French
SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE DEPARTMENT
Learning languages opens new worlds. Whether it is to get the most out of foreign travel, hobbies, interests or career development, immersion in the culture and language of another country or region helps our understanding of the world around us.
We hope that during the study of French at Aquinas students will:
• derive enjoyment and benefit from language learning and be inspired by following a broad, coherent and worthwhile course of study.
• recognise that their linguistic knowledge, understanding and skills provide them with a suitable basis for further learning opportunities and opportunities for career progression.
• develop knowledge of and an enthusiasm for language learning skills.
• develop the confidence to communicate effectively in French.
• develop the ability to work independently and with others.
• develop an understanding of French in a variety of contexts.
• develop awareness and understanding of French-speaking countries and communities.
• take their place as citizens in a multilingual, global society.
EXAM BOARD
CCEA
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 3 CURRICULUM
At Key Stage 3, French is delivered over three lessons of 35 minutes per week.
Pupils are taught basic language concepts and the four skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing are developed, equipping pupils with the vocabulary and grammar to continue to Key Stage 4.They are taught to communicate effectively through the medium of French using a variety of teaching methodologies and resources. We use Pearson Accès Studio online text book in Yr 8, Studio 1 (Years 8 and 9) and Studio 2 (Year 10)
In Year 8, pupils cover the following topics:
• Greetings
• Numbers
• Months and days of the week
• Myself (name, age, birthday, nationality)
• Alphabet
• Items in school bag and classroom
• Physical description (hair, eyes and height)
• Description of character
• Pets/animals
• Family members
• Where you live
• weather
• Introduction to main verbs avoir and être
In Year 9, pupils cover the following topics:
• School (subjects, likes and dislikes)
• School uniform and clothes (colours, adjectives)
• School day (time)
• Food (likes/dislikes)
• Hobbies
• Directions in a town
• What you can do in your town
• The present tense of -er verbs
• The near future tense
In Year 10, pupils cover the following topics:
• Leisure (TV programmes, films, books, use of the internet)
• The perfect tense
• Holiday in Paris
• Where you live (House, rooms, your local area)
• The weather
• Parts of the body and going to the doctor’s
• Food and Drink (café roleplays)
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM
At Key Stage 4, French is an optional subject at GCSE Level. Pupils follow the CCEA exam board specification. French is delivered over four lessons of 35 minutes per week.
We use the Pearson Studio Higher textbook. Pupils will be examined on their knowledge of the language within the following contexts for learning.
• Context 1: Identity, Lifestyle and Culture
• Context 2: Local, National and Global Areas of Interest
• Context 3: School Life and the World of Work
Pupils will be assessed in the four main skill areas of : Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. All assessments take place at the end of Year 12 and are worth 25% each.
Unit 1: Listening (25%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ understanding and response to different types of spoken language.
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• demonstrate understanding of different types of spoken language
• follow and understand clear speech that uses familiar language
• identify the overall message, key points, details and opinions in a variety of spoken passages
• deduce meaning from a variety of spoken texts
• recognise and respond to key information, important themes and ideas in extended spoken text by answering questions, extracting information, evaluating and drawing conclusions
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination with stimulus material in French.
There are two tiers of entry.
Pupils will have 35 minutes to complete the assessment for this unit at Foundation Level and 45 minutes to complete the assessment for this unit at Higher Level.
Students answer 12 questions. Four of these are the same in both tiers.
Responses include:
• selection
• gap-filling
• answering questions in English
• answering questions in French
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 12.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 2: Speaking (25%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ communication and effective interaction in speech.
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• communicate and interact effectively in speech for a variety of purposes
• take part in short conversations, asking and answering questions, exchanging opinions and producing extended
• speak spontaneously, responding to questions, points of view or situations and sustaining communication, as appropriate
• express information and narrate events coherently and confidently, using and adapting language for new purposes
• make appropriate and accurate use of a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures
• make creative use of the language, as appropriate, to express and justify their own thoughts and points of view
• use accurate pronunciation and intonation that would be understood by a native speaker
This unit is assessed in the form of a formal speaking examination conducted by the teacher under controlled conditions.
