemes of Work, which are regularly reviewed, are designed to include curricular and cross-curricular developments, in order to improve students’ language-learning skills and to provide them with strategies which aim to boost their performance. Literacy and Numeracy, as well as PSCHE orientations, are fundamental parts of our Schemes of Work too, so are regular activities developing skills strategies on how to improve speaking, listening reading and writing; starters requiring students to apply logic and make connections to previous learning, activities to develop anticipation skills in exam contexts and ongoing opportunities for pair work and regular peer assessment.

OUR EXPECTATIONS

We expect all students to be active participants in their learning of French, and to communicate with the teacher and students in the target language where possible.  Students are expected to learn vocabulary from the vocabulary booklet provided by the MFL department, and grammar at using Senca Learning and Languagenut at home, as they will be tested regularly.

KS3

Curriculum Overview

Term Year 7 Year 8 Year 9
Autumn 1 C’est perso T’es branché(e)? Ma vie sociale d’ado
Autumn 2 Mon collège Paris, je t’adore! Bien dans sa peau
Spring 1 Mes passetemps Mon identité À l’horizon
Spring 2 Ma zone Chez moi, chez toi Spécial vacances
Summer 1 3, 2, 1…Partez! Quel talent?! Moi dans le monde
Summer 2 Revision/Assessment/Project work Revision/Assessment/Project work Revision/Assessment/Project work

KS4

Course Overview

Students at GCSE follow the Edexcel GCSE French Course (1FR0):

pearson

Term

Year 10

Year 11

Autumn One

Module 1 Qui suis-je

Module 8: Un oeil sur le monde

Autumn Two

Module 2: Le temps des loisirs

Module 6: Au collège

Spring One

Module 3: jour ordinaires, jours de fêtes

Module 7: Bon travail

Spring Two

Module 4 De la ville à la campagne

EXAM PRACTICE: Listening/reading/speaking/writing

Summer One

Module 5: Le grand large

 

Summer Two

EXAM PRACTICE: Speaking

Photo card / one-minute presentation

 

Assessment Components

Paper 1: Listening and understanding in French (Paper code: 1FR0/1F and 1H) - Written examination (50 marks, 25%):

  • Students are assessed on their understanding of standard spoken French by one or more speakers in a range of public and social settings. Students will respond to multiple-response and short-answer open response questions based on a recording featuring male and female French speakers.
  • Foundation tier (Code 1FR0/1F): 35 minutes including 5 minutes’ reading time
  • Higher tier (Code 1FR0/1H): 45 minutes including 5 minutes’ reading time

Paper 2: Speaking in French - Internally conducted and externally assessed (70 marks, 25%):

  • Students are assessed on their ability to communicate and interact effectively through speaking in French for different purposes and in different settings.
  • Foundation tier (Paper code 1FR0/2F): 7–9 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time
  • Higher tier (Paper code 1FR0/2H): 10–12 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time

Paper 3: Reading and understanding in French - Written examination (50 marks, 25%):

  • Students are assessed on their understanding of written French across a range of different types of texts, including advertisements, emails, letters, articles and literary texts.
  • Foundation tier (Paper code: 1FR0/3F): 45 minutes
  • Higher tier (Paper code: 1FR0/3H): 1 hour

Paper 4: Writing in French – Written examination (60 marks, 25%):

  • Foundation tier (Paper code: 1FR0/4F): 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Higher tier (Paper code: 1FR0/4H): 1 hour 20 minutes

Description of Activities

Students will initiate and develop discussions on a wide variety of topics, using appropriate register.  They will deduce meaning in longer texts, including extracts from literary texts, which include a combination of different tenses, opinions, some more complex grammatical structures and some less common vocabulary.  Students will write extended texts on a variety of topic areas, containing detailed descriptions, narrations and well-justified personal opinions, referring to the past, present and future.

Why you should consider this subject for GCSE

All students study French for GCSE.

Future Careers

French is an extremely useful subject to learn in order to support a range of careers.

More subject-specific careers include being a/an: Interpreter, Secondary school teacher, Translator, Broadcast journalist, Detective, Diplomatic service officer, Education consultant, English as a foreign language teacher, International aid/development worker, Logistics and distribution manager, Marketing executive, Patent examiner, Private tutor, Publishing rights manager, Sales executive, Tour manager

GCSE Results 2022

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 84% grades 9-4 in French.

GCSE Results 2021

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 76.1% grades 9-4 in French.

GCSE Results 2020

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 72.8% grades 9-4 in French.

GCSE Results 2019

Congratulations to the Year 11 Students on achieving;

76.4% 9-4 - French

100% 9-4 - Spanish

Extra Curricular / Clubs

  • KS3 FRENCH CLUB                -Monday and Wednesday at lunchtime
  • YEAR 10 FRENCH CLUB        -Monday at lunchtime
  • YEAR 11 INTERVENTION       -Monday after school

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