How to get a grade A in French at A level?
Hi
I'm in year 13 at the moment and I really want to know how to get an A grade in French. Some of the universities I applied for want a grade A in french. All the universities want at least a grade B in french.
I applied to do french as level last year but I was the only person who applied for it- I am having to defer a year as a result!
Any tips to getting a grade A in french
I try and watch some french films with subtitles (e.g french interviews- once I know the subtitles I watch the same interview again and try to listen closely to recognise some of the words, tenses and grammar
I also have set my facebook to french- just to help pick up some useful words and phrases
Is there anything else I could do? I would love to hear from people who got a grade A in french at a level,or even just a/s level.
Thanks
I'm in year 13 at the moment and I really want to know how to get an A grade in French. Some of the universities I applied for want a grade A in french. All the universities want at least a grade B in french.
I applied to do french as level last year but I was the only person who applied for it- I am having to defer a year as a result!
Any tips to getting a grade A in french
I try and watch some french films with subtitles (e.g french interviews- once I know the subtitles I watch the same interview again and try to listen closely to recognise some of the words, tenses and grammar
I also have set my facebook to french- just to help pick up some useful words and phrases
Is there anything else I could do? I would love to hear from people who got a grade A in french at a level,or even just a/s level.
Thanks
You could listen to French songs. What kind of music are you into? I'd be able to help.
Try to read some accessible books, like Saint-Exupery's "Le petit prince", it's an easy read and a wonderful story.
Also, when you have nothing to do, try to think in French. I know it sounds stupid when you say it like that, but it really does help, that's what I used to do for German and I have improved significantly.
Allez, courage, c'est pas si dur que ca!
Try to read some accessible books, like Saint-Exupery's "Le petit prince", it's an easy read and a wonderful story.
Also, when you have nothing to do, try to think in French. I know it sounds stupid when you say it like that, but it really does help, that's what I used to do for German and I have improved significantly.
Allez, courage, c'est pas si dur que ca!
well initially i wanted to do french and history of art, but i got a D in my French AS which pretty much wrecked my dreams...
I was 3 marks off a C, and I panicked and effed up my oral with a disgraceful E, even though i knew my oral inside out. i went into the room and just let anxiety get the best of me.
I think getting a tutor would be the next best step. They give you a total different outlook on the subject and the way you work. I spoke to my tutor the other week about getting an A, and she told me how its incredibly rare to get an A at A2 as it's such a big jump from AS and that the grade boundaries are massively high. I mean..i'm still aiming for an A...aim for the sky in fact, but just really treat it like your main subject and completely immerse yourself in it.
I was 3 marks off a C, and I panicked and effed up my oral with a disgraceful E, even though i knew my oral inside out. i went into the room and just let anxiety get the best of me.
I think getting a tutor would be the next best step. They give you a total different outlook on the subject and the way you work. I spoke to my tutor the other week about getting an A, and she told me how its incredibly rare to get an A at A2 as it's such a big jump from AS and that the grade boundaries are massively high. I mean..i'm still aiming for an A...aim for the sky in fact, but just really treat it like your main subject and completely immerse yourself in it.
i did spanish AS level so its similar. i would say make sure you thoroughly review all the grammar and tenses. and learn vocab in class and extra. online newspapers are quite good, not sure what there is for french, but i read bits of 'el mundo' and 'el pais' and 'hola' for extra bits. IIRC hola is more of a magazine than a newspaper.
But knowing the grammar really well is the best idea, and practise writing and speaking as much as you can - talking to yourself in the shower isn't that bad!! specially coming up to the speaking exam.
But knowing the grammar really well is the best idea, and practise writing and speaking as much as you can - talking to yourself in the shower isn't that bad!! specially coming up to the speaking exam.
Not gonna lie, the best way to ace a language is to immerse yourself in it. In other words, go to the country.
Read a decent french broadsheet on a regular basis.
failing that:
http://www.lemonde.fr/
try to read translate little bits now and then to supplement your homework, you'd be surprised at how it'll work wonders for you in reading, writing, and confidence
good luck
failing that:
http://www.lemonde.fr/
try to read translate little bits now and then to supplement your homework, you'd be surprised at how it'll work wonders for you in reading, writing, and confidence
good luck
Immerse yourself in as much french as you can. Listen to french radio, read french news, talk in French to your friends/parents/teacher...obviously going to France would be ideal, but if not, I think somewhere on TSR there's a Skype thing where you can talk to people in French?
thanks for replying
I actually never thought of thinking in french....and your not craxy for doing it
I study japanese in my free time and when I watch anime I say phrases in my head that I have heard on the show. I would just be walking around my house suddenly saying saying something like "what are you saying" or "thank goodness" in japanese
et vraiment?! Je pensais que ce serait trop difficile?
I actually never thought of thinking in french....and your not craxy for doing it
I study japanese in my free time and when I watch anime I say phrases in my head that I have heard on the show. I would just be walking around my house suddenly saying saying something like "what are you saying" or "thank goodness" in japanese
et vraiment?! Je pensais que ce serait trop difficile?
