French

The Removes & Fifths at Radley

All boys study French to at least GCSE level; in the Remove and Fifths they have five periods per cycle. The top set take their GCSE in May at the end of the Remove year, the second set either then or with the other sets in May at the end of the Fifth Form.

Boys in effect start the GCSE course at the beginning of the Shells and the work in the next two years is essentially a continuation of this course, accelerated in the case of the top two sets. A wide range of topic areas is covered, including holidays abroad, food and drink, obtaining services e.g. garage repairs, dry cleaning, visiting the doctor in France, booking accommodation etc. Boys’ grasp of written structures is developed further and they meet and learn to use a full range of indicative tenses. Equal emphasis is placed on acquiring oral confidence, understanding of the spoken and written word, and on writing clear, accurate French. Boys will research and undertake written coursework, representing 25% of the final grade, during the Remove and Fifth years.

After taking the GCSE examinations, boys in the top sets continue with French, following a course which takes them beyond the confines of the syllabus, studying aspects of personal relationships, the environment, and religion among other topics, and they are introduced to French literature and film. This course constitutes a valuable introduction to French at A level and allows them to take the AS units at the end of the fifth form.