Welcome to the French Department

The French Department at Ysgol Dyffryn Taf is an innovative and well resourced Department. Our teachers are experienced, dedicated and hard working.

The French Department at Dyffryn Taf is committed to ensuring that every student achieve their true potential. We aim to provide learners with a rewarding experience to language learning and to develop their confidence to communicate in French. French is a popular subject at Ysgol Dyffryn Taf with students at all levels of ability and has a proven track record of excellent examination results at both KS4 and KS5.

Key Stage 3

New Year 7 Curriculum

The French department aims to encourage learners to be aware of the links between languages as they develop an appreciation of the origins of words and an interest in language patterns. Students are encouraged to transfer what they have learned about how languages work in, for example, Welsh and English to learning French. This multilingual approach will ignite learners’ enthusiasm and provide them with a firm foundation for a lifelong interest in learning subsequent languages.

Topics are taught through the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Pupils are encouraged to participate actively in lessons in a safe and positive learning environment. We incorporate fun activities into the lessons such as singing, playing language games, using mini whiteboards and watching extracts of French clips on YouTube.

We encourage pupils to use ICT in French and guide pupils towards websites that reinforce and extend their learning in a ‘fun’ way.

Pupils receive regular homework and are supported in their learning via the French website which all pupils can access at home.

Key Stage 4

Examination Board: WJEC

Why take French?

• “73% of businesses across the UK state that they need employees that can communicate in a foreign language”

• “The UK has a shortage of people who can combine language skills with other specialisms like Science - Engineering - Technology - Maths”

• “More than 1/3 of employers who need language skills are forced to recruit from overseas ”

The course provides students with a wide area of topics that are covered in the GCSE exams. These courses build on the skills and knowledge from KS3 and students will learn new language structures and vocabulary based on three distinct themes. These themes apply to all four question papers.

Students are expected to understand and provide information and opinions about these themes relating to their own experiences and those of other people, including people in countries/communities where French is spoken.

Identity and culture

Local, national, international and global areas of interest

Current and future study and employment

We use a variety of resources such as games, clips, songs, stories and other authentic material. There will be a focus on talking spontaneously, translations and literary texts (poems, songs, films etc.), which will also form part of the new GCSE exams.

The course is assessed in the following way at the end of Year 11:

Reading Exam - 25%

Listening Exam - 25%

Writing Exam - 25%

Speaking Exam - 25%

To read more about the GCSE course, please click here.

Key Stage 5

The following option is offered at A-Level:

• A-Level French

To find out more information about the course, please click on the option above.