Just gonna echo what everyone else has said with familierising youself with French media on a regular basis. Also, if your school does a French exchange visit, go for it! At my school you do work experience in France in 6th form, pehaps your school offers something similar too?
Also, getting a very good grip on grammar is so important. Not so much for AS but especially for A2 it helps to have a real solid foundation.
Also, getting a very good grip on grammar is so important. Not so much for AS but especially for A2 it helps to have a real solid foundation.
I got an A in A Level French after doing little to no revision and being pretty ill too, so it's not too difficult. Just make sure you know all your tenses, including the subjunctive - always use that when you can in your exams - and learn as much new vocabulary as possible relating to the topics you're doing and use them when possible, that always get you brownie points. It sounds simple, but make sure you understand what the questions are asking and learn all the question words - I lost quite a few marks in my GCSE mocks by not knowing what the question was asking me to do. 
Also, work on your fluency in your speaking exam. This really will help you get high marks - during GCSE and A Level I never prepared anything for my speaking exams, whereas my friends would write out answers for any number of questions that might be asked; I never got less than an A, while they'd usually score lower. My answers weren't stunningly complex, but I spoke fluently and the whole thing actually sounded like a conversation, as opposed to ask-and-recite. Learn some French idioms too, that was something we were told the examiners quite liked.
And on a side note in response to everyone's comments, I've never been to France in my life, so it's not the end of your French grade as you know it if you can't go.
Also, work on your fluency in your speaking exam. This really will help you get high marks - during GCSE and A Level I never prepared anything for my speaking exams, whereas my friends would write out answers for any number of questions that might be asked; I never got less than an A, while they'd usually score lower. My answers weren't stunningly complex, but I spoke fluently and the whole thing actually sounded like a conversation, as opposed to ask-and-recite. Learn some French idioms too, that was something we were told the examiners quite liked.
And on a side note in response to everyone's comments, I've never been to France in my life, so it's not the end of your French grade as you know it if you can't go.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by forest3261
and sorry, that last post was to amok- it took me five minutes to make sure it was correct! and thanks for replying
Aha don't worry, your sentence is correct.
What are you doing on TSR? Go and listen to some Gainsbourg!
- Ensure that your grammar is up to scratch, don't just assume that you'll be able to scrap through. Remember to revise through all common irregular patterns (i.e. all the tenses of etre and avoir and other common verbs) and ensure that you've got your agreements, placements of pronouns, and all other standard grammatical features perfected. Also, don't just limit yourself to the grammar which you are taught, if you come across a grammatical construction or odd tense which you haven't faced yet, then look it up, and ensure that you'll know it for the next time you come across it. This is especially helpful for tenses such as the passé simple or the imparfait du subjonctif
- Make sure you learn as much specialist vocabulary for the specific course that you are on. It's unlikely you'll be able to coast through with just a general knowledge of French considering the specific topics.
- Read often. News sites are always helpful and can provide you with knowledge and new vocabulary which can relate to parts of your course (such as the environment, immigration, etc). I myself prefer Le Figaro over Le Monde, but you should look around until you find something which you think is worth reading or may interest you. Also, reading novels and such as greatly improves your skills. It helps you read much faster and exposes you to more literary structures which may help when you may need to analyse a novel at AS level. Take note of vocabulary that you don't understand and then review it at the end of a chapter. It also just gives you a nice feel for the way that the differences in French structures allows for different was to inferring meaning than if you wrote the same text in English (if you're into the linguistic aspects...).
- Listening is obviously important. Though I see that you already watch films and such as. Continue with this, and eventually you'll start to be able to hear and piece together things with-out having to read the subtitles beforehand. The length of getting to this stage does vary between people, but at some point you will see a significant improvement. However, if you're finding fast-paced French-talking too hard to immediately get the hang of then you could always try listening to French songs; I find that the sung words are much easier to recognise.
- Talk incessantly. Don't limit French to the classroom. Around the house, just talk in French. Talk to yourself. Talk about what you're doing. It'll be surprising how the more you speak aloud about any random things, the more you're able to just slip into French mode with-out having to actively think about it.
- This isn't necessarily just limited to language learning, but use all your spare time. If you sat around for 10 minute, have something on your that you can get out to learn more vocab. I always have a tiny paper-booklet of specialist French vocab that i need to learn which i take on the bus with me and flick through.
- As mentioned above, exposure is extremely beneficial, but not always practical. If you can't go to your target country then maybe consider using the online sites which allow you to talk to French people in French in exchange for them talking to you in English? However, if this doesn't quite appeal to you, then see if you can find anyone you know who is learning French. I only have 2 friends who are doing A-level French, but just via talking with them, we're able to recognise and help each other with mistakes that we make. It also improves speaking confidence which is vital to maintain a steady pace through-out oral exams.
