Spanish

At Lanfranc we encourage our pupils to embrace the opportunity to learn another language and to broaden their horizons, inspiring them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and fostering their curiosity to develop new ways of seeing the world. Our aim is to develop passionate, confident and successful language learners who also appreciate the target culture of Francophone countries.

Our teaching enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It also provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking, and develop an appreciation of a range of topics in the language studied.

Lessons are structured to incorporate all skills required of the modern linguist in terms of Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translating, as well as supporting the development of a broad range of Vocabulary and Grammatical structures. Students are further immersed in Francophone and Hispanic culture through the use of authentic resources and cultural studies, including critiquing music, reviewing films and delving into great works of literature.

Our curriculum design is underpinned by interleaving and retrieval practice so that our linguists are able to revisit and build upon existing knowledge. The topic areas and grammatical structures which are introduced at KS3 are seen as building blocks for more in-depth learning at KS4 (and as a solid foundation for further study at KS5).

There are several benefits to learning a new language, including developing communication skills and improving problem-solving skills, as well as gaining knowledge of different cultures. In our fast-paced globalised word, being able to speak a foreign language can also boost pupils' chances of landing jobs amongst a group of other candidates with similar abilities, but who are monolingual.

We aim to build passion and enthusiasm for language learning so that pupils use their knowledge and skills in their everyday lives and future careers, taking every opportunity to progress independently.

Exam Board

AQA

Course Title and Syllabus

GCSE French has a Foundation Tier (grades 1-5) and a Higher Tier (grades 4-9). Students study all of the following themes on which the assessments are based:

  • Identity and culture
  • Local, national, international and global areas of interest
  • Current and future study and employment

Details of Papers

Listening - 25% of GCSE

Written exam:

  • Foundation Tier: 35 minutes, 40 marks
  • Higher Tier: 45 minutes, 50 marks

Each exam includes 5 minutes' reading time of the question paper before the listening stimulus is played.

Section A: Questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally

Section B: Questions in Spanish, to be answered in Spanish or non-verbally

Speaking - 25% of GCSE

Non-exam assessment

  • Foundation Tier: 7-9 minutes + preparation time, 60 marks
  • Higher Tier: 10-12 minutes + preparation time, 60 marks

The format is the same at Foundation Tier and Higher Tier, but with different stimulus questions for the photo card and different stimulus materials for the role-play. The timings are different too:

  • Photo card - 15 marks (2 minutes at Foundation Tier; 3 minutes at Higher Tier)
  • Role-play - 15 marks (2 minutes at both Foundation and Higher Tiers)
  • General conversation - 30 marks (3-5 minutes at Foundation Tier; 5-7 minutes at Higher Tier)

Reading - 25% of GCSE

Written exam:

  • Foundation Tier: 45 minutes, 60 marks
  • Higher Tier: 1 hour, 60 marks

Section A: Questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally

Section B: Questions in French, to be answered in Spanish or non-verbally

Section C: Translation from Spanish into English (a minimum of 35 words at Foundation Tier and 50 words at Higher Tier)

Writing - 25% of GCSE

Written exam:

  • Foundation Tier: 1 hour, 50 marks
  • Higher Tier: 1 hour 15 minutes, 60 marks

Overview

Year Term Topic(s)
Year 7 Autumn

Introduction to French sounds and grammar
Basic vocabulary (alphabet, numbers, colours, days of the week, months, etc.)
Talking about myself: family, pets
Expressing opinions with justifications
Talking about plans for the near future

Spring

Life at school: opinions about subjects, teachers, rules, uniform
Telling the time
Where I live; types of house; rooms in the house
Places in town; what there's to do; what you'd like to see

Summer

Hispanic countries and pre-Columbian civilizations
Famous artists (Frida Kahlo, Picasso, Dali, Miró)
End of year exams
Customs and festivals
Spelling /translation bee

Year 8 Autumn

Talking about holidays
Planning a holiday
Talking about mobile technology
Music and films
Movie unit

Spring

Describing and shopping for food
Ordering food in a restaurant
Describing and shopping for clothes
Going about town
Daily routines

Summer

Describing what you can do in town
Asking for directions
End of year exams
Topical module
Research project

Year 9 Autumn

Free time activities and hobbies
Confident use of three tenses
Jobs and occupations
Consider plans for the future

Spring

Healthy lifestyles and healthy eating
Daily routine and parts of the body and illnesses
Children's rights; understand the concept of fair trade
Explore ways to protect the environment, ie recycling

Summer

Meeting and greeting
Visiting places of interest and shopping
End of Year exams
Movie Unit

Year 10 Autumn

Holiday destinations and accommodations
Local area
Leisure activities
School life
Extracurricular activities and achievements

Spring

Family and friends
Relationships
Free time activities
Media and culture
Sports and entertainment

Summer

Places in town
Shopping and day trips
Problems in a town
Food and drinks
Illnesses and injuries
Daily routines
End of year exams

Year 11 Autumn

Jobs and careers
Future aspirations
Environment
Global and local issues
Mock examinations

Spring

Mock feedback
Preparation for the mock Speaking exam
Speaking mock feedback
Revision and exam practice
Mock examinations

Summer

Mock feedback
Preparation and recording of the Speaking exam
GCSE examinations