1. Topics Lifestyle LLeisure Home & Environment Work & Education
Healthy and unhealthy lifestyles and their consequences.
Relationships with family and friends.
Future plans regarding marriage/partnership.
Social issues and equality.
LLeisure
Free time activities.
Shopping, money, fashion and trends.
Advantages and disadvantages of new technology.
Holidays- plans, preferences and experiences.
What to see and getting around.
Home & Environment
Special occasions celebrated at home.
Home,town,neighbourhood & region, where it is and what it is like.
Current problems facing the planet
Being environmentally friendly within the home and local area.
Work & Education
What school/college is like.
Pressures and problems.
Looking for and getting a job.
Advantages and disadvantages of different jobs.

2. Foundation/ Higher: 30 or 50 minute exam
GCSE FRENCH AT A GLANCE
Listening
20% of final mark
Foundation / Higher : 30 or 50 min exam
Reading
20% of final mark
Foundation/ Higher: 30 or 50 minute exam
Speaking
30% of final mark
Two tasks: a conversation/interview with teacher.
Writing
30% of final mark
Two pieces of coursework on different topics.

3. Listening The exam will involve listening to native French speakers
20% of final mark
30 or 50 mins
Listening
The exam will involve listening to native French speakers
Each item will be heard twice
You’ll listen to announcements, short conversations, instructions, short news items and telephone messages.
You’ll hear language in the past, present and future
There’ll be some unknown language
You’ll be expected to identify main points and extract details and points of view.
We’ll practise a lot, and we will learn strategies to help us become good listeners.

4. Reading Reading 20% of final mark 30 or 50 minute exam
You’ll be tested on short items such as instructions, public notices and advertisements together with some longer extracts from brochures, guides, letters, newspapers, magazines, books, faxes, and web sites which will include past, present and future expressions.
You will not be allowed to use dictionaries.
We will practise reading techniques and we’ll look at past papers to help familiarise you with the real thing!

5. Two tasks: a conversation/interview with teacher.
Speaking
30% of final mark
Two tasks: a conversation/interview with teacher.
Speaking
There will be 2 controlled assessment tasks.
Both tasks will be in the form of a dialogue e.g. An interview or conversation with your teacher.
Each task will be based on a different topic.
You’ll get chance to prepare for your speaking task by researching the topic area, practising speaking with your classmates and using internet resources.
You’ll be given the questions and you can make notes and prepare answers, with some help from your teacher.
When the time comes to complete the final version, you will have between 4-6 minutes to complete the conversation- you will be given a copy of the questions you will ne asked and there will be one question which you will not have prepared for which you must try to answer.

6. Two pieces of coursework on different topics.
Writing
30% of final mark
Two pieces of coursework on different topics.
Writing
You will complete two pieces of coursework ( not at the same time!) and you’ll write this in exam conditions with access to a dictionary.
Each piece of coursework will be based on a topic e.g. A day in the life of a celebrity or an account of a special holiday.
You will have 60 minutes to complete each task.
You will be expected to write about words for each task.
You will get plenty of practice for this task and you will have opportunity to use reference materials and internet resources when preparing.

7. Doddle
What we expect from you……

8. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ http://linguascope.com/
Some good GCSE revision websites!

9. What can I do to be successful at French GCSE?
Be organised
Learn your vocabulary as requested at least every other week
Practise a little French everyday
Use the internet subscription sites eg Doddle
Be independent- e.g if you don’t know a word or phrase, look it up in a dictionary!
Read French comics/magazines, watch French TV