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Introduction

Introduction:

  • To encourage and develop the ability the use of target language
    effectively for communication.
  • To promote active learning with both students and teachers in
    roles, acting out real life situations relevant to both age and interests
    of students.
  • To develop language genuinely needed to perform any task; offering
    an insight into the culture and civilization of target language
    countries.
  • To provide enjoyment and to stimulate 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 expectations

Our intention is to provide carefully structured activities and appropriate 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 all 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.

Schemes of Work are regularly reviewed and 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 as are regular activities developing strategies to improve listening and reading. Activities which require students to apply logic and make connections, activities to develop anticipation skills in exam contexts and ongoing opportunities for pair work and regular peer assessment are built in to every stage of learning.

KS3

In Key Stage 3 all students study French for three years. Languages are
taught in mixed ability groupings in Year 7 but are set in Years 8 and 9.

By the end of their third year students will have become proficient in
speaking, writing, reading and listening to French, will be competent in three
tenses and a broad range of topics and vocabulary, giving them a firm
foundation for embarking on a GCSE course. In accordance with the new languages
curriculum, students will have the opportunity to practise dictation and
translation tasks, as well as working with authentic French materials and
selected examples of literature. Students will have practice of role play tasks
in preparation for GCSE requirements.

Year 7

Autumn term 1 Likes and dislikes, describing yourself, describing other people, music.
Autumn term 2 School subjects, opinions and reasons, timetable, school day, schools in French
speaking countries.
Spring term 1 Computers and mobiles, sports, activities, saying what you like to do, describing what
other people do.
Spring term 2 Your town, directions, the weekend, what you can do in your town
Summer term 1 Holidays, getting ready to go out, drinks and snacks, holiday plans.
Summer term 2 Say what you would like to do, animals, free time and interests.

Year 8

Autumn term 1 Talking about TV, cinema, reading, internet, what you did yesterday
Autumn term 2 A visit to Paris, when you did things, tourist attractions, how you travel, interview
Spring term 1 Personality, relationships, music, clothes, passions.
Spring term 2 Where you live, house and home, meals, choosing food, describing and event.
Summer term 1 Talent and ambition, persuading people, saying that is the best, using French in everyday
situations.
Summer term 2 The world, Francophonie, nature, French history

 

Year 9

Autumn term 1

Facebook, arranging to go out, dates, music event, festivals.

Autumn term 2

Body, sport, health, keeping fit.

 

Spring term 1

Jobs, the use of languages, talking about what you used to do, the future.

Spring term 2

Going on holiday, adventure holidays, what you take on holiday, describing a previous
holiday.

Summer term 1

What you are allowed to do, what is important, things you can buy.

Summer term 2

Environment. Preparing for GCSE.

 

KS4

All students follow a course of study in GCSE French. Classes are taught in groups which prepare students specifically for foundation or higher-level tier of the Pearson Edexcel exam board. During the course, students will further develop and practise the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing within topics of identity and culture, local area, holiday and travel, school, future aspirations, study and work and international and global dimension. The department is committed to ensuring that every languages student achieves their potential and understands how a languages qualification can be of benefit in their future career.

The assessment will be of linear approach with all four skills
assessed separately. At the end of year 11 all students will have to undertake
their listening, speaking, reading and writing exams, with the ability tier
being the same for each skill. Students will undertake a ‘mock’
examination in December and in February. Mock exam results are used amongst other assessments as a basis for decisions on level of entry for the terminal examination. Mock exam papers are marked according to the Pearson Edexcel
examination board mark schemes and therefore give an accurate indication of
grades achieved.

Themes and topics questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, addressing a range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes. They are organised into five themes, each broken down into topics and sub-topics.

The five themes are:

Identity and culture

(Self, family and friends; Daily life, food
and drink; Shopping; Social media and technology – use of, advantages and
disadvantages; Cultural life, celebrations and festivals; interests and
leisure activities.

Local area, holiday and travel                                                                  

(Holidays and destinations; Travel and tourist transactions: travel and accommodation; asking for help and dealing with problems; directions; eating out; shopping; Town, region and country: weather; places to see; things to do)

School                                                                                                                  

(What school is like: school types; school day; subjects; rules and pressures; celebrating success; School activities: school trips; events; exchanges)

Future aspirations, study and work

(Using languages beyond the classroom: forming relationships; travel; employment; Ambitions: further study; volunteering; training; Work: jobs; careers; professions

International and global dimension                                                      

(Bringing the world together: sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes; Environmental issues: being ‘green’; access to natural resources

 Year 10 French

Autumn term 1 Qui suis-je?

 
Autumn term 2 Le temps des loisirs

 
Spring term 1 Jours de fête

 
Spring term 2 La ville et la campagne

 
Summer term 1 Là où j’habite, la météo

 
Summer term 2 Les vacances

 

Year 11 French

Autumn term 1 Les catastrophes, les voyages

 
Autumn term 2 Le collège, les règlements

 
Spring term 1 Le travail, les langues

 
Spring term 2 CV, que font les autres dans la vie.