Pupils will have 7-12 minutes, plus 10 minutes of supervised preparation time, to complete the assessment for this unit.
Each test includes:
• two role plays, both from the same Context of Learning
• a general conversation on two topics, one from each of the other two Contexts of Learning.
Each role play lasts up to 2 minutes and each conversation topic takes up to 4 minutes.
Students prepare the first conversation topic in advance from the Context for Learning.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 12.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 3: Reading (25%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ understanding and response to different types of written language.
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• understand and respond to different types of written language
• demonstrate understanding of details within texts using high frequency familiar language
• identify the overall message, key points, details and opinions in a variety of written passages
• deduce meaning from a variety of written texts
• recognise and respond to key information, important themes and ideas in extended written text and authentic sources
• demonstrate understanding by scanning for particular information, organising and presenting relevant details, drawing conclusions in context and recognising implicit meaning where appropriate
• translate sentences from French into English
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination with stimulus material in French.
There are two tiers of entry.
Pupils will have 50 minutes to complete the assessment for this unit at Foundation Level and 1 hour to complete the assessment for this unit at Higher Level.
Students answer 12 questions. Four of these are the same in both tiers.
Responses include:
• selection
• gap-filling
• answering questions in French
• answering questions in English
• translating short sentences from French into English
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 12.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 4: Writing (25%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ communication in written French.
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• communicate in writing for a variety of purposes
• write words, phrases and short texts, using lists and simple sentences in familiar language to convey meaning and exchange information
• translate sentences from English into French to convey key messages accurately and to apply knowledge of language and grammatical structures in context
• produce clear and coherent extended text to present facts and express ideas and opinions for different purposes and in different settings
• make accurate use of a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures
• manipulate the language, using and adapting a variety of structures and vocabulary with accuracy and fluency for new purposes
• make independent and creative use of the language to identify key points, express and justify their thoughts and points of view
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination. Candidates must respond and write in French.
There are two tiers of entry.
Pupils will have I hour to complete the assessment for this unit at Foundation Level and 1 hour 15 minutes to complete the assessment for this unit at Higher Level.
Students answer 4 questions. One of these is the same in both tiers. Responses include:
• a listing and short phrase task in French (Foundation tier only)
• short phrase/sentence responses in French (both tiers)
• short responses in French to one or more pieces of text (Higher tier only)
• translation of short sentences from English into French (both tiers)
• one structured, extended writing task in French from a choice of three (Both tiers)
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 12.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 5 CURRICULUM
French is offered at both AS and then A2 level to those students who have studied GCSE French at KS4. Students will have 8 periods of 35 minutes per week with their teacher and up to a further two periods a week with the French Language Assistant.
AS FRENCH
At AS Level, students study three modules:
AS 1: Speaking (Presentation and Conversation: 11 minutes)
AS 2: Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Translation and Use of Language
AS 3: Extended Writing based on a literature text or a film
The Contexts for Learning are:
1. Relationships
2. Culture and Lifestyle
Unit 1: Speaking (30%) (12% of A Level)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• express information, facts and ideas and justify opinions in French
• understand and apply accurately the grammatical system and a range of structures
• adapt spoken and written language appropriately for different situations and purposes
• speak knowledgeably about the topic that they have researched for their presentation
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• deliver a presentation based on an AS Level theme related to an aspect of a French speaking country or community
• take part in a general conversation in French about aspects of the AS themes
This unit is assessed in the form of a formal speaking examination conducted under controlled conditions by a visiting examiner.
Pupils will have 11 minutes (Presentation – 3 minutes and Conversation – 8 minutes) to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 13.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 2: Listening, Reading and Use of Language (40%) (16% of A Level)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• understand, infer meaning and draw conclusions from a variety of spoken sources covering different contexts, registers, styles and genres
• adapt spoken and written language appropriately for different situations and purposes
• understand, infer meaning and draw conclusions from a variety of written texts covering different contexts, registers, styles and genres
• transfer meaning from French into English
• express information, facts and ideas and justify opinions in written French
• understand and apply accurately the grammatical system and a range of structures
In this unit, pupils are required to:
Section A –Listening: answer two sets of questions based on two discrete passages recorded on disk.
