French GCSE

French GCSE

Course Length

One or two years.

The course

By learning a foreign language, you give yourself the chance to see the world in a different way. You can explore a new culture and access films, plays and books as they were meant to be seen and read. You will also increase your employability as there is always a demand for people who can speak more than one language across a very wide range of careers.

In this course, you will develop your knowledge of the French language and culture through studying three different topic areas:

Theme 1: Identity and culture;

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest;

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment.

What skills do I need?

You need an interest in languages and the culture of another country and its people.

How is the course assessed?

The AQA GCSE in French consists of three papers. In Unit 1 (Listening), you will be required to listen to a range of factual and non-factual material in different contexts and in different registers. You will be assessed on your ability to identify and note main points, to deduce the meaning of words from context, to extract specific details, to identify points of view, to show some understanding of unfamiliar language, and to recognize attitudes, emotions and opinions. The paper lasts 45 minutes (40 minutes + 5 minutes reading time) and is worth 25% of the total marks. In Units 3 and 4 (Reading and Writing), you will be tested on your ability to understand and use information from a range of texts.

In the first extended writing task you will be required to write about 90 words in French. The response will be assessed for communication, content knowledge and application of language. For the second piece of extended writing, you will select one writing task from a choice of two. You will be expected to write a continuous response of about 150 words and you will be expected to express opinions and to use a variety of structures, including a range of tenses. For the third task you will have to do a translation into French.

The papers lasts 1 hour 15 minutes for the writing and 45 minutes for the reading; they are worth 25% of the total marks each. In Unit 2 (Speaking), you have three tasks. In Section A, you will answer a minimum of 5 questions on a photograph and a conversation with the interviewer about the picture will last for up to 3 minutes. In Section B, you will be required to take part in conversations with the interviewer on a role-play (2 minutes). In part C you will talk about the topics in a general conversation for up to 7 minutes. The total duration of the exam is around 10 minutes and is worth 25% of the total marks.

Reading

AQA GCSE French Higher
Published by Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 9780198365839

Exam Board and Specification Code

AQA 8658

Ana Abad Jara
Head of Department