French

5 GCSE grades 9 to 4 including a minimum of grade 6 at GCSE French

French A level is an opportunity to develop your language skills while discovering Francophone culture and debating exciting and diverse topics such as politics, culture and social issues. In addition to aspects of French-speaking society, artistic culture, and politics, you will also study two cultural works during the course.  These could include modern or classic literature and/or a film.

Finally, in the second year, you will conduct individual research on a subject of personal interest, relating to France or the Francophonie.  During the speaking exam, you will give a two-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of discussion of their research topic. The topic could be a political figure, a writer, an artist, a movement, an issue (e.g. animal rights) or a comparison between an aspect of French and British society (e.g. school system).

Unit 1 Listening, Reading & Writing - 2hrs and 30 mins - 40% of final grade

Unit 2 Writing (essays on cultural works) - 2 hours - 30% of final grade

Unit 3 Speaking - 22 minutes - 30% of final grade

Samuel Ryder Academy offers excellent Modern Foreign Languages teaching.  The current team consistently achieve Outstanding results at GCSE. New Head of Department, Ms Wrightson, has a proved track record of delivering excellent A level results at her previous role at a school with a language specialism.  The current Second in Department, Miss Morcrette, is a native speaker of French, who can offer students first-hand knowledge of French life and culture. 

Independent study is a crucial element of the A level course.  You will be expected to read independently - in both French and English - about the key themes and cultural works.  your independent research project will account for a large part of your speaking exam, which represents 30% of your final grade.  In order to be successful, you will need to be passionate about French language and culture, and be prepared to complete a significant amount of home learning.

Having a language at A level is an excellent way to stand out when applying to top universities or searching for jobs in an increasingly competitive environment. Students with French A2 go on to study a wide variety of subjects.  As well as pure Language degrees, French can be combined with almost any subject at degree level and is a particularly popular option with subjects such as Law, History and Business.

An application form can be obtained from the Head of Sixth From h.potter@samuelryderacademy.co.uk . Once your application has been processed you will be invited to discuss your subject choices with the Head of Sixth Form.