A-level French

AQA
A-level French is a good foundation for a variety of careers. This course aims to equip you to deal with everyday social and work situations in French-speaking countries.
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A-level French AQA online course

French is spoken by approximately 74 million people worldwide – and not just in France, also Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, Africa and many more countries. If you’d like to learn a language that will truly open up the world, as well as a range of career options such as teaching, translation, travel and tourism, sales and marketing – then A-level French is the course for you!

With your personal tutor’s unlimited support and guidance, you’ll develop your French speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. You’ll explore topics such as political and artistic culture in the French-speaking world, social issues and trends, as well as grapple with the finer points of grammar. You’ll further develop your ability to speak and write coherently, confidently communicate with native speakers, express ideas fluently and accurately comprehend and discuss source material.

What you will learn

  1. Unit 1 - The Changing Nature of Family (La famille en voie de changement)

    • Family structures
    • Relationships between the generations
    • Translating small texts into the target language
    • Forming, recognising and using the imperfect tense
    • Using a monolingual dictionary
    • Grammar: l’imparfait
    • Grammar: le passé simple
    • Grammar: le parfait’ / ‘le passé composé
  2. Unit 2 - The ‘Cyber-Society’ (La cyber-société)

    • Grammar: ‘les constructions à l’infinitif’
    • Grammar: les pronoms compléments (subject and reflexive pronouns)
    • Grammar: les présent
    • Vocabulary and strategies to expand vocabulary
    • The dangers of the ‘cyber society’
    • ‘Cybernauts’
  3. Unit 3 - The Place of Voluntary Work (Le rôle du bénévolat)

    • Grammar: coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, temporal conjunctions, casual conjunctions
    • Grammar: the conditional
    • Grammar: Future tense
    • Who are volunteers and what do they do?
    • Value of volunteering
    • Who do volunteers help?
  4. Unit 4 - A Culture Proud of its Heritage (Une culture fière de son patrimoine)

    • Grammar: adjectives, comparisons, and superlatives
    • Grammar: ‘Si’ clauses
    • Grammar: the subjunctive
    • Improving your language level
    • National, regional and local heritage
    • Heritage and tourism
    • How heritage reflects culture
  5. Unit 5 - Contemporary Francophone Music (La musique francophone contemporaine)

    • Grammar: the imperative
    • Grammar: modal and impersonal verbs in the conditional
    • Justifying your opinion
    • The diversity of contemporary Francophone music
    • Who listens to and appreciates contemporary Francophone music?
    • How to safeguard contemporary Francophone music
  6. Unit 6 - Cinema: The 7th Art Form (Cinéma: le septième art)

    • Grammar: ‘Si’ clauses
    • Why is cinema the seventh art?
    • Evolution of cinema: the main lines
    • Cinema: a national passion
  7. Unit 7 - Positive Features of a Diverse Society (Les aspects positifs d’une société diverse)

    • Grammar: the conditional
    • Enrichment due to ethnic mixing
    • Diversity, tolerance, and respect
    • Diversity – learning for life
  8. Unit 8 - The Positive Aspects of a Diverse Society (Les Aspects Positifs D’une Société Diverse)

    • Grammar: l’imparfait
    • Grammar: ‘le parfait’ / ‘le passé composé’
    • Grammar: le plus-que-parfait
    • Who are the marginalised?
    • What help is there for the marginalised?
    • Attitudes towards the marginalised
  9. Unit 9 - How Criminals are Treated (Comment on traite les criminels)

    • Grammar: le passé simple
    • Grammar: ‘Si’ clauses
    • Grammar: infinitive constructions
    • Attitudes towards crime
    • Prison – failure or success?
    • Other penalties
  10. Unit 10 - Teenagers, the Right to Vote and Political Commitment (Les ados, le droit de vote et l’engagement politique)

    • Grammar: The Passive Voice
    • Grammar: avoiding passive voice
    • Grammar: the subjunctive
    • The right to vote – for or against?
    • Teens and political engagement – ​​motivated or demotivated?
    • What is the future of politics?
    • Trends and statistics
  11. Unit 11 - Demonstrations, Strikes – Who Holds the Power? (manifestations, grèves – à qui le pouvoir?)

