French

Assessment

Paper 1: Listening, Reading & Writing (50% of A Level, 2 hours 30 minutes) In the listening section of this exam students have individual control of the recording. All questions will be in French and will be answered with non-verbal responses or in French. The reading paper comprises short targetlanguage and non-verbal responses to texts. For both reading and listening authentic source material will be used and questions will target main points, gist and detail. The written component of this examination requires students to translate into English and into French. Each passage for translation will be a minimum of 100 words. In this paper, as well as grammar, aspects of Frenchspeaking society, current issues and trends, political life and artistic culture in the French-speaking world are all assessed. Paper 2: Writing (20% of A Level, 2 hours) Students must answer one question in French on a set text from a choice of two questions and one question in French on a set film from a choice of two questions or two questions in French on set texts from a choice of two questions on each text. Students will be required to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the concepts and issues covered in the work and a critical and analytical response to features such as the form and the technique of presentation, as appropriate to the work studied (for example the effect of narrative voice in a prose text or camera work in a film). Students will not be allowed access to the texts or films during the assessment. Each essay must be approximately 300 words. Paper 3: Speaking (30% of A Level, 21-23 minutes long, including five minutes preparation time) This exam is split into two sections. Part 1 is a discussion based on a stimulus card (5–6 minutes). Students study the card for five minutes at the start of the test. This is followed by a two minute presentation and discussion lasting 9-10 minutes of individual research project on a topic of the student’s choosing. Students should identify a subject or a key question which is of interest to them and which relates to a country or countries where French is spoken. As with all other elements of this examination, dictionaries are not allowed.