French

The French A Level course aims to foster a love and appreciation not only for the French language but also for the varied and wide-ranging films, music and literature written in French.

We study French as an influential European and global language and, through delving into French and Francophone culture, students’ knowledge of the French language is broadened.  We explore a range of viewpoints on issues that are current and relevant in today’s world such as sport as a business, human rights and the role of the media.  This is not limited to just continental France - we also explore these issues across the whole of the Francophone world.

It is an exciting and interesting cross-curricular A Level which complements studies in either the sciences or the arts as it provides students with the opportunities to broaden their horizons on so many different aspects of life.

Future opportunities

Students will become confident communicators who can express themselves and their points of view clearly with guidance from their teachers. Language skills are highly sought after by both universities and employers.

In addition to this languages combine really well with almost any other discipline to add that global dimension to careers.  A survey of employers conducted by the CBI/Pearson concluded that early half of businesses (41%) acknowledged a need for language skills, with the most sought-after languages being French and Spanish.  “With the EU still our largest export market, it’s no surprise to see language skills so highly prized by companies. But with China and Latin America seeing solid growth, ambitious firms want the language skills that can smooth the path into new markets” – Katja Hall, CBI Deputy Director-General  (Source Association for Language Learning, September 2018)

Research for the Department of Business (now dissolved) shows that deficient language skills and the presumption that international business partners will speak English costs the UK economy about 3.5 per cent of GDP. The Born Global study, which asked the views of more than 600 employers, found that UK nationals without language skills lose out because they are limited in their ability to communicate. They also suffer from restricted access to overseas work experience, a lack of international business sense, a failure to appreciate that other cultures have different ways of doing things and a misunderstanding of the global importance of British culture.  Seventy-four percent of 500 business leaders surveyed by Think Global and the British Council worried that young people’s horizons are not broad enough to operate in a globalised economy. Thirty-nine per cent of employers surveyed in the 2017 joint CBI-Pearson Education and Skills Survey were dissatisfied with graduates’ international cultural awareness, up from 30 per cent the previous year. (Source - The British Council website, September 2018)

All of this information leads to the conclusion that employees who can offer competence in another language along with the skill set required for the post they are seeking, will often be recruited above those with the same skill set but without competence in another language.   It’s a really useful addition to your skill set and well worth the effort as this demonstrates determination to succeed and perseverence and excellent communication skills - all highly prized by employers!

Assessment

Written examinations and oral examinations at the end of Year 13