    • Grammar: The use of direct and indirect complementary pronouns
    • Grammar: Relative pronouns
    • The power of unions
    • Demonstrations and strikes – are they effective?
  12. Unit 12 - Politics and Immigration (La politique et l’immigration)

    • Grammar: demonstrative pronouns and adjectives
    • Grammar: imperfect and past tense
    • Grammar: the future perfect and the conditional
    • Political solutions to the issue of immigration
    • Immigration and political parties
    • Political engagement amongst immigrants
  13. Unit 13 - Preparing for Paper 3: Speaking

    • Preparation and techniques
    • Planning revision
    • Reinforce vocabulary
  14. Unit 14 - Preparing for Paper 1: Listening, Reading and Writing

    • Preparation and techniques
    • The format of Paper 1
    • Translation from French to English
    • Translation from English to French
  15. Unit 15 - Preparing for Paper 2: Writing

    • Preparation and techniques
    • The format of Paper 2
    • Critical and analytical responses
    • Texts
    • Films

Awarding Body

aqa awarding body logo As a leading distance learning provider, our courses are accredited by the main UK awarding bodies and recognised by UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. By completing our online A-Level French course, you will receive up to 56 UCAS points, which are used as part of university applications, and issued by AQA.

Course Outcome

Upon successfully completing this home learning course, you will receive an A-level in French, issued by AQA, the leading awarding body. Your certificate is identical to that issued to students at any other school, college or university.

How is this course assessed or examined?

For this A-level French course, you’ll be required to complete three assessments:

Written Exams

  • Paper 1: 2 hours 30 minutes, 50% of A-level, 100 marks
  • Paper 2: 2 hours 30 minutes, 20% of A-level, 80 marks

Speaking Exam:

  • Oral Exam 1: 21-23 minutes, 30% of A-level, 60 marks

The exams contain multiple-choice, structured, closed short answer and open response questions

Entry requirements

GCSE French or equivalent is recommended before starting this course. This French A-level syllabus is a difficulty level three: the equivalent difficulty of an A-level or BTEC, usually suitable for most learners of all ages.

Past Papers

You can access past papers for this course. They are free to access and cover a range of exam boards.

Courses Taught by Experts

Sarah

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My 30-year stride in education started with childminding, to working with pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. I then tutored in a national reading programme and went on to become a Higher-Level TA. I’m elated to say I graduated with a First-Class BA Honours Degree when I was 50 – living proof that it’s never too late to chase your dreams!

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Penny

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Marine biology, jellyfish conservationist, hairdresser, fitness instructor… I have an eclectic backstory! Art is my passion and one of my proudest moments was achieving my Masters in Fine Art. I then requalified as an Art teacher to share my knowledge with my students. For most of my career, I’ve supported vulnerable students with additional needs such as SEMH and SEN.

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Kelly

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I always knew that a career focused around helping people achieve their goals was perfect for me. That’s why I became a tutor. I love to see my student’s confidence flourish as they progress through their courses. It’s important to help them fit their learning goals around their personal commitments so they have the best chance of success! 

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Faye

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Beginning my career as an early years practitioner inspired me to step into the world of teaching. I have since elevated my skillset through a range of qualifications including L3 in Assessing Vocational Achievement, L3 in Education & Training and L4 in Internal Quality Assurance. I’m a big kid at heart; I love Disney movies and also dabble in photography.  

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Laura

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For 10+ years, my passion for helping learners develop and grow has driven my career as a teacher. To help me progress even further, I am currently studying to achieve the IQA award. I love reading and I’m a self-professed Harry Potter fan. Talk to me about all things history, rock music, tattoos and true crime podcasts. 

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