Recording 1: Students answer in French
Recording 2: Students answer in English
(40 minutes)
Section B – Reading: answer one set of questions in French based on one passage and also translate a passage from French into English.
(50 minutes)
Section C – Use of Language: complete a series of short grammatical and lexical exercises and also translate short sentences from English into French.
(30 minutes)
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination with stimulus material in French.
Pupils will have 2 hours to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 13.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 3: Extended Writing (30%) (12% of A Level)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• develop knowledge and understanding of aspects of French culture and society or a French speaking county or community
• express information, facts and ideas in written French and justify opinions through the study of a set film or a literary text
• demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of the work in French
• apply grammatical structures accurately
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• write one essay in French in response to a set film or literary text
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination.
Pupils will have 1 hour to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 13.
Pupils work in this unit will be externally assessed.
At A2 Level, students also study three modules:
A2 1: Speaking (Discussion and Conversation: 15 minutes)
A2 2: Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Prose and Summary
A2 3: Extended Writing based on a literary text (Thérèse Desqueyroux)
The Contexts for Learning are:
1. Young People in Society
2. Our Place in a Changing World
Unit 4: Speaking (18%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• understand, infer meaning and draw conclusions from a variety of spoken sources covering different contexts, registers and styles
• express information, facts and ideas and justify opinions in spoken French
• understand and accurately apply the grammatical system and a wide range of structures
• adapt spoken and written language appropriately for different situations and purposes
• speak knowledgeably about the topic that they have researched
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• introduce and discuss one individual research project based on either:
*a cultural aspect of a French-speaking country or community
*historical period from the twentieth century or a French-speaking country or community
*region of a French-speaking country or community
• take part in a general conversation in French about aspects of the A2 themes and also incorporating AS themes where appropriate
This unit is assessed in the form of a formal speaking examination conducted under controlled conditions by a visiting examiner.
Pupils will have 15 minutes (Introduction and discussion about the research project –6 minutes and Conversation – 9 minutes) to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 14.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 5: Listening and Reading (24%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• understand, infer meaning and draw conclusions from a variety of spoken sources covering different contexts, registers, styles and genres
• adapt spoken and written language appropriately for different situations and purposes
• understand, infer meaning and draw conclusions from a variety of written texts covering different contexts, registers, styles and genres
• summarise information from written sources, report key points and subject matter in writing
• transfer meaning from English into French
• understand and accurately apply the grammatical system and a range of structures
In this unit, pupils are required to:
Section A –Listening: answer two sets of questions based on two discrete passages recorded on disk.
Recording 1: Students answer in French
Recording 2: Students answer in English
(45minutes)
Section B – Reading: answer two sets of questions, complete one summary exercise and one translation exercise.
Question 1: students complete a gap-filling exercise in French
Question 2: students answer a set of questions in French based on one passage
Question 3: students read a passage in French and summarise it in English
(2 hours)
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination with stimulus material in French.
Pupils will have 2 hours 45 minutes to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 14.
Pupils’ work in this unit will be externally assessed.
Unit 6: Extended Writing (18%)
This unit aims to develop pupils’ ability to:
• demonstrate their ability to write in French about the literary text they have studied
• express information, facts and ideas in written French and justify opinions through the study of a literary text
• demonstrate their capacity for critical and analytical thinking in French by developing arguments and presenting views, opinions and justifications
• demonstrate a capacity for critical analysis, evaluation and comparison of characters, plot and themes, literary style and motivation
• apply grammatical structures accurately
In this unit, pupils are required to:
• write one essay in French in response to a set literary text
This unit is assessed in the form of a written examination.
Pupils will have 1 hour to complete the assessment for this unit.
Assessment of this unit will take place at the end of Year 14.
Pupils work in this unit will be externally assessed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Enrichment
• Educational and cultural visits to France
• Activities to celebrate European week of languages every September, including a French breakfast for all Year 8s.
• French club run by Yr 14 students.
• Teaching experience in local Primary schools for AS and A2 students
• Participation in competitions including All-Ireland Linguistics Olympiad
