A-Level French Course: A Practical Guide for New Teachers- Structuring Year 12

One of the biggest challenges when teaching A-level French for the first time is knowing how quickly to move through the course. The specification contains a great deal of content, and it can be difficult to judge how much time to spend on each topic—particularly when you are also introducing new vocabulary, consolidating grammar, teaching exam skills and studying a film.

The following structure has worked well for me, but it is intended as a flexible guide rather than a timetable that must be followed rigidly.

Bridging the gap between GCSE and A-level

In Year 12, I normally teach La famille en voie de changement from the beginning of September until the October half-term.

This first topic takes slightly longer because my resources include a transition section designed to bridge the gap between GCSE and A-level. At this stage, students also need time to adjust to the pace, vocabulary and level of independence expected at A-level.

After the October half-term, we begin studying the film for one lesson each week. We continue with this weekly film lesson until July, while using the remaining lessons to cover the different specification topics.

If you teach five hours of French each week, this structure generally allows you to complete approximately one topic per half-term.

How long should you spend on each topic?

Apart from La famille, which includes the additional transition material, all my topic resources follow the same structure:

• Part A

• Part B

• Part C

Each part is divided into three sections: Sections 1, 2 and 3. This gives a total of nine sections per topic.

As a general rule, I would recommend spending no more than approximately two hours on each section. A complete topic should therefore take around 15–18 teaching hours.

You may find that Section 1 of Part A takes slightly longer than the other sections. This is usually because students are encountering the core vocabulary for the first time and need more vocabulary practice at the beginning of a new topic.

You do not need to complete every activity

This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give to teachers using my resources: do not feel that you have to complete absolutely everything on the PowerPoint.

The resources deliberately contain plenty of short activities so that teachers can select the ones that are most useful for their particular class. They are not intended to become a checklist that must be completed from beginning to end.

If one section is taking considerably longer than the suggested two hours, it is usually better to move on. You could:

• omit some of the activities;

• set them as homework;

• use them for independent study;

• save them for support or intervention sessions;

• return to them as retrieval practice;

• use them later for revision.

Every class is different. Some students may need additional vocabulary practice, while others might benefit more from translation, grammar or speaking activities. The structure makes it easy to pick and choose according to their needs.

Free schemes of work

I have created free schemes of work for all A-level topics. These correspond to my resources and show how the different sections and activities are organised across a sequence of lessons.

However, they can also provide a useful starting point for your own planning, even if you are not using my resources. Editable versions are included, allowing you to adapt the content to suit your own resources, timetable and students’ needs.

A free topic of your choice to get you started

If you are teaching A-level French for the first time and would like to see how my resources could fit into your planning, you can request one complete topic of your choice free of charge.

This will give you an opportunity to explore the structure of the resources, try some of the activities with your students and decide whether they suit your teaching style and your class—without having to make a purchase first.

Simply get in touch and let me know which topic you would like: contact@laprofdefrancais.com.