Exam Board - AQA Course Overview Listening – 25% of final mark Speaking – 25% of final mark Reading – 25% of final mark Writing – 25% of final mark Course breakdown There are 3 key themes that students will study over the 2 years and on which assessments will be based: Identity and culture Local, national, international and global areas of interest Current and future study and employment
Assessment GCSE French has a Foundation Tier (grades 1-5) and a Higher Tier (grades 4-9.) Students must take all four papers at the same tier.
Paper 1: Listening. Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language. Questions and answers to be in both English and French and non-verbal answers. Length of exam: 35 minutes at Foundation and 45 minutes at Higher. Paper 2: Speaking. Communicating and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes. Tasks will include: A role-play, discussion of a photo card and a conversation. Length of exam: 7-9 minutes + preparation time at Foundation and 10-12 minutes + preparation time at Higher. Paper 3: Reading. Understanding and responding to different types of written language. Questions and answers to be in both English and French and non-verbal answers. Translation from French into English. Length of exam: 45 minutes at Foundation and 60 minutes at Higher. Paper 4: Writing. Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes. Tasks include: writing lists, messages, translation from English to French, structured writing tasks and open-ended writing tasks. Length of exam: 1 hour at Foundation and 1 hour 15 minutes at Higher.
Qualities needed for success in this course: Have the desire to learn about French culture and the language. A previous knowledge of French is required to undertake this GCSE course. Possible Post 16 study: AS level/A2 Level. A language is particularly useful for students who may want to study in Higher Education. Many Universities consider a language to be an important indicator of ability when selecting prospective students.