- Write as much as possible. Or typing. Just practice writing whatever you want in your chosen language. I used to spend ages just writing in French on Google Translate and then translating it into English to see how well I did (although, Google isn't the best translator, it's sufficient for this purpose).
- Also, in the exams many people slip up on not-so-obvious mistakes. These includes things such as faux-amis which you should watch out for (i.e. the way that actuellement doesn't mean actually) as well as certain grammar phrases that people don't always get right (i.e. wrongly using the subjunctive after éspérer que). It's also helpful to review adjectives and adverbs which vary slightly from the norm. For example, easy things such as 'un bel oiseau' rather than 'un beau oiseau/une belle oiseau'.
- Make sure you have a range of connectives and inventive ways of starting your sentences in writing exams, but don't just memorise whole sentences, and if you do, at least make sure you understand why it works. So many people learn things (such as the 'y' in j'y vais) but don't actually learn why it's there.
- Finally, the best advice would probably be to not see French as something that you just have to get an A in. It's easy to become absorbed in rota grammar learning and tenses revision which could slowly suck the soul out of even the most charismatic of people. So try to have fun in your learning. Everyone does better when they enjoy their subject. When grammar and vocab and reading and listening all become too much then there are loads of educational alternatives. I personally love to learn all the interesting French slang and verlan, not necessarily the most helpful, but it's still French-learning!
- I've probably repeated myself a lot and left out a lot of possibly helpful things, but hey ho!
Bonne Chance!
- Make sure you learn as much specialist vocabulary for the specific course that you are on. It's unlikely you'll be able to coast through with just a general knowledge of French considering the specific topics.
- Read often. News sites are always helpful and can provide you with knowledge and new vocabulary which can relate to parts of your course (such as the environment, immigration, etc). I myself prefer Le Figaro over Le Monde, but you should look around until you find something which you think is worth reading or may interest you. Also, reading novels and such as greatly improves your skills. It helps you read much faster and exposes you to more literary structures which may help when you may need to analyse a novel at AS level. Take note of vocabulary that you don't understand and then review it at the end of a chapter. It also just gives you a nice feel for the way that the differences in French structures allows for different was to inferring meaning than if you wrote the same text in English (if you're into the linguistic aspects...).
- Listening is obviously important. Though I see that you already watch films and such as. Continue with this, and eventually you'll start to be able to hear and piece together things with-out having to read the subtitles beforehand. The length of getting to this stage does vary between people, but at some point you will see a significant improvement. However, if you're finding fast-paced French-talking too hard to immediately get the hang of then you could always try listening to French songs; I find that the sung words are much easier to recognise.
- Talk incessantly. Don't limit French to the classroom. Around the house, just talk in French. Talk to yourself. Talk about what you're doing. It'll be surprising how the more you speak aloud about any random things, the more you're able to just slip into French mode with-out having to actively think about it.
- This isn't necessarily just limited to language learning, but use all your spare time. If you sat around for 10 minute, have something on your that you can get out to learn more vocab. I always have a tiny paper-booklet of specialist French vocab that i need to learn which i take on the bus with me and flick through.
- As mentioned above, exposure is extremely beneficial, but not always practical. If you can't go to your target country then maybe consider using the online sites which allow you to talk to French people in French in exchange for them talking to you in English? However, if this doesn't quite appeal to you, then see if you can find anyone you know who is learning French. I only have 2 friends who are doing A-level French, but just via talking with them, we're able to recognise and help each other with mistakes that we make. It also improves speaking confidence which is vital to maintain a steady pace through-out oral exams.
- Write as much as possible. Or typing. Just practice writing whatever you want in your chosen language. I used to spend ages just writing in French on Google Translate and then translating it into English to see how well I did (although, Google isn't the best translator, it's sufficient for this purpose).
- Also, in the exams many people slip up on not-so-obvious mistakes. These includes things such as faux-amis which you should watch out for (i.e. the way that actuellement doesn't mean actually) as well as certain grammar phrases that people don't always get right (i.e. wrongly using the subjunctive after éspérer que). It's also helpful to review adjectives and adverbs which vary slightly from the norm. For example, easy things such as 'un bel oiseau' rather than 'un beau oiseau/une belle oiseau'.
- Make sure you have a range of connectives and inventive ways of starting your sentences in writing exams, but don't just memorise whole sentences, and if you do, at least make sure you understand why it works. So many people learn things (such as the 'y' in j'y vais) but don't actually learn why it's there.
- Finally, the best advice would probably be to not see French as something that you just have to get an A in. It's easy to become absorbed in rota grammar learning and tenses revision which could slowly suck the soul out of even the most charismatic of people. So try to have fun in your learning. Everyone does better when they enjoy their subject. When grammar and vocab and reading and listening all become too much then there are loads of educational alternatives. I personally love to learn all the interesting French slang and verlan, not necessarily the most helpful, but it's still French-learning!
- I've probably repeated myself a lot and left out a lot of possibly helpful things, but hey ho!
Bonne Chance!
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