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A level French......

How hard exactly is A level French? At the moment my A level choices are triple science and maths, I am considering changing physics to french as i don't think i would want to do anything with physics in the future ( i just find it interesting). However i didn't take GCSE French because i hated the teacher, i did learn various bits from my mum who is fluent though and i'm pretty sure i could have got an A/A* if i did do french at GCSE. What should i do? :s-smilie: The main reason i would want to take A level french is because i would want to be fluent at some point in my life but i am confused on what would be the best thing to do.... :P
You need to check with your potential sixth form if you can actually take French - it's unlikely they'll take you for A-level French without a GCSE, although they may be willing to discuss your French ability due to your personal circumstances

(as for difficulty, I got a B at GCSE and then dropped it within two weeks because I didn't like the teacher, so I wouldn't be able to tell you)
I've done A level French and am hoping for an A* but I'm telling you now it certainly is not easy! The jump from GCSE to AS level was very difficult so without the GCSE I honestly don't think you'd be able to cope. Ideally you need to go into the A level knowing the key conjugations for verbs (présent, passé composé, imparfait) off by heart as you will be learning more, as well as basic sentence structures and obviously vocabulary. I doubt you'd be allowed to do the A level without having the GCSE? If there is some way of you taking the GCSE before starting the A level (maybe start the A level when you're doing your second year of the sciences - it would be good even just to do AS French) then I would definitely urge you to do so because French is such an excellent and enriching A level! For me it felt as if the actual subject matter of the A level was more of a focus than the language side of it which was great because we covered some really interesting topics but there were some people who weren't quite as competent with the language/grammar which made it difficult for them to enjoy learning and keep up with the content which is a shame. Sorry for rambling but yeah make your decision carefully as there is nothing worse than jumping into something you won't be able to cope with as it affects your performance in all of your subjects! (trust me, it took me 3 years to do my A levels for that reason haha) Good luck! X
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Avatar for Gunni098
Gunni098
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Original post by lemonsandlimes
I've done A level French and am hoping for an A* but I'm telling you now it certainly is not easy! The jump from GCSE to AS level was very difficult so without the GCSE I honestly don't think you'd be able to cope. Ideally you need to go into the A level knowing the key conjugations for verbs (présent, passé composé, imparfait) off by heart as you will be learning more, as well as basic sentence structures and obviously vocabulary. I doubt you'd be allowed to do the A level without having the GCSE? If there is some way of you taking the GCSE before starting the A level (maybe start the A level when you're doing your second year of the sciences - it would be good even just to do AS French) then I would definitely urge you to do so because French is such an excellent and enriching A level! For me it felt as if the actual subject matter of the A level was more of a focus than the language side of it which was great because we covered some really interesting topics but there were some people who weren't quite as competent with the language/grammar which made it difficult for them to enjoy learning and keep up with the content which is a shame. Sorry for rambling but yeah make your decision carefully as there is nothing worse than jumping into something you won't be able to cope with as it affects your performance in all of your subjects! (trust me, it took me 3 years to do my A levels for that reason haha) Good luck! X


Ah I'm so glad this post is here! Just in curiosity because you took French A level, I was also going to take triple science and maths but I suck at physics plus I absolutely have a strong grudge against it! I hate IT! (I hope no one is offended!) So instead I was going to take French but I really haven't got a clue! I'm doing French GCSE at the moment but my teacher believes I'll get an A in my final exams saying she's "confident I will achieve really high". Err this isn't the case xD. Um let's say I had no choice at school and forced to take French GCSE because I was on the Eng baracculate and I wouldn't ever of picked it if I was allowed to pick all my choices. I struggled for ages and now we have 37 weeks left of school till study leave I was nearly crying because I am terrible at languages! I got Bs I'm my mocks but the teacher gives me miraculously too much pressure saying it isn't good enough and I need to retake it because I have to gain an A! She already made me retake the real speaking exam and I don't even know if its good enough to suit her!

I apologise for this humongous life story but I think its better to make a desicion if I gave all the details :biggrin: ,should I stick to taking French or just put up with physics? (PS- I'm so dropping either subject after AS)
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by lemonsandlimes
I've done A level French and am hoping for an A* but I'm telling you now it certainly is not easy! The jump from GCSE to AS level was very difficult so without the GCSE I honestly don't think you'd be able to cope. Ideally you need to go into the A level knowing the key conjugations for verbs (présent, passé composé, imparfait) off by heart as you will be learning more, as well as basic sentence structures and obviously vocabulary. I doubt you'd be allowed to do the A level without having the GCSE? If there is some way of you taking the GCSE before starting the A level (maybe start the A level when you're doing your second year of the sciences - it would be good even just to do AS French) then I would definitely urge you to do so because French is such an excellent and enriching A level! For me it felt as if the actual subject matter of the A level was more of a focus than the language side of it which was great because we covered some really interesting topics but there were some people who weren't quite as competent with the language/grammar which made it difficult for them to enjoy learning and keep up with the content which is a shame. Sorry for rambling but yeah make your decision carefully as there is nothing worse than jumping into something you won't be able to cope with as it affects your performance in all of your subjects! (trust me, it took me 3 years to do my A levels for that reason haha) Good luck! X