 
Summer term 1 L’environnement, le bénévolat

 
Summer term 2 Preparing for the exam.

 

 How will I be assessed?

French is 100% terminal examination based. The skills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing are assessed and each is worth 25% of the
terminal grade.

Qualification: GCSE French

Examination Board: Edexcel

Code: 2FR01

 

Assessment overview

Each paper is available at Foundation tier or Higher tier. Students are entered for a single tier only across all 4 papers.

Paper 1: Listening and understanding in French

Foundation tier: 35 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks

Higher tier: 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks

25% of the total
qualification

 

Paper 2: Speaking in French

Foundation tier: 7–9 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 70 marks

Higher tier: 10–12 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 70 marks

25% of the total
qualification

There are three tasks which
must be conducted in the following order:

Task 1 – a role play based on one topic that is allocated by Edexcel examination board.

Task 2 – questions based on a picture stimulus based on one topic that is
allocated by Edexcel examination board.

Task 3 – conversation based on two themes. The first theme is based on the
topic chosen by the student in advance of the assessment. The second theme is
allocated by Edexcel examination board. The assessments are conducted by teachers in one session within a prescribed assessment period.

 

Paper 3: Reading and understanding in French

Foundation tier: 45 minutes; 50 marks

Higher tier: 1 hour; 50 marks

25% of the total
qualification

 

Paper 4: Writing in French

Foundation tier: 1 hour 10 minutes; 60 marks

Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes; 60 marks

25% of the total
qualification

The GCSE examination has been reviewed and for first examination in 2026 there will be some changes to the assessment.
 

Paper 1 will become speaking with a reading aloud section to allow for improvement of
pronunciation skills.

Paper 2 will become listening with a dictation section to allow for improvement of spelling skills.

Paper 3 will be reading and remains in the current format.

Paper 4 will be writing with a change that all stimulus tasks are set in English.

This specification will start with year 10 (2024) and the first exam will be in 2026.

GCSE Results 2022

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 61% grades 9-4 in French

GCSE Results 2023

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 47.9% grades 9-4.

How will I be assessed?

French is 100% terminal examination based. The skills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing are assessed and each is worth 25% of the
terminal grade.

Qualification: GCSE French

Examination Board: Edexcel

Code: 2FR01

 

Assessment overview

Each paper is available at Foundation tier or Higher tier. Students are entered for a single tier only across all 4 papers.

Paper 1: Listening and understanding in French

Foundation tier: 35 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks

Higher tier: 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks

25% of the total
qualification

 

Paper 2: Speaking in French

Foundation tier: 7–9 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 70 marks

Higher tier: 10–12 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 70 marks

25% of the total
qualification

There are three tasks which
must be conducted in the following order:

Task 1 – a role play based on one topic that is allocated by Edexcel examination board.

Task 2 – questions based on a picture stimulus based on one topic that is
allocated by Edexcel examination board.

Task 3 – conversation based on two themes. The first theme is based on the
topic chosen by the student in advance of the assessment. The second theme is
allocated by Edexcel examination board. The assessments are conducted by teachers in one session within a prescribed assessment period.

 

Paper 3: Reading and understanding in French

Foundation tier: 45 minutes; 50 marks

Higher tier: 1 hour; 50 marks

25% of the total
qualification

 

Paper 4: Writing in French

Foundation tier: 1 hour 10 minutes; 60 marks

Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes; 60 marks

25% of the total
qualification

Why study a language?

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world”

If we were to adopt a motto for the department, it would most certainly be the above. This sums up the message that we try to convey to our students when they visit our department.

As well as promoting the study of languages, the Language Department at Abbs Cross also aims to teach the importance and benefits of having multi-lingual skills in today’s world, whether at home or abroad.

When you learn another language, you are able to get a real cultural insight and understanding.

In today’s global economy, knowing another language really gives you a competitive edge when applying for a job.

Educational research shows that results in English and Maths are higher for students who study a foreign language.

We want to encourage our students to widen their horizons through language learning and overseas travel, to become global thinkers and help them understand their important role as citizens in an international, multi-lingual world.

We hope that through language study, students will develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and how other people think.

The subjects are delivered by specialists with four members of the department. 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 of students to express themselves linguistically, resorting to different methods, which will be assessed in all parts of the course and eventually at GCSE.

Extra Curricular

KS4 French conversation club to practise the skill of general conversation.

  • KS4 GCSE revision
  • KS3 French cartoon club
  • KS3 French song club
  • Google classroom
  • KS3 day trip to northern France
  • KS4 residential trip to Paris
  • EAL club

Useful Links

KS3

 

KS4