French

Curriculum Information

French is offered to pupils in Years 8 through to Year 14.

All pupils in Years 8, 9 & 10 study French.

At the end of Key Stage 3, pupils have the choice to continue with their study of French through to GCSE.

Key Stage 3

All pupils in KS3 French are provided with Teaching and Learning materials produced within the French Department in The Abbey. These materials are tailored to the requirements of our pupils.

Additional resources to assist pupils in their learning along with comprehensive revision material and revision resources for all French assessments are available on Google Classroom.

Year 8 

Pupils in Year 8 have 3 periods of French per week and cover the following topics: –

• Unit 1 – Les introductions – (greetings and introductions)
• Unit 2 – En classe – (classroom vocabulary)
• Unit 3 – L’alphabet – (letters of the alphabet and accents)
• Unit 4 – Les numéros – (numbers)
• Unit 5 – Les couleurs – (colours)
• Unit 6 – Ma famille  – (family & pets)
• Unit 7 – Les descriptions – (describing yourself and others)
• Unit 8 – Les dates – (days, months & seasons)
• Unit 9 – La météo – (weather)
• Unit 10 – Chez moi – (rooms in the house, furniture and prepositions)
• Unit 11 – Quelle heure est-il? – (Time in 12 & 24 hour clock)
• Unit 12 – Ma routine  – (daily routine and household chores)

Year 9

Pupils in Year 9 have 3 periods of French per week and cover the following topics: –

• Unit 1 – Le présent – (present tense in French)
• Unit 2 – Au collège – (school equipment, school subjects, school routine, opinions)
• Unit 3 – Mes passe-temps  – (sports, hobbies & free time)
• Unit 4 – Manger et boire – (food & drink, quantities)
• Unit 5 – Au restaurant – (ordering food in a café/ restaurant)
• Unit 6 – Au magasin de vêtements – (clothes & buying clothes in a shop)
• Unit 7 – La santé – (parts of the body & illness)
• Unit 8 – En ville – (places in the town & directions)
• Unit 9 – Une visite en France – (airport/ bus/ rain station, lost property, hotel & tourist office)

 Year 10

Pupils in Year 10 have 2 periods of French per week and cover the following topics: –

• Unit 1 – Les vacances  – (holidays & past tense)
• Unit 2 – Le weekend dernier – (daily routine & leisure activities in the past tense)
• Unit 3 – Mes loisirs – (free time, opinions, accepting and declining invitations)
• Unit 4 – L’environnement – (environmental issues)
• Unit 5 – La nouvelle technologies (New technology, advantages & disadvantages)
• Unit 6 – Mon petit boulot – (part-time job)
• Unit 7 – Le monde du travail – (future plans and careers)
• Unit 8 – Le futur – (future tense in French)

Key Stage 4

At the Abbey Grammar School students follow the CCEA GCSE specification. All students in KS4 French are provided with Teaching and Learning materials produced within the French Department to support the specific needs of our students. A link to the content of the French GCSE course offered at the Abbey Grammar School is provided below.

Pupils in Years 11 & 12 have 4 periods of French per week and cover the following topics: –

Context 1 : Identity, Lifestyle & Culture

• Myself, family, relationships & choices
• Social media & New technology
• Free time, leisure & daily routine
• Culture, customs, festivals & celebrations

Context 2: Local, National, International & Global Areas of Interest

• Local area & wider environment
• Community Involvement
• Social & Global Issues
• Travel & Tourism

Context 3: School Life, Studies and the World of Work

• My studies & school life
• Extra-curricular activities
• Part-time job & money management
• Future plans & career

GCSE exam

Pupils will sit modules in all 4 skill areas in the summer term of their Yr 12 year. Pupils have the option of entering for Foundation or Higher tier papers in the Listening, Reading and Writing papers.

Key Stage 5

At Key Stage 5, The Abbey Grammar School works in collaboration with the Sacred Heart Grammar School to deliver the A Level French course. Students from the Abbey Grammar School attend A Level French classes in the Sacred Heart Grammar School, Newry.

Departmental Staff

Departmental Links