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A Level French

Course Code

A Level

Course Type

A Level

Course Duration

2 Years

Location

Central Saint Michael's Sixth Form

Start Date

1 September, 2025

Broaden your horizons, develop cultural knowledge, and confidence, communication, problem solving and creativity skills with A Level French. French can be combined with A Level Sciences, Humanities such as Law, Sociology or Economics, or studied alongside diploma subjects such as Business or Criminology at Central Saint Michael’s. If you are interested in languages and have a good GCSE French grade, or maybe you have lived in a French-speaking country or are living in a French-speaking household, it’s likely you would enjoy this subject.

You’ll engage critically with intellectually stimulating texts, films and other materials in the original language, developing an appreciation of sophisticated and creative uses of French and understanding them within their cultural and social context. You will also equip yourself with transferable skills such as autonomy, resourcefulness, creativity, critical thinking, and linguistic, cultural and cognitive flexibility that will enable you to proceed to further study or to employment.

Content Overview

AS Level French (Year 1)

1. Being a young person in French-speaking society
▪ Families and citizenship: Changing family structures; the changing nature of marriage and partnership; being a good citizen
▪ Youth trends and personal identity: Trends in fashion; how young people respond to modern technology; relationships with others and peer pressure
▪ Education and employment opportunities: The education system and student issues; work and travel opportunities and the changing work scene
2. Understanding the French-speaking world
▪ Regional culture and heritage in France, French-speaking countries and communities: Festivals; customs and traditions; historical sites; museums and galleries
▪ Media, art, film and music in the French-speaking world: Trends in media and art; film and music in the lives of young people

A Level French (Year 1/2)

3. Diversity and difference
▪ Migration and integration: Reasons for migration; factors which make migration/integration easy/difficult
▪ Cultural identity and marginalisation: Reasons for marginalisation; ways to eliminate marginalisation
▪ Cultural enrichment and celebrating difference: The positive aspects of a diverse society
▪ Discrimination and diversity: Life for those who are discriminated against
4. French – France 1940-1950: The Occupation and post-war years
▪ June 1940–May 1945: Life in occupied France; the French Resistance
▪ The cultural dimension in occupied France: The political context of theatre and cinema productions
▪ 1945-1950: Rebuilding and restructuring society in post-war years

All students studying A Levels should have at least five GCSEs at grade 9 – 5 in academic subjects, including English Language at grade 5. Two of these should be grade 6. Specifically for French, there is a minimum entry requirement of a grade 6 in French at GCSE. If you have spent a significant amount of time in a French-speaking country, it may be possible to join the course, after discussion with your tutors.

– Study visit to Le Blanc Mesnil, near Paris – a town twinned with Sandwell
– French film evenings
– Guest speakers including former successful students
– Activities organised by the Sandwell-Le Blanc Mesnil Twinning Association

For when you’re not studying, we offer a whole range of enrichment activities which are not only good fun but help you make friends, develop new skills and add to your CV and university applications. There are trips and visits to bring your studies to life, and you can get involved in sport, debating and many other activities.
Through the Student Union and our college committees, you can get involved in volunteering, enterprise, fundraising projects or the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. We run societies like the Medical Society for you to join and we organise events and festivals to celebrate our inclusive and diverse community. As for entertainment, we regularly host film nights and go on theatre trips to see live productions.

There are three assessments:

Component 1 (60 marks, accounting for 30% of the qualification):
Year 1 – a speaking assessment lasting 12-15 minutes relating to one of the themes studied
Year 2 – a speaking assessment lasting 21-23 minutes involving two tasks:
Task 1: a presentation of an independent research project (chosen by you) and discussion on the content
Task 2: a discussion relating to one of the themes studied

Component 2 (100 marks, accounting for 50% of the qualification):
Year 1 – a written paper assessing listening, reading and translation skills lasting 2 hours
Year 2 – a written paper assessing listening, reading and translation skills lasting 2 hours 30 minutes

Component 3 (40 marks, accounting for 20% of the qualification)
Year 1 – a written paper lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes with one essay based on one of six films studied during the course
Year 2 – a written paper lasting 2 hours with one essay based on one of six literary works and another on one of six films studied during the course

The majority of our students go to university and study for a degree in French or a combination of French with another subject, for example Translation and Interpreting, International Relations, Linguistics, Literature, History, Business, Education, Art, Sociology, Media, Philosophy, Law, Tourism and Hospitality and Psychology.

The kind of careers that you might consider as a French student are numerous. These roles are widely in demand across various industries and offer a range of opportunities in both local and global job markets:

– Language Teacher / Tutor
– Translator / Interpreter
– International Business Consultant
– Journalist / Reporter
– Marketing Specialist (French-speaking markets)
– Public Relations Specialist
– Tourism Manager / Travel Consultant
– Content Writer / Copywriter
– Social Media Manager (French markets)
– Legal Advisor (International Law)

Course Details

Department

French

Exam Board

Eduqas

Qualification

Level 3

Bon Voyage for French Connection

June 19, 2024

Central Saint Michael’s A Level French students embarked on an exciting study visit to Paris, Amiens and Beauvais. Sandwell is...

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Four students in classroom with french dictionary

A Level French

Course Duration
2 Years

Course Type
A Level

Start Date
September 1, 2025

Qualification Level
Level 3

We are a university-style sixth form college based in the centre of West Bromwich, easily accessible from Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Halesowen, Sutton Coldfield & Great Barr.