Course information
The French A level is made up of five modules at AS level and a further five at A level.
The first half of the A level will build on the basics you have learned in GCSE French to improve fluency when talking about family and relationships, your lifestyle, the media and popular culture.
In the second half of the course, you will move on to more complex topics such as the environment, cultural subjects and contemporary social issues. Each module will help to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while expanding your vocabulary and knowledge of verbs and sentence structure.
Using a series of activities, self-assessment tests and support from your tutor, you will become a confident speaker of French on a variety of subjects.
You will have access to an ebook of the supporting textbook for the duration of your course. The ebook is accessible via Hodder Education’s Dynamic Learning Platform and Dynamic Reader App.
Alongside the ebook, you will also have access to online self-assessments, grammar lists and audio practice via the Hodder Dynamic Learning Platform.
The course includes thirteen tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) which will help to measure your progress and put your knowledge to the test. Your tutor will help you prepare for the speaking and listening components of your assessment. However, it would be a good idea to find additional sources of conversational practice beyond this.
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Examining board and assessment
The French A level course has been written to prepare you for Edexcel’s French A level, syllabus code 9FR0.
Paper 1:
Listening, reading and translation
Written examination: 2 hours
40% of the qualification
80 marks
Paper 2:
Written response to works and translation
Written examination: 2 hours and 40 minutes
30% of the qualification
120 marks
Paper 3:
Speaking
Total assessment time: between 21 and 23 minutes, which includes a single period of 5 minutes’ formal preparation time
30% of the qualification
72 marks
What can I do with a French A level?
French is a global language, with an estimated 220 million speakers. After English, it’s the second most widely-learned language: it’s taught in almost every country in the world, making it a true lingua franca.
As such, it’s an important language for business, and not only in France, Belgium and Switzerland. As well as being the preferred language in Quebec and many other parts of Canada, it’s widely spoken across the Caribbean and North and Central Africa, including Algeria, Tunisia, Haiti and Morocco. Whether you’re planning to travel, study abroad or work for any organisation that does business overseas, French is one of the most useful languages to have at your command.
Additionally, French is a great stepping-stone language for learning other Romance languages such as Italian, Spanish and Romanian. If you intend to work in an international role where you’ll need to comprehend and translate between several different languages, a qualification in French will give you a great head-start.
Multilingualism is a highly sought-after attribute in a variety of industries and sectors, from academic research and international relations to sales and customer-facing roles, nursing and website development. Even if your job doesn’t specifically require it, being multilingual helps you to live, work and travel all over the world.
If you’re pursuing Higher Education, a French A level is a useful foundation for a variety of degrees – as well as directly connected courses such as French Literature, it can open up new avenues in subjects like politics, history, economics and philosophy. Being able to read texts in their original language is always a plus!
Some examples of careers and roles where a French A level will help you include:
- Customer service
- Tech support
- Sales and marketing
- Publishing
- Translation services
- Copywriting
- Journalism
- Civil service
- Nursing and healthcare
How much does it cost?
Our French A level course fee is £525 with a £105 deposit, payable in eight instalments of £52.50.
You will receive support from a fully-qualified tutor holding either a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or a degree in education. This support includes:
- Marking all assignments for the course
- Written answers to specific study problems
- Tutor contact via phone and email
- An ebook of the course text
When you begin this course, you will agree an examination date or dates with your Student Adviser. Your support period lasts up to this examination date.
Online Course? Paper-based? Somewhere in between? It’s your choice!
All of our French A level students receive:
- Traditional printed learning materials
- Access to our online resources with on-the-go access to all your regular lessons
- Unmatched support by a fully-qualified teacher online and by phone
Prerequisites
Normally you are required to have at least four good GCSEs to begin the French A level, ideally including a B or above in GCSE/IGCSE French or equivalent.
If you have other relevant qualifications or experience which you feel would allow you to start an A level French course, please contact one of our student advisers on 0800 975 75 75.
I am a full-time student at the English National Ballet School; therefore I'm aspiring to become a dancer. However, I also wanted to continue with my academic studies. I felt very happy studying with Oxford Home Schooling and had an amazing experience filled with support and well-structured lessons. My student adviser did an amazing job in helping me enjoy my home studies.
Isabelle Brouwers, Grade A
Meet Our Tutors
Je m’appelle Elisabeth. I was born in Paris but have lived in England for more than half my life. I am married and we have two children and two cats, all of whom are bilingual.
I have been teaching French for several years. I started by running a French Club, then worked in several colleges of further education in the South West, before moving into secondary schools where I taught French from Year 7 to A Level. I have prepared students for GCSE and ‘A’ Level exams, maintaining fantastic results. I finished my schoolteaching career on a high with a 100% A*-C pass rate for my last 2 years. These days I focus on one-to-one private tuition. I am also an examiner for AQA and International Baccalaureate.
Elisabeth Combrouze-Charlton
Books
FAQs
Why should I choose Oxford Home Schooling?
- Oxford Home Schooling is a long-established educational trust that prides itself on
- treating every student as an individual
- customer service
- course quality.
- We’re rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot by students who have studied with us.
- We provide online and printed resources so you can study your way – other providers do not give you that choice.
- We make it easy for you to home-educate your children with our flexible schedule, tutor support, and interest-free payment plan.
- Every year we help hundreds of children who have left mainstream education obtain the qualifications they need to progress and achieve their goals.
- Oxford Home Schooling is part of a not-for-profit trust so you can be sure that your course fees are spent on either your child’s tuition or on improving our courses.
When can I enrol?
You can enrol and start any time you like, the earlier the better. The important thing to think about is when you wish to sit your exam and to give yourself plenty of time to work through your materials and revise successfully. Our cut-off dates for enrolment can be found here.
Once you have enrolled, you will get access to your course online immediately and your printed course materials will arrive a few days later.
Can I complete the French A level exam in one year?
Our cut-off for enrolling on an A level French course for the following summer examination series is mid-October each year. So, yes, you can. However, remember that you will still need to fit around 700 hours of study time into your schedule before the examination. The earlier you enrol, the less study you must do each week!
Can I just enrol on the AS level French course?
Unfortunately, the French course is not available as a standalone AS course.
When will I sit my exam?
The French A level papers may be sat in the Summer examination series. The Summer series typically runs from mid-May to late June.
Your examination centre schedules the Oral exam which typically takes place between March and May.
There is no autumn examination sitting for French.
How much does a A Level examination cost?
Your exam fees aren’t included in the course cost as they’re paid directly to the exam centre. They will vary depending on which centre you choose. Generally speaking, dedicated examination services will be more expensive than a local school or college. Prices range from £150 to £450 pounds.
The French exam requires students to complete an oral and some centres charge extra for this service.
How do I prepare for the speaking and listening aspects of the course?
Speaking contributes 30% to your final grade and is an important part of your course. There are listening exercises built into the course, plus your tutor will spend some time speaking to you on the phone as part of your tutor-marked assignments and general interactions during your course.
However, you would be well advised to find ways to practise these skills beyond the scope of your interactions with your tutor. Methods might include
- Using smartphone apps
- YouTube videos (there are numerous links to these within the course materials)
- Watching French language films or television
- Booking Additional 1-1 paid tutorials with your tutor via Oxford Home Schoolings Tutoring Platform
What is the enrolment process?
First fill out our application form giving us and our tutors as much relevant information as possible about your child. Once the application has been received and assessed by our admissions department, your Student Adviser will contact you to discuss and confirm your selections and to get you started.
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