French is a modern European language. It is offered to students in St Aidan’s from Year 8. It is taught by communicative method with the emphasis in the early years on listening and oral skills.
As the students develop their ability and confidence in the language, their reading and writing skills are also developed.
At GCSE Level we follow the CCEA syllabus which meets the demands of the National Curriculum and is appropriate to the needs of our students: those leaving school at 16, those going on to further education but not specialising in French and those who will specialise in French at A Level.
The four main objectives are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The course uses authentic materials – reading, audio and video and is relevant to young people’s experiences and interests.
The examination tests the abilities of the students in all four skill areas. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and at two levels – Foundation and/or Higher.
“French is essential for all French based language degrees and courses and a Modern Language (at GCSE Level) is often a general requirement for University entrance. French is now widely studied in combination with other University disciplines e.g. Law, Business, Finance, Accounting, Marketing and Humanities. French is useful for most careers e.g. Business, Travel, Catering, Tourism, Civil Service, Diplomatic Service, Industry, Science and Technology and Teaching.”