FRENCH (PEARSON)

GCSE Course Outline

Why choose Edexcel GCSE French?

Engaging and popular topics: The specification includes both familiar and new topics that appeal to and motivate students.

Manageable content: The content has been structured across five themes. This flexible programme of study allows time for a focused revision period at the end of the course.

Content and assessments that provide an engaging real-world focus: The authentic situations and stimuli enable students to see language in context and learn about the culture of the target language country. The assessments allow for spontaneity and test grammar, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for students to apply their knowledge independently, creatively, and in authentic situations.

Straightforward assessments that are accessible to all students: Special care has been taken to ensure that all our papers are designed to be clear and concise and, where appropriate, questions feature scaffolding to help all students' progress through the assessments confidently. Reading and listening papers are structured so that questions set in the target language are in a separate section from those questions requiring responses in English. Both papers are also structured so that they are progressive in their level of demand with the most demanding question being the final question in the paper. Translation tasks are progressive in their level of difficulty and are of appropriate demand at each tier.

Carefully selected texts: Inclusion of interesting and relevant texts at the right level for learners at each tier and that will encourage the use of a wide range of texts in the classroom.

Clear and precise assessment criteria: The mark schemes have been trialed with sample student answers to ensure they reward students appropriately and that it is clear what is expected of learners at each band.

Continuous progression: The content builds on the understanding developed at KS2 and KS3 while also ensuring that learners new to the subject are appropriately supported, and provides a firm foundation for students to make a smooth transition to A level.

Content and assessment overview
Questions across all four language skills are set in common contexts, addressing a range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes. They are organised into five themes, each broken down into topics and sub-topics. The five themes are: Identity and culture. Local area, holiday, travel. School. Future aspirations, study and work. International and global dimension.

FRENCH (EDX) GCSE Specification
Paper 1: Listening and understanding in French (Paper code: 1FR0/1F and 1H) Written examination Foundation tier: 35 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks Higher tier: 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time; 50 marks 25% of the total qualification	This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all the themes and topics. Students are assessed on their understanding of standard spoken French by one or more speakers in a range of public and social settings. Students will respond to multiple-response and short-answer open response questions based on a recording featuring male and female French speakers.
Paper 2: Speaking in French (Paper code: 1FR0/2F and 2H) Internally conducted and externally assessed Foundation tier: 7-9 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 60 marks Higher tier: 10-12 minutes plus 12 minutes preparation time; 70 marks 25% of the total qualification	This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all the themes and topics. Students are assessed on their ability to communicate and interact effectively through speaking in French for different purposes and in different settings.
Paper 3: Reading and understanding in French *(Paper code: 1FR0/3F and 3H) then submitted to Pearson for external marking. Written examination Foundation tier: 45 minutes; 50 marks Higher tier: 1 hour; 50 marks 25% of the total qualification	This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all the themes and topics. Students are assessed on their understanding of written French across a range of different types of texts, including advertisements, emails, letters, articles and literary texts. Students are required to respond to multiple-response and short-answer questions based on these texts.
Paper 4: Writing in French *(Paper code: 1GN0/4F and 4H) Written examination Foundation tier: 1 hour 15 minutes; 60 marks Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes; 60 marks 25% of the total qualification	This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all the themes and topics. Students are assessed on their ability to communicate effectively through writing in French for different purposes and audiences. Students are required to produce extended responses of varying lengths and types to express ideas and opinions in French. The instructions to students are in French. Word counts are specified for each question.

Core Textbook Studio Edexcel GCSE French Higher Pearson ISBN9781292117829 Introductory reading: Learn French with Stories for Beginners by Frederic Bibard ISBN 9781516888863 Further Reading: Learn French with Stories by Frederic Bibard ISBN 9781505396645