French

The French language has a reach of over 300 million people. It is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture.

Your A Level in French will equip you to become a truly global citizen, opening doors to the possibility of studying or working abroad. You will be able to access great works of literature in the original language, as well as an incredibly rich culture of films and songs.

Some of the greats of french-speaking culture who await you include:

Victor Hugo, Molière, Léopold Sendar Senghor, Edith Piaf, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alain Delon and Zinedine Zidane.

Choosing to study a language gives you an enormous advantage, not just in terms of linguistic competence. As an individual, you will grow in confidence, develop strong communication skills and an awareness of diverse cultures.

Course Content

The A Level course is a fascinating one that enables you to simultaneously develop your linguistic competences and get under the skin of French-speaking society, culture and political life.

Topics include:

• The changing nature of family, 
• Diversity, 
• Criminality, 
• The online world, 
• Immigration, 
• Political tensions and
• Contemporary Francophone music.

There will be in-depth studies of either two novels or a film and a novel.

You will also submit an independent research project of your choosing.

You will be expected to undertake a stay in the French-speaking world during the course. This could be either an exchange or a cultural/study tour and will give you an invaluable opportunity to experience French-speaking culture and everyday life while you deeply consolidate your linguistic skills. 

Inspirational Starting Point

Paroles by Jacques Prévert

Course Preparation

You should follow news and current affairs in French closely over the Summer using a range of media, such as newspapers, the internet, TV and podcasts.

You should take every opportunity to consolidate and extend your spoken French throughout the Summer, such as through sports activities and clubs and spending time with French-speaking friends.

Read some French literature, both old and new such as Camus’s L’étranger or Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse.

Future Pathways

In addition to developing spoken competence, you will develop invaluable transferable skills such as critical thinking, risk-taking, resilience and cultural and cognitive flexibility.

Typical careers directly relating to French-speaking include:

• French teacher or tutor,
• French translator,
• Travel and Tourism.

Language skills are often key to University entrance and are sought after by employers. They are a great asset for many international organisations as well as a wide variety of fields including, the Arts, Business, Law, Science, Philosophy, History, Theatre, Engineering and Psychology.