Other Classical Languages

Course summary

France is a prominent political and business partner worldwide, as well as one of the pillars of the European Union. France is of course Britain’s nearest neighbour and, with the Eurostar, Paris is more readily accessible from London than many British cities. France is a top tourist destination, with its fine heritage, climate, beaches, great mountains and vast expanses of unspoiled countryside. French is the second most commonly taught second language in the world (after English). Spoken by native speakers in all five continents of the world, it is one of the official languages in 33 countries including Switzerland, Belgium and many African countries, which have a distinctive Francophone culture. French is also one of the official working languages in many international organizations (EU, NATO, Interpol, UN). The Higher and Standard level courses for French B allow you to increase hugely your competence in the written and spoken language but also aim to develop your knowledge of the culture and civilisation of France and French-speaking countries. They allow you to reach a high level of proficiency through exposure to a variety of multimedia. Emphasis is placed on listening, reading, writing and speaking tasks and the acquisition of registers. The focus is on learning about the language of study in a geographical, historical, political, social and cultural context. Higher Level students will have the opportunity to study literature (two set texts) during both years of the course, and all students will learn how to manipulate texts and deal with a broad range of linguistic tasks and exercises. HL and SL core themes ● Identities: lifestyles, health and wellbeing, beliefs and values, subcultures, language and identity. ● Experiences: leisure activities, holidays and travel, life stories, rites of passage, customs and traditions, migration. ● Human ingenuity: entertainment, artistic expressions, communication and media, technology, scientific innovation. ● Social organization: social relationships, community, social engagement, education, the working world, law and order. ● Sharing the planet: the environment, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalization, ethics, urban and rural environment.