French A Level

TO MAKE AN APPLICATION TO MERCIA SCHOOL PLEASE APPLY VIA THE MERCIA WEBSITE https://www.merciaschool.com

The deadline date for applications is 31st December 2022 (more information is available on Mercia School website)

French is amongst the best facilitating subjects on offer at Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form. This is why it is used in so many dual honours degrees across the country. It demonstrates an ability to think differently and a willingness to communicate with others and understand their way of thinking, point of view and culture. French can help you understand your own language as well as so many others. It is an official language in 29 countries around the world and is spoken by 76 million people. 270 million people speak it fluently every day.

The French A Level takes understanding of the language, history, culture and politics from GCSE and goes into much greater depth. It explores what makes France such a unique country and one that is visited by millions of people every year.

A Level scholars will study attitudes to immigration and multiculturalism in France from the years under Nazi occupation to the rise of the right wing in today’s French politics. They will study the legacies of the Algerian War, the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan and the diverse French population in the Hexagon and in overseas territories like Guadeloupe and Réunion.

The A Level will explore the decline of the written press in France and the rise of technology. Even more excitingly, the French A Level will develop the ability to understand the written and spoken word in French through study of French literature and film. Scholars will read some classic French novels and discuss the differing representations of the Parisian banlieue in contemporary cinematic classics Les Intouchables and La Haine.

Exam Board: Edexcel

The course has three main components: Listening, reading and translation; Written response to works and translation; Speaking. The first paper is very similar to the French GCSE exam, but in greater depth. The second paper will require study of a piece of French literature and a French film. The speaking exam will take the form of a discussion around a certain theme that has been studied and then a presentation of an independent research project followed by questions based on the presentation.

At least a grade 7 at GCSE

French is a facilitating subject. It can help you in any career pathway you choose and similarly can complement any course of study you follow.