Year 7

Emphasis is placed on developing confidence in speaking, and on pronunciation, intonation and the development of aural memory right from the start. Care is taken particularly to build confidence in those who are beginners and to encourage those who have done French already to make positive use of what they know and to work to their best standard - more is expected of those who have done more! Girls are taught in their forms.

Grammar includes full paradigms of regular -er verbs and basic irregular verbs in Present Tense, agreement of adjectives, use of the article, prepositions and conjunctions, idiomatic phrases.

Individual writing is encouraged from the start and composition is introduced. Every girl has an oral and a listening exam at the end of the year as well as tests in reading comprehension, grammar and composition.

Main textbook: Encore Tricolore Nouvelle Edition 1, but this is supplemented in a variety of ways.

Year 8

More complex speaking and role plays (in the end-of-year exam) and composition writing. Grammar includes –ir and –re verbs in Present Tense plus additional irregular verbs. Introduction of the Passé Composé, formation of adverbs, comparison of adjectives, more complex prepositions and conjunctions. The end-of-year exam again tests all four skills.

Girls who experienced more difficulty with French in Year 7 are taught in slightly smaller groups in order to boost their performance.

Main textbook: Encore Tricolore Nouvelle Edition 2, again supplemented in different ways.

Year 9

More complex structures; oral presentation and role play as well as conversation: more complex compositions. Introduction of l’Imparfait used with le Passé Composé, and le Futur. End-of-year exam tests all four skills.

Girls generally (but not invariably) stay in the same group as in Year 8.

Main textbook: Encore Tricolore 3, again supplemented in a large number of ways.

Years 10 & 11 GCSE (Higher Level) (exam board: OCR)

• The four skills - Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing - are given equal weighting.
• Teaching groups are drawn up according to the timetable for the different options, i.e. there is no setting.
• The syllabus covers a wide range of topics and grammar is extended to include additional tenses and complex structures.
• The textbooks are supplemented in a wide variety of ways, e.g. plays, poems, short stories, live performances in French whenever possible, film, and the integration of a selection from the current French press and radio into the syllabus.
• In Year 11, every girl has an additional oral lesson in a group of six.
• The oral exam includes role plays, a narrative role play, an individual presentation and extended general conversation.
• Main textbooks: Encore Tricolore 4.

Year 12 AS (Edexcel)

Syllabus:  all the grammatical structures introduced for GCSE are revisited and consolidated. The Subjunctive is introduced as early as possible. Topics for AS include current affairs and media, travel and tourism, food and health, relationships and family, youth concerns, social issues and justice, leisure and the arts, education and employment, business and IT.

In addition the JAGS syllabus includes an introduction to literature and France’s most famous and recognised writers.

• Unit 1: Listening : passages from current radio with questions in French and English plus a personal response to a current topic in French
• Unit 2: Reading & Writing: passages with questions in both French and English plus a 150-word essay
• Unit 3: Speaking - Oral (12 mins.) On an aspect of French/ Francophone culture or society chosen and researched by the student. Test conducted by a teacher and recorded.

Year 13 A2 (Edexcel)

• Unit 4: Oral exam. A controversial issue connected with French society or culture and chosen by the student. The student argues their point of view and has to try to convince the examiner.
• Unit 5 : set texts exam (two texts chosen from Mauriac, Begag, Maupassant, Sartre or Voltaire).
• Unit 6: Synoptic paper includes listening, reading, translation into French and a discursive essay.