Hurtwood House School

Studying modern languages at A-level is more than just ‘learning a language’. It introduces a student to the life, culture, politics, customs and thoughts of another country and its people. For this reason students are urged to take every opportunity to use the language by travelling or by reading books and magazines such as ‘Stern’ or ‘Paris Match’. It may also be that your languages studies help you in other A-levels or in your personal hobbies, enabling you to read historical documents in their original form or to watch the films of Truffaut without having to squint for the sub-titles.

This course encourages students to develop an understanding and to communicate confidently, clearly and imaginatively in French through both the spoken and written word, using increasingly accurate, complex and varied language while developing critical insights into, and contact with, contemporary France, its cultural background and heritage.

In addition to the AS requirements, Advanced GCE students should not only be able to do all that has already been mentioned, but also be able to use French to analyse, hypothesise, evaluate, argue a case, justify, persuade, rebut, develop arguments and present viewpoints, in speech and in writing. This means they’ll also have to show their capacity for critical thinking, to see the relationships between different aspects of the subject and to perceive their field of study in a broader context. 

Naturally, they’ll need to understand and be able to apply the grammatical system and a range of structures as listed in the specification for Advanced GCE, use a wider range of vocabulary and be able to translate from English into French and vice versa.

All lessons are conducted in French, English only being used when necessary. Because this is very much a living and breathing subject, the students enjoy yearly educational trips as well as language days and student conferences in London, all of which make the art of learning French a pleasure here at Hurtwood.

Unit 1: Spoken Expression and Response in French

Externally assessed

 Availability: January and April/May

 First assessment: January 2009

 Content summary: We reward our French students for their ability to be able to speak freely in French on a general topic area that they have chosen in advance. Students will need to demonstrate that they can engage in a discussion in French that relates to a chosen general topic area and allied sub-topics. Students will be expected to give relevant and appropriate information, convey opinions, interact and respond to a range of questions. They must choose one of the following general topic areas:

 Youth culture and concerns

 Lifestyle, which covers health and fitness

 The world around us – travel, tourism, environmental issues and the French-speaking world

 Education and employment

8 - 10 minute assessment in two sections.

Section A requires students to respond to four Edexcel-set questions on a stimulus related to the student’s chosen general topic area.

Section B requires the teacher/examiner to engage the student in a discussion that, although still relating to the same general topic area and its linked sub-topics, moves away from the main focus of the stimulus. Centres will need to record the full assessment of all students on either cassette or CD.

All students for this Unit will be assessed by Edexcel.

Unit 2: Understanding and Written Response in French

Externally assessed

Availability: January and June

 First assessment: June 2009 

 Content summary:

This unit requires students to understand and convey their understanding of French language texts and recordings. In addition, students will need to produce an essay to demonstrate an ability to manipulate the French language in continuous writing. Students will be expected to recognise and use the French language in a variety of contexts and in relation to a prescribed range of general topic areas.

 The unit draws upon four general topic areas:

 Youth culture and concerns

 Lifestyle, which covers health and fitness

The world around us – travel, tourism, environmental issues and the French-speaking world

Education and employment

2 hours 30 minutes paper in three sections.

Section A requires students to listen to a range of authentic, recorded French-language material and to retrieve and convey information given in the recording by responding to a range of French-language questions.

Section B requires students to read authentic, French-language printed materials and to retrieve and convey information by responding to a range of mainly French-language test types.

Section C requires students to write 200-220 words in the form of a letter, report or article in French based on a short, printed French-language stimulus.

All students for this unit will be assessed by Edexcel.

Unit 3: Understanding and Spoken Response in French

Externally assessed

Availability: April/May

First assessment: June 2010

Content summary:

This unit requires students to demonstrate the effectiveness of their French-language skills by presenting and taking a clear stance on any issue of their choice. They will be expected to interact effectively with the teacher/examiner, defend their views and sustain discussion as the teacher/examiner moves the conversation away from their chosen issue. They will be expected to use the language of debate and argument to discuss the issue and will also be assessed for understanding as well as communication and quality of spoken language. 