The school have set us summer tasks to do for all of the subjects we have chosen to do so maybe if i managed to complete that relatively easily they might consider? I think i will speak to the head of languages when i start at the school in september to see what i could do but from what my friends have told me the gcse wasn't very hard or in depth so i assume A level will be more focused on the tenses like you said? I think i have a basic grasp on tenses but what do you think would be the best plan? (when you say about doing the AS in the second year that sounds okay but ideally i'd rather complete it in the first year so then i would be able to focus on the science and maths in the second :tongue:
It depends tbh.

I find it really really easy, but I'd say it was one of the hardest a levels... Like despite it not being hard for me I can see how it is hard.

I'd say if your mum is fluent don't worry about taking an A Level in it. Just learn it :smile:
Original post by sparklingTurkey
The school have set us summer tasks to do for all of the subjects we have chosen to do so maybe if i managed to complete that relatively easily they might consider? I think i will speak to the head of languages when i start at the school in september to see what i could do but from what my friends have told me the gcse wasn't very hard or in depth so i assume A level will be more focused on the tenses like you said? I think i have a basic grasp on tenses but what do you think would be the best plan? (when you say about doing the AS in the second year that sounds okay but ideally i'd rather complete it in the first year so then i would be able to focus on the science and maths in the second :tongue:


If they allow you to do French in your first year then by all means do it but be prepared to work extra hard! It was a long time ago I did the GCSE but from what I remember it was basically just writing/speaking about yourself in two or three tenses haha!! The A level is much more interesting in that there are a lot of different topics to cover (especially in the second year) and the focus is more on giving different arguments on subjects such as smoking, racism, environmental issues etc. It's hard to say what would be best for you as I don't know how much vocabulary etc you already know but do bear in mind that within the first few weeks of the A level you will be set an essay question about the positives and negatives of reality TV or something, and the majority of French lessons will be taught in French, not English (at least mine were). If you feel you'd be able to cope with this then go for it! If not but you really want to do French, maybe find yourself a French tutor in your area who could help you with basic grammar and vocabulary or maybe give you a head start on your conversational skills and vocab that will be used in the A level syllabus.
Original post by Gunni098
Ah I'm so glad this post is here! Just in curiosity because you took French A level, I was also going to take triple science and maths but I suck at physics plus I absolutely have a strong grudge against it! I hate IT! (I hope no one is offended!) So instead I was going to take French but I really haven't got a clue! I'm doing French GCSE at the moment but my teacher believes I'll get an A in my final exams saying she's "confident I will achieve really high". Err this isn't the case xD. Um let's say I had no choice at school and forced to take French GCSE because I was on the Eng baracculate and I wouldn't ever of picked it if I was allowed to pick all my choices. I struggled for ages and now we have 37 weeks left of school till study leave I was nearly crying because I am terrible at languages! I got Bs I'm my mocks but the teacher gives me miraculously too much pressure saying it isn't good enough and I need to retake it because I have to gain an A! She already made me retake the real speaking exam and I don't even know if its good enough to suit her!

I apologise for this humongous life story but I think its better to make a desicion if I gave all the details :biggrin: ,should I stick to taking French or just put up with physics? (PS- I'm so dropping either subject after AS)



Do not take a subject at A level that you hate!!! It will be more trouble than it's ever worth! If you prefer French to Physics even a little bit then do it for sure. Have you not considered other subjects that you might enjoy more like Psychology or Environmetal science? That's if your school/college offer them! I did both of those subjects and they go well with Biology/Chemistry as they involve a similar style of learning and studying unlike French which is very different. Make your A level choices carefully and make sure not to choose subjects that you'll find boring or too difficult as this will affect your performance in other subjects.

Also, don't be put off of French because of the pressure from your GCSE teacher! The GCSE French course is structured really badly and the content is a load of rubbish, the way it is assessed doesn't really reflect your French ability at all, only your memory! The A level is much more interesting. Although I was an A* student at GCSE, I found the French GCSE much more stressful than the A level because I hated having to remember paragraphs for the controlled assessments etc. At A level you have much more freedom in the speaking exam as well as the written exam where you can structure your essays in your own style. I would highly recommend you take French :smile:

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