Learning a new language allows you to connect with different people and their cultures. The ability to use language is at the centre of thinking. You reflect, communicate and develop ideas through language.
French is the second most popular learned language in the world after English, and is spoken in around 30 countries. These include: Belgium, Canada, Switzerland and many countries in central and north Africa. It is one of the official languages of the European Union.
It is a valuable second language in many different career areas and, of course, is useful when you are on holiday or travelling in France and other French-speaking countries.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Arts, Social Sciences and Languages
Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism
Information, Culture and Heritage
Uniformed and Security Services
The school or college will decide on the entry requirements for the course. You would normally have achieved:
This course offers you the opportunity to develop detailed language skills in meaningful contexts of culture, society, learning and work. You will read, listen, talk and write in French, and reflect how this relates to English. You will also learn to understand how language works and how to get across information and ideas.
You will study a wide range of different types of texts in different media. You will also learn to think critically, creatively and develop cultural awareness.
The course comprises three areas of study.
Reading and Writing; Listening
You will develop:
Assignment – Writing
You will develop:
Performance – Talking
You will develop:
The course assessment has five components totalling 120 marks:
For the performance component, you will be asked to deliver a spoken presentation and take part in a conversation in French in one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability or culture. Your performance will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked internally by an SQA assessor.
The question papers will be set and marked externally by the SQA.
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
