At BIRS, language studies are optional. In Year 7, students have the opportunity to choose one of three languages offered by the school: Spanish, French, or German. Once selected, students will continue studying their chosen language through to Year 11, when they will sit the IGCSE examination.
Studying French encourages students to engage with the wider world, explore different societies and cultures, and develop key skills such as tolerance, adaptability, critical thinking, and global awareness.
Students will develop their linguistic confidence in a safe and supportive environment in which they are encouraged to take risks. The lessons foster cooperation, collaboration and teamwork. Students will develop their linguistic skills through the use of authentic materials (songs, articles, stories) in a positive atmosphere. Their teachers are experts in building positive relationships and they will have high expectations of students to engage and adapt to the pace of their lessons. Students will find teachers draw on their own experiences, which helps to take the subject outside of the classroom. They will be challenged to question where they have seen language used in the wider world, out of school.Â
Around 75% of the world’s population don’t speak a word of English. Learning a language at GCSE will help you to develop your language learning skills, even though you might not know which language you will need in the future.
According to research carried out by the BBC, on average, people who use languages in their jobs earn around 8% more per year.
French is the most sought-after language for graduates, with 54% of employers saying that the language is useful to their business. Most of the job vacancies with a language requirement request a French speaker, according to the British Council’s 2017 Languages for the Future Report.
Learning French at GCSE will help you to:
You will be able to use the skills you have learnt in a variety of future careers. You never know where learning a language might take you; currently with over 6000 different languages in the world and more than 300 spoken in the UK, there has never been a more important time to learn a foreign language. To quote Nelson Mandela, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Theme 1: Identity and culture.
Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest.
Theme 3: Current and future study and employment.
Students are assessed on four skills at the end of Year 11 which carry equal weighting; listening, reading, speaking and writing. French has a Foundation Tier and a Higher Tier but students must take all four question papers at the same tier.
