A Level French Language Tutors

What is A level French language?

A level French language is an interesting subject that typically builds on skills, understanding and knowledge gained at GCSE and focuses on French language, society and culture.

Why study A level French language?

This subject may be a good choice for you if you have a particular interest in French language and culture or have aspirations to study a subject at university or pursue a particular career where this qualification and knowledge would be an asset. This is a popular course for people who are looking at studying for a modern languages degree, for example.

There are also many transferable skills that can be gained from this qualification, regardless as to your longer-term career goals. These include:

• Critical thinking skills
• Communication skills
• Research skills

About A level French language

Most A level French language courses will be studied over two years, although this is not always the case. A wide-ranging syllabus will be covered but exactly how this is spread out will depend on the individual school or college that you attend, together with the exam board.

An A level French language course will generally focus on such subjects as:

• How French-speaking societies have been shaped both culturally and socially
• How these societies continue to change
• Social context
• French-speaking countries and artistic life
• Social background and people living on the edges of a French-speaking society
• The positive influences of social diversity
• The political landscape of a French-speaking country, including a political viewpoint on immigration and expressions of political power
• The future of politics in French-speaking countries

Methods of study on an A level French language course

On this course you will probably be expected to develop your understanding and knowledge of different themes that relate to society and culture in French-speaking countries, together with the language skills of those countries. You will normally achieve this by using authentic sources, both written and spoken, in French.

Your course may make use of such sources as films and literary texts to link with relevant themes. This should help you to develop language knowledge, skills and understanding through:

• Using language to initiate communication
• Asking and answering questions
• Expressing feelings and thoughts
• Presenting viewpoints and developing arguments
• Evaluating and analysing in writing and speech
• Applying vocabulary and grammar to communicate coherently and accurately
• Using language-learning strategies and skills
• Listening to and responding to spoken passages and a variety of texts
• Understanding the salient points in written and spoken materials and inferring meaning from more complex material
• Gathering and using information gained from a variety of sources, including online media
• Summarising information from different sources and translating material

You might typically be asked to study books and films from given lists and be able to respond in writing – in French – to what you have studied.

Additional skills gained from studying A level French language

In addition to those mentioned above, there are many skills that may result from studying this subject. These include French research skills and the ability to conduct and initiate different research projects. You should end the course having a greater knowledge of formulating questionnaires and identifying key questions and relevant information.

Another advantage of this course is that it will typically help you to become more experienced in using information to show your understanding and knowledge of a subject and how best to summarise and analyse research findings.

If you are studying or planning to study an A level French language course and feel that you could benefit from additional support, then The Profs can help. Please browse our site or get in contact with a member of our friendly team today.