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French KS4 | Years 10 & 11

Examination Board | AQA
Specification Code | 8658

Subject Content

The French GCSE curriculum is taught over two years, building on a knowledge of grammar and lexis taught lower down the school. Students will follow the three core GCSE themes over the two years and be able to communicate their opinions on the following topics.

Theme 1 (Identity and culture)

  • Family and relationships
  • Use of technology in everyday life
  • Free time activities
  • Customs and festivals

Theme 2 (Local, national and international areas of interest)

  • Home, town, neighbourhood and region
  • Social issues
  • Global issues
  • Travel and Tourism

Theme 3 (Education and employment)

  • My studies
  • Life at school
  • Education post 16
  • Jobs, career choices and ambitions.

Course content is supported by the Oxford University Press AQA 9–1 series of publications.

Assessment Details

Students are assessed at various end points throughout the course. Their speaking, listening, reading and writing competencies are evaluated. At the end of each unit, students will produce work that will begin to form the basis of their GCSE speaking examination.

Students will be exposed to example exam materials at various points throughout the course and will also sit a full mock speaking examination.

Students should ultimately be able to:

  • Engage in spontaneous conversation in French using familiar vocabulary
  • Produce extended writing containing a range of opinions, time frame, connectives and accurate spelling punctuation and grammatical terms.
  • Narrate or describe a picture or photo without any written support
  • Listen and read for gist, and accomplish reading/aural comprehension tasks where the vocabulary is largely unfamiliar
  • Conjugate most regular verbs into past, present and future forms
  • Be able to produce translations between French and English
The GCSE examination is weighted as follows:
  • Speaking Exam – 25%
  • Reading Exam – 25%
  • Listening Exam – 25%
  • Writing Exam – 25%

Students are able to sit either the GCSE at either Higher or Foundation Tier. They will have sat mock exams in both tiers before the final decision is made. The speaking exam is conducted first and is on a one-to-one basis with the examiner.   As part of their preparation students will have been completing a booklet of possible speaking exam questions at the end of each unit of study since Year 10.

Students are able to have access to extra time requirements or other support (e.g. a scribe or laptop) in all four GCSE exams, but may not use a dictionary at any point in their exams.

Additional Equipment Recommended

  • A French/English dictionary (we recommend the Collins dictionaries, or any with verb tables and a glossary of key terms included)

What can I do to support my child at home?

  • Take an interest and get them to teach you what they have learned in their French lessons: 
  • Ensure they have packed their exercise book, and read through the last lesson’s vocabulary the night before
  • Encourage practice with any French-speaking friends or family
  • Put the French audio/subtitles on a favourite family film
  • Encourage and be positive about the value of learning another language – it directly improves literacy in English!
Websites

 

Teaching Staff

Head of MFL

Misss Goddard -rgoddard@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Teachers of MFL 

Mrs McMinn - emcminn@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Miss Mesnil - lmesnil@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mrs Rudge - lrudge@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

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