N5 French

Courses are tailored to improve communication skills, to enhance understanding and enjoyment of other cultures and to help students develop skills that they can use and enjoy in work and leisure. A language develops critical thinking skills, cultural awareness and creativity.

Topics studied will be up to date and relevant to our increasingly global job market and the course aims to be engaging and meaningful for learners.

Topics: society, learning, employability and culture.

Students will be mostly secure at level 3 (Nat 4) and 4 (Nat 5).

Units: planning for work experience; media in French society; healthy living; talking about learning experiences; relationship with family and friends; language for the purposes of a trip abroad etc. studied in more depth than at Nat 4 level.

Listening: This involves 2 items played 3 times: 1 monologue and 1 dialogue. Candidates answer questions about the Listening in English.

Reading: Students will be given 3 texts written in the foreign language and must answer questions on the text in English. Dictionary is allowed.

Talking: Students prepare a presentation (11/2 to 2 minutes) on topic of their choice. They then engage in a conversation with the class teacher for about 5 - 6 minutes. Talking is internally assessed but may be verified by the SQA.

Writing: Students are asked to write a letter applying for a job in the target language, covering 6 bullet points. Dictionary allowed.

Assignment writing: Students produce a piece of writing in French on a context of their choice: society, learning or culture. This is done in class and there is no set amount of time allocated to this task, which is submitted to the SQA for marking. Dictionary allowed.

Linear progression – National 4 leads on to National 5. National 5 leads on to Higher and then Advanced Higher French.

Primary Teaching (primary school teachers are expected to have a Modern Language qualification), Law, Commerce/Marketing and Sales/Retailing, Leisure/Tourism and Travel Industry, Commercial Banking, Media, Customs and Immigration Services, Airline Services and Cabin Crew, Local Government, Hospitality/Catering, Interpreting/Translating, Journalism, Diplomatic Service, Importing/Exporting, Publishing, Transport…