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French AS?

Whats it like?
i did it for GCSE and got full marks in the mock (im not boasting, they were pretty easy and we speak abit of french at home) but i never really learnt the grammar properly like im not too good with tenses etc... is there anyone with experience of doing french for AS? whats it like?

Reply 1

AnonyMatt

15

Heavier focus on grammar.
Alot more vocabulary.
Basically a harder version of GCSE.

A2 is where you start to study texts and the like, and really bring your language skills together.

That's the impression I've got from taking part in my friends' French work.

Reply 2

ninetytwo92

OP

7

AnonyMatt

Heavier focus on grammar.
Alot more vocabulary.
Basically a harder version of GCSE.

A2 is where you start to study texts and the like, and really bring your language skills together.

That's the impression I've got from taking part in my friends' French work.

ah thanks man
k i should really start re-learning all the grammar/tenses etc :\

Reply 3

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Horrible

thank **** it's over

Reply 4

Ice_Queen

17

It's fine.

In my class, we made sure everyone had a complete grasp of the basic tenses first.

You would be absolutely horrified to know that four or five out of a class of twelve put "Je suis regarde" instead of "Je regarde". Scary.

Edited to include the 'e'...

Reply 5

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

hialiya

ah thanks man
k i should really start re-learning all the grammar/tenses etc :\

yes otherwise you're going to struggle

Reply 6

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Ice_Queen

It's fine.

In my class, we made sure everyone had a complete grasp of the basic tenses first.

You would be absolutely horrified to know that four or five out of a class of twelve put "Je suis regarde" instead of "Je regard". Scary.

well that means that 12 out of 12 were wrong lol. Scary.

Reply 7

JW92

18

If you got full marks in a GCSE mock, you shouldn't really have any problems. AS French is just an extension of GCSE, really. I would start digging out your old grammar notes and make sure you know the tenses, though, as I think the main difference between GCSE and AS is that you can't coast by without your grammar knowledge.

Reply 8

geography-junkie

1

Can't wait until I start in September XD

Reply 9

archly

4

There is definitely a heavier emphasis on grammar and, on the syllabus I did, there were some exams which had large portions of marks given for grammar. However, the fact that you're able to speak & listen to French confidently will serve you well as there are generally oral & listening exams which most students seem to struggle with more than the written component.

Reply 10

MewMachine

12

AS is a lot lot harder than GCSE. I think it'll depend on how good your grammar is and if you can pick up lots of new vocabulary quickly. The fact that you speak a bit at home is good. However I think what I and many people in my class found hardest was the writing part- have you done a written exam for GCSE before? Most people hadn't (I did coursework) and it took me a large portion of the year before I could write a half decent mini-essay.

Reply 11

matt_wf

i just did the AS
it is HARDD! i got a D, one mark off a C... and i got an A in the mock lol!!

im doing it next year though... i must be mad.

Reply 12

Ice_Queen

17

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

well that means that 12 out of 12 were wrong lol. Scary.

You're an idiot. Please, enlighten me as to how in hell you think this works.

Reply 13

Blatant Troll

15

Ice_Queen

It's fine.

In my class, we made sure everyone had a complete grasp of the basic tenses first.

You would be absolutely horrified to know that four or five out of a class of twelve put "Je suis regarde" instead of "Je regard". Scary.

Deliberate mistake, I am sure :p:

If you found GCSE a veritable walk in the park, then I doubt you'll find AS Level that great a step up tbh. I thought the gap between AS & A2 was much larger than that between GCSE & AS.
Albeit we had our grammar drilled into us something fierce at GCSE, plus almost all of us were made to do the writing paper, and that certainly helped.

Edit: That said, listening is a beast, as is oral. Though I gather the syllabus has changed a lot for you guys (eg. no interpreting - a module I came down on - as an option), so it might not be so bad!

Edit 2: Listening + oral = French Exchange for the win :woo:

Reply 14

Ice_Queen

17

Blatant Troll

Deliberate mistake, I am sure :p:

If you found GCSE a veritable walk in the park, then I doubt you'll find AS Level that great a step up tbh. I thought the gap between AS & A2 was much larger than that between GCSE & AS.
Albeit we had our grammar drilled into us something fierce at GCSE, plus almost all of us were made to do the writing paper, and that certainly helped.

Haha yeah. I was more focused on the 'suis'.

Apologies.

Reply 15

rossk911

Hey there, I just finished my French A-level.

The first thing I would say is that you HAVE to nail the tenses in the first few weeks. When I started in AS, I certainly did not know them well. I found myself totally lost for about 2 months. Don't worry though, if you actually work at them they just become natural by the time exams come around.
The AS in general is quite different to GCSE, there is less typical 'touristy' stuff to learn. (How to book a hotel, order an ice cream etc.) You will find yourself talking about and debating wider topics such as immigration, crime and punishment or global warming.
i found there was less text book work, more applied tasks. For example, producing presentations, video projects etc. (Although that could just be my school).
All in all, it is SO much better than GCSE French and by the end of year 12 it was by far my favourite subject and now I have a real passion for it. Seriously, just work hard to nail that grammar and you'll actually enjoy this subject! :-)

Reply 16

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Ice_Queen

Haha yeah. I was more focused on the 'suis'.

Apologies.

lol XD no worries

Reply 17

amongsttheweeds

18

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

well that means that 12 out of 12 were wrong lol. Scary.

Lol!

Hmm I was thinking of doing a French AS at night school. How much work is it, in class and out?

Reply 18

annab1684

15

It is a lot harder. If you're keen, enthusiastic and you're good at remembering things, you'll be okay.
You need to put a lot of work in to be sure of achieving a top grade though.

Reply 19

cuckoomillie

8

I just did it for as level and enjoyed it. I have to say compared to my other subjects (maths, f. maths and politics) it was a lot more work and assessment. However, it paid off in the end. I was not great at tenses but other than the other guys it didnt come together until the end. I got a D in my mock writing but it was obviously fine in the real thing cos I only lost 5 marks on r/w/l! so happy and definitely doing next year although the book my teacher chose is not great

French AS?

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