French

Course summary

French is a global language, spoken by hundreds of millions of people across the world and bringing with it hugely rich cultural and economic rewards and great opportunities for work, study and travel. At A level, we emphasize the countries and cultures of the entire French-speaking world including those in Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean. With a dynamic international focus, pupils can expect to become fluent by the end of the two-year course and gain all the linguistic and cultural tools they need to go out and explore the vast Francophone world. Over the two years, every pupil has had a weekly speaking session with a native speaker French Lectrice. In Year 12, pupils have the opportunity to take part in a homestay trip to Paris in the October half term and the Shackleton Versailles exchange with Lycée Hoche, spending 3 weeks studying at one of France’s oldest schools. The fantastic Year 13 Montpellier homestay trip is also very popular and over the two years pupils enjoy many other exciting visits, French debating competitions (both with JAGS and at a national level) and exchanges including cinema trips and trips to the Institut Français. In terms of content, we explore interesting, relevant topics including politics, sports, economics, religion, culture and heritage. We also study film and literature, ranging from plays and novels to 21st-century cinema that offers contemporary insights into modern French society. Dulwich French A-level pupils study a wide range of other subjects and it is usual for a significant proportion of our cohort to go on to enjoy French degrees post-A level, often in combination with another language or with other subjects such as English, Economics, or History.