A-Level French Course: A Practical Guide for New Teachers – Using the Target Language in Lessons

Sep 23

5 min read

How much French should be spoken during an A-Level lesson?

The short answer is that French should have a central place in the classroom, but this does not mean that English must be avoided completely. The aim is not to achieve the highest possible percentage of target-language use. It is to use French purposefully, at a level students can understand, while steadily developing their ability and confidence to use it themselves.

Research supports regular exposure to the target language, but it does not support an inflexible “French only” policy. As for Ofsted, its research review recommends that teachers’ use of the target language should be carefully planned, build on students’ existing knowledge and be reinforced by English where necessary.

The teacher’s use of French

Students need to hear plenty of French if they are going to become comfortable processing it. Regular exposure helps them become familiar with the sounds, rhythms and intonation of the language and provides valuable listening practice throughout the lesson.

This does not mean that the teacher needs to deliver every explanation in French. Target-language use is most effective when students can understand enough of what is being said to follow the lesson successfully.

French can be used naturally for:

greetings and everyday exchanges;
introducing familiar activities;
giving straightforward instructions;
asking routine questions;
checking answers;
discussing previously studied content;
providing praise and feedback;
moving between different stages of the lesson.

Repeated classroom language gradually becomes familiar. Students who initially need gestures, examples or visual support will eventually understand these expressions automatically.

However, if students are spending so much effort trying to decode the teacher’s instructions that they cannot focus on the activity itself, the French is no longer serving its purpose.

When English may be more effective

English still has a legitimate place in an A-Level French lesson. It may be the clearest and most efficient language for:

explaining a complex grammar point;
clarifying an important misunderstanding;
discussing assessment criteria;
giving detailed feedback;
explaining how an examination task works;
ensuring that everyone understands an unfamiliar or complicated activity.

Avoid translating everything immediately

Students will not develop their listening skills if every sentence in French is immediately repeated in English. Once they realise that a translation is coming, they may simply wait for it.

Before translating, teachers can support understanding through:

gestures and facial expressions;
images or objects;
examples;
synonyms or simpler French;
familiar cognates;
key words displayed on the board;
repeating the sentence more slowly or dividing it into smaller sections.

English can still be used if these strategies do not resolve the difficulty, but it should not automatically follow every piece of French.

The students’ use of French matters even more

Teacher input is important, but students do not learn to communicate simply by listening to the teacher. They need frequent opportunities to retrieve language, formulate ideas and express meaning for themselves.

A lesson conducted largely in French is not necessarily a highly communicative lesson if the teacher does nearly all the speaking.

Students need opportunities to:

answer questions in complete sentences;
ask their own questions;
discuss topic content with a partner;
respond to unexpected follow-up questions;
summarise something they have read or heard;
reformulate an idea using different language;
speak without relying entirely on a written script.

Move beyond formulaic exchanges

At first, students may need substantial support in the form of vocabulary lists, model answers and planning time. This support can then be reduced as their confidence and knowledge develop.

For example, a speaking activity might progress through the following stages:

Students prepare answers using vocabulary and sentence starters.
They practise their answers with a partner.
They repeat the discussion with the same partner, without referring to their notes.
They discuss the same aspect with a different partner, adapting their answers to a new exchange.

The goal is not to remove all support immediately. It is to prevent support from becoming permanent.

Establish expectations from the beginning

Many students arrive in Year 12 accustomed to speaking relatively little French in lessons. They may have approached speaking activities by writing complete answers and then reading them aloud. The move towards more spontaneous communication can therefore feel uncomfortable at first.

Clear expectations should be established from the beginning. If an activity is intended to be completed in French, students need to understand that conducting the discussion in English is not an acceptable alternative.

However, students are more likely to use French when they have access to the language they need. Before asking them to discuss a complex issue, teachers should consider whether they have been taught and given sufficient opportunities to practise the relevant vocabulary and structures.

If students repeatedly switch to English, this should not automatically be interpreted as a lack of effort. The task may require language that they have not yet fully secured.

Preparation might include:

revisiting essential vocabulary;
modelling possible responses;
rehearsing key grammatical structures;
providing a small number of useful sentence starters;
allowing brief thinking time;
practising pronunciation before the discussion begins.

As students become more proficient, this preparation can gradually become shorter and less structured, encouraging them to draw more independently on the language they have acquired.

Accept that spontaneous speech will not be perfect

Students often produce more accurate French when they have time to prepare. When they speak spontaneously, their speed and accuracy may temporarily decrease. This is normal and should not be interpreted as a lack of progress.

If every error is corrected immediately, students may become hesitant and reluctant to contribute. During fluency-focused activities, it is often better to note recurring or important errors and address them afterwards. When accuracy is the main focus, more immediate correction may be appropriate.

Students need to understand that mistakes are an expected part of learning to communicate. The classroom should be a place where they can test language, notice gaps in their knowledge and try again.

Increase target-language use gradually

The balance between French and English does not need to remain the same throughout the course. At the beginning of Year 12, students may need more scaffolding and occasional explanations in English. As their knowledge and confidence grow, the amount and complexity of French used by both the teacher and the students should increase.

This progression needs to be deliberate. If English remains the automatic language of classroom interaction throughout Year 12, it can be difficult to change expectations later.