A2 French

A2 French
Level: AS/A2

Awarding Body: AQA

Course Content:
Speaking another language is a vitally important asset on the job market: If you can offer another language, you increase your chances of being employed in many different professions. Also, you can earn 20% extra than those with only English.

AS: This is the first half of the A level course. It is a stepping stone to the full A level qualification. You can take just the AS or you can decide at the end of the AS course to take the full A level. The AS will develop your Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills. The AS is composed of two Units. You will explore the following topic areas: Media, Popular Culture, Healthy living/Lifestyle and Family/Relationships.

A2: The full A Level is made up of the AS Units plus two more Units. You further develop your Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing skills. You study four more topic areas: Environment, The Multicultural Society, Contemporary Social Issues and two Cultural topics.

Teaching Learning Methods:
Both French teachers are native speakers and lessons are taught in French except when not appropriate.

Teaching methods are varied and range from whole class teaching to group work and pair work. Students have regular use of the language laboratory. Students also make extensive use of the Internet thanks to our developed IT equipment in the college and are able to watch French films, French documentaries and French news on the electronic whiteboard. Students are encouraged to develop research skills involving the library, the Internet and the facilities of the French Institute. Students, whose mother tongue is not French are strongly advised to spend time in France and assistance is available with this.

Assessment:
AS:

Unit 1: Listening, Reading and Writing (2 hours):

You will be given a question paper/answer booklet and an individual CD/ cassette. You will have personal control of the CD/cassette. The CD/cassette will contain about 5 minutes of authentic material. The reading material will include items such as extracts from magazines, reports and books. You will do a range of exercises and you will have to respond by a longer piece of writing to a question based on one of the AS topics.

Unit 2: Speaking: 15 minutes plus 20 minutes preparation time:

This exam has 2 parts:

-Part 1: 5 minutes: Discussion from a stimulus card: Based on a drawing about one of the topic with questions. You will have 20 minutes to prepare your answers. The examiner will then ask you the questions about the topic on the picture.

-Part 2: 10 minutes: Conversation: You will take part in a general conversation based on the three remaining topics you have studied during the course. (The first topic of the conversation is your choice and you are allowed to bring 5 bullet points.)

A2:

Unit 3: Listening, Reading and Writing (2.30 hours):

You will be given a question/answer booklet and an individual CD/cassette. The CD/ cassette will contain about 6 minutes of authentic material. The reading material will include extracts from magazines, reports and books. The exercises will require some short but mainly long answers in French. There will also be translation from French to English and from English to French. Candidates will also respond in a longer piece of writing to a question based on one of the five A2 cultural topic areas.

Unit 4: Speaking (15 minutes + 20 minutes preparation time):

This exam has 2 parts:

-Part1: 5 minutes: Discussion from a stimulus card: The candidate will choose one card out of two, on one of the A2 topics but not the cultural ones: you will have to defend one point of view and justify it.

-Part 2: 10 minutes: Conversation: 2X5 minutes on each of the two cultural topics studied.

Skills & Commitment:
Success requires:

- Regular Attendance - the course is designed for 155 hours of tuition at AS & 185 hours at A2.

- Punctuality.

- 5 hours of private study per week.

- An interest in current affairs.

- Regular attendance to conversation classes in small groups (1 to 3 students): these are compulsory sessions: set on top of the 5 hours of weekly lessons in view of preparing the oral exam with the teacher who will examine you.

Cost:
Students should buy their own dictionary and their exercise-book, file, paper and pens. They will also have to pay for the book that we are going to study, plus £10 deposit for the text-book that we use in class. This deposit will be given back at the end of the academic year as long as the book is in good order.

Complimentary Subjects:
French is compatible with all subjects and is of particular interest to students who are enrolling on courses such as: Travel & Tourism, Business, Media, Film Studies, Literature and Art.