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Advice on how to get an A* in French A level?

I got a 9 in gcse French but I've heard that a level is a big step up so please give me advice if you have any :smile:
Reply 1
I got an 8 in GCSE French and a C in A level French being significantly messed up by grade boundaries this year (1 mark off a B). I was always predicted an A in French and put in quite a lot of effort therefore this grade crushed me quite a lot.

Despite the outcome, A level French was by far my favourite subject (out of Biology and Psychology). I met some great people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise and at the end of the day, I can speak another language! It is very eye opening and the course includes so many relevant aspects of French and European culture that we don’t really know about here in the UK.

In my opinion the step up from GCSE to A level was big. Luckily, I had an amazing teacher and so this was easy to adapt to but still, you should be ready to work consistently. If you decide to take it, you will be amazed with your own abilities. It is incredible how much you will learn in just 2 years. Personally, this was very motivating to me and therefore I really enjoyed the subject.

As long as you enjoy the subject and work hard I am sure you will do amazing and although I believe my grade was an inaccurate reflection of my abilities, I am still going to university and have just returned from my trip to France where I could easily and effortlessly communicate with people. I hope you will have more luck with grade boundaries when the time comes but I definitely recommend it! :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by dp7188
I got an 8 in GCSE French and a C in A level French being significantly messed up by grade boundaries this year (1 mark off a B). I was always predicted an A in French and put in quite a lot of effort therefore this grade crushed me quite a lot.

Despite the outcome, A level French was by far my favourite subject (out of Biology and Psychology). I met some great people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise and at the end of the day, I can speak another language! It is very eye opening and the course includes so many relevant aspects of French and European culture that we don’t really know about here in the UK.

In my opinion the step up from GCSE to A level was big. Luckily, I had an amazing teacher and so this was easy to adapt to but still, you should be ready to work consistently. If you decide to take it, you will be amazed with your own abilities. It is incredible how much you will learn in just 2 years. Personally, this was very motivating to me and therefore I really enjoyed the subject.

As long as you enjoy the subject and work hard I am sure you will do amazing and although I believe my grade was an inaccurate reflection of my abilities, I am still going to university and have just returned from my trip to France where I could easily and effortlessly communicate with people. I hope you will have more luck with grade boundaries when the time comes but I definitely recommend it! :smile:

Thank you so much!!! Also we have the exact same options 😅 Yesss I've heard it's a big step up and I haven't done much in the summer to prepare but I think I'm prepared to work hard, I've always wanted to become fluent in another language!!
I will be doing French, Maths and Business in Sixth Form, because I want to be fluent in French so that I can talk to people in French, and yes, French is a beautiful language to study, if you are proficient at it! Good luck in your A-Levels everyone! :smile:
(edited 8 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by rose1417
Thank you so much!!! Also we have the exact same options 😅 Yesss I've heard it's a big step up and I haven't done much in the summer to prepare but I think I'm prepared to work hard, I've always wanted to become fluent in another language!!

😁😁
A great way to begin - duolingo every single day. Never underestimate the power of duolingo it’s crazy how actually useful it is.
Make a french playlist, there are some amazing new artists out there and of course the classics (Aznavour, Hardy, Stromae). It’s important to hear the language regularly.
And something which helped me a lot was following lots of french creators/news accounts on instagram and tiktok which are specifically targeted to young people and those learning french. You spend so much time on social media anyway, why not learn something while you’re there!
Good luck and make sure you keep on top of it ☺️
hey! i got a 9 in gcse and i'm currently predicted an A for A levels (honestly a shocker). some tips i found useful was having a separate notebook for new vocabulary. keep revising grammar topics, make sure you can do it in your sleep. it will become so helpful later. make sure you are reading articles from french magazines (phosphore releases i think a monthly e-magazine). work your way through the articles and try and translate them. try and speak to someone in french for like 10 mins a day. i found music really helpful especially because there is a music topic in the syllabus. keep up to date with french news and culture, it helps with the speaking exam.

The jump from GCSE to A level can be massive for some people but just stay on top of your work and you should be fine. don't forget ur gcse work because it all adds up in the end, build a good rapport with your french group because it's always nice to have people who are probably struggling with the same things you are struggling with, you can end up creating a good support network. have fun and don't lose interest in it because then it becomes tedious.

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