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French at Degree level

I've been looking through language courses at various universities and they all seem to insist on Grade A French at A-level, even if its a combined course with another language. I've noted it with A-level too - I understand that many languages can be learnt ab initio but why is French the exception? Is it harder to learn?

Reply 1

L3ann3

1

It just shows to them that you are compitent to do another language and not all universities ask for an A, e.g. Leicester uni only ask for a C at A-Level

Reply 2

Christian_j

17

Nottingham wanted a B, but unless you are 100% committed I've found that french is horrible at degree level! Thank god I'm doing Management with French otherwise I think I'd have gone out of my mind! And I thought I loved speaking French!

Reply 3

wes

10

Everywhere certainly doesn't demand an A in French, I don't know where you've been looking.

You generally can't do ab initio French at degree because pretty much everyone has studied it at school and I'm guessing it's the most popular language A level.

Reply 4

Brightonion

Sussex asks for B, Oxford brooks ask for C. nottingham B, where r u looking?

Reply 5

TheMeister

OP

15

Well, maybe not everywhere - but that was my impression. I only asked because I saw at places like Manchester, you can start languages anew like Russian, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish -but not French. It seemed strange.

Reply 6

L3ann3

1

manchester does ask for an a at a level and yes most places wont let you do abintion french

Reply 7

efemmedvazit

French is so common at secondary school and thought of as easier in grammatical terms compared to languages like German that unis tend to ask for a higher grade for French because they expect you to easily get a high grade. I know that Edinburgh do French semi Ab initio they only require a GCSE in it, so I've applied there as I only have the GCSE maintenant :smile:

Bon courage, OP!

Reply 8

TheMeister

OP

15

efemmedvazit

French is so common at secondary school and thought of as easier in grammatical terms compared to languages like German that unis tend to ask for a higher grade for French because they expect you to easily get a high grade. I know that Edinburgh do French semi Ab initio they only require a GCSE in it, so I've applied there as I only have the GCSE maintenant :smile:

Bon courage, OP!

Merci beaucoup. I've not taken French at GCSE, but was pondering the thought of taking it at A-level - I shall consider it more! :biggrin:

Reply 9

jonnythemoose

15

At Southampton, you can do it from AS level, and possibly GCSE level I believe. The reason it's not standardly offered is because pretty much everyone applying for languages will have had the chance to study French sometime during their education :smile:

Reply 10

*banana

Lancaster also offers post GCSE French. I think quite a few places offer it like that, just not ab initio.

Reply 11

laughingwithpicasso

9

Some places also allow you to take it as a beginner...Kent, Glasgow, Lancaster, Queen Mary London, Portsmouth etc...

Reply 12

Joanna May

15

Since I think every school in England more or less forces French on you in Year7, I think the universities presume that if you were any good at it or liked it at all, you would have at least taken it to GCSE standard.

Reply 13

efemmedvazit

Joanna May

Since I think every school in England more or less forces French on you in Year7, I think the universities presume that if you were any good at it or liked it at all, you would have at least taken it to GCSE standard.

Thats not true. I was never given the chance to learn French at my school. Everyone was forced to do Latin and one modern language that the teachers chose out of French, German and Spanish, but my teachers chose for me to do German, so I'm doing French in my own time now :smile:

I think French is probably the most widedly taught and thats why universities push up their grades because they get more applicants with A level French than anything else.

Reply 14

thats_attractive

jonnythemoose

The reason it's not standardly offered is because pretty much everyone applying for languages will have had the chance to study French sometime during their education :smile:

I didn't

Reply 15

afua12

15

I just assumed that it was because French is so widely offered at secondary school, and often the language that they will force on you untill gcse. If you liked/enjoyed/were any good at it, then chances are you'll have continued it. Of ocurse there are exceptions - timetabling, school not actually offering it, but if you take the number of modern language applicants, and then whittle it down again to French applicants, and then again to those who couldn't study the language because of their schools - I can't see the number being very significant.

Reply 16

Taemon

12

Both Durham and UCL ask for only a B in French, when taking a Modern Languages course involving French. Which courses have you found that ask for an A? I think Cambridge was the only one, out of all those that I applied for.

Reply 17

Joanna May

15

Taemon

Both Durham and UCL ask for only a B in French, when taking a Modern Languages course involving French. Which courses have you found that ask for an A? I think Cambridge was the only one, out of all those that I applied for.

I don't know about Durham, but the UCL website seems to suggest that they've put their offer up for French in Modern Languages this year.

EDIT: Ignore me, I think they;ve changed the website yet again since I looked at it last. Or I'm just thick. I could have sworn it wanted a grade A in French, Spanish or German for combinations with those, but now it only says that for Spanish...