11 - 13 minutes assessment

Students first outline their chosen issue for about one minute, adopting a definite stance towards the issue. They should then defend and justify their opinions for up to four minutes. The teacher/examiner will then initiate a spontaneous discussion in which a minimum of two further unpredictable areas of discussion will be covered. Centres will need to record the full assessment of all students on either cassette or CD.

All students for this unit will be assessed by Edexcel.

Unit 4: Research, Understanding and Written Response in French

Externally assessed

Availability: June

First assessment: June 2010

Content summary:

This unit requires students to demonstrate skills in advanced-level French writing (discursive or creative essay) and translation from English into French. The unit also requires students to demonstrate evidence of independent, advanced-level French-language reading and research of a chosen text, play, film or topic area that links to the culture and/or society of a French-speaking country, countries or community. The content of this unit will be linked to the following general topic areas: 

Youth culture and concerns

Lifestyle, which covers health and fitness

The world around us – travel, tourism, environmental issues and the French-speaking world

Education and employment

Customs, traditions, beliefs and religions

National and international events – past, present and future

Literature and the arts

2 hours 30 minutes paper in three sections.

Section A: A short, written translation exercise to test students’ ability to transfer meaning from English into French effectively.

Section B: A French-language essay in response to one from a choice of seven questions linked to the prescribed general topic areas that invite either discursive or creative writing.

Section C: A research-based essay in French (240-270 words) to reward students for French-language research skills linked to an area of interest to the student that relates to the culture and/or society of a French-language country, countries or community. They have freedom to determine the content of their research (potentially in negotiation with their teacher) but it must relate to the four research-based essay topic areas for this unit.

All students for this Unit will be assessed by Edexcel. Students are not permitted to take any books, dictionaries or texts into the examination room. 

Malika Khellaf

Born in Paris, Malika moved to England after her degree in English Literature and civilisation. She studied French, Spanish, Italian and English among other subjects for her ‘Baccalauréat’ (A-levels) at the Lycée Montesquieu in Le Mans. She then read English, Spanish and Italian at the Université du Maine.

After completing her degree she was employed as a Foreign Language Assistant in two comprehensive schools in Solihull where she studied simultaneously for her Masters in American Contemporary Literature for a year. She then remained in Birmingham and taught French and Spanish for a year before taking a PGCE course at the University of Birmingham.

Malika has been teaching French and Spanish since 1999 and has enjoyed organising several educational trips abroad. She sees it as part of her duty to expose students to the foreign language as well as to different cultures and traditions.

To start courses in A-level French, German, Italian or Spanish we would expect a student to have studied it at GCSE level and gained an A-grade pass. However, it should not be thought that A-level work is just a continuation of GCSE. It would certainly be expected that students would have mastered the fundamentals such as the basic rules of grammar, the formation and use of the main tenses, the common irregular verbs, and the genders.

This is rather like learning the rules of a game before starting to play it. However, the A-level course goes much further, involving the skills of translation, both into and from English, and studying works of literature by major novelists, poets and dramatists in the chosen language.

We offer GCSE courses and AS and A-level qualifications which lead to a wide range of opportunities at universities in the UK and abroad. French will be considered an asset with any other subject combination and would open up many possibilities for combined degrees such as Economics and Business.

Modern Languages mix well with any combination of A-level subjects although care should be taken where you are looking to take specialist courses in the Sciences at degree level. Proficiency in a language is highly regarded for Business and Science, as well as for Arts and Humanities courses. If you wish to read single or joint Honours courses in French, Spanish or German at University, it is essential to take the subject at A-level. Apart from interpreting or translation, linguists are also in demand for journalism, banking, sales and marketing, as well as tourism, broadcasting and hotel management.

‘Paris Match’‘Phosphore’‘Les Institutions de la France’ – Nathan ‘Le Nouveau Guide France’ – Michaud & Kimmel ‘Le Petit Prince’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupérie ‘Le Gone du Chaâba’ – Azouz  Begag ‘L’Avare’ – Molière