During the two year course, you will gain a deep insight into French culture through the study of film, literature, music, art and politics.  You will look closely at life in France, exploring topics as varied as education, festivals and traditions, multiculturalism, music and cinema.  You will study a French film and a French novel.

In addition, you will develop your skills as a translator whilst building on fluency across the skill areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking.  Students also meet with a native speaker once a week for small-group conversation practice.

• Listening - interviews, conversations, radio broadcasts, videos, video clips on the Internet in our computer suites.
• Speaking - role-plays, dialogues, pronunciation practice, short presentations and regular conversation classes in small groups with a native speaker.
• Reading - articles, magazines, books, newspapers, Internet sources.
• Writing - short articles, letters, reports, projects, poems, descriptions.
• Grammar - games, revision and practice in class and using the Internet.

This is a linear A level course.  You will NOT be entered for an external AS exam at the end of the first year.  In the second year of the course, you will take external exams that assess content covered in the first and second year.  These exams will determine your A level grade.

You will continue to build on your listening, reading, writing and speaking as well as your knowledge of grammar.

Listening, reading, translation paper - 50%

Writing paper - 20%

Speaking test - 30%

• Conversation classes;
• Differentiated tasks in lessons;
• The 'Anthea Bell' translation prize, and the Big Think Competition from Oxford University;
• We offer a bespoke programme for Oxford and Cambridge applicants, where students explore ways of approaching extracts of prose, film and poetry;
• Recommended texts/additional reading suggestions;
• Access to a wide range of French material at the College library (novels and DVD);
• Extra curricular trips to the British Film Institute and the French Institute.

Virtually any.  We have students taking science subjects, mathematicians, historians, those in the fields of English language or literature and business, to name but a few.

Many of our students go on to study languages as a major or minor part of their higher education course.  There has been an explosion in recent years in the number of university courses where modern languages are combined with other subjects, such as business and management, marketing, accountancy, law, engineering, sciences, IT, arts and music.  Study at this level usually involves time spent working or studying abroad.  In recent years, the ability to use languages is highly prized by employers.  Modern languages graduates are in demand with 96% of students finding employment.  Whatever you decide to do, your language skills will be an invaluable asset to you.

You can find the prep work for this course at prepwork.farnborough.ac.uk. 

Q:  Is it a big jump from GCSE to A level?
A:  While there is an increase in difficulty, this is one of the best things about the course.  A level study gives you the chance to delve deeper into French culture and explore the language in a more revealing and engaging way than is possible at GCSE.  We are specialists in teaching at this level and are here to help you manage the transition into post-16 learning.

Q:  Is it true you study Literature and Film?
A:  Yes! We sample a range of French films in the first year before honing in on our set film and text in part two of the course. We spend lots of time in class exploring these works, making use of a range of resources in order to make cultural studies feel accessible and enjoyable. You also get the opportunity to choose your own individual film, text, or topic, and carry out some research on a piece of French culture that you love.

Q:  What kinds of support or practice opportunities are offered outside regular lessons?
A:  We are very lucky to have a native speaker with us in College who runs weekly conversation classes where you can meet with other students in very small groups (usually 3 or 4) and talk over what you have been learning about in class and  build your confidence in speaking and listening in French.

Q: What is a typical class size?
A:  Classes are usually made up of  between 14 -18 students.  We do lots of pair and group work in lessons in order to make learning interactive and lively, and there is always a warm and buzzing atmosphere in the classroom.

Q:  What kind of things do students end up doing after the course?
A:  The majority of our students go on to study French in higher education: many apply to universities in the UK (and some even abroad!) to study modern languages (one, two, or even three languages).  Some students choose to combine French with another subject, giving them the opportunity to have a year abroad as part of their degree.  A Level French is a qualification which is extremely attractive to university admissions tutors, apprenticeship providers and employers because it makes your CV stand out against all other applicants. 

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