Cambridge IGCSE French - First Language

by Nandana Surendran

Cambridge IGCSE First Language French is designed for learners whose first language is French. The syllabus develops learners' ability to communicate clearly, accurately and effectively. They learn how to employ a wide-ranging vocabulary, use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and develop a personal style and awareness of the audience being addressed. Learners are also encouraged to read widely, both for their own enjoyment and to develop an appreciation of how writers achieve their effects. The syllabus also complements other areas of study by encouraging skills of more general application.

Aims of the Syllabus

The aims are to-
• Enable learners to communicate accurately, appropriately and effectively in writing
• Enable learners to understand and respond appropriately to what they read
• Encourage learners to enjoy and appreciate the variety of language
• Complement the learners’ other areas of study by developing skills of a more general application (e.g. analysis, synthesis, drawing of inferences)
• Promote the learners’ personal development and an understanding of themselves and others.

Syllabus Content

All students follow the same curriculum.

Reading
All students should be able to-
• Demonstrate understanding of words within extended texts
• Scan for and extract specific information
• Identify main and subordinate topics, summarise, paraphrase, re-express
• Show some sense of how writers achieve their effects
• Recognise and respond to simple linguistic devices including figurative language

Students aiming for Grades A* to C should, in addition, be able to-
• Show a more precise understanding of extended texts
• Recognise the relationship of ideas
• Evaluate effectiveness, draw inferences, compare, analyse, synthesise
• Show understanding of how writers achieve their effects
• Recognise and respond to more sophisticated linguistic devices

Writing
All students should be able to-
• Express thoughts, feelings and opinions in order to interest, inform or convince the reader
• Show some sense of audience
• Demonstrate adequate control of vocabulary, syntax and grammar
• Exercise care over punctuation and spelling
• Write accurate simple sentences
• Attempt a variety of sentence structures
• Recognise the need for paragraphing
• Use appropriate vocabulary

Students aiming for Grades A* to C should, in addition, be able to-
• Show a wider and more varied sense of different styles to interest, inform or convince the reader
• Show a clear sense of audience
• Demonstrate a sophisticated use of vocabulary and structures
• Demonstrate accuracy in punctuation and spelling
• Write accurate complex sentences
• Employ varied sentence structures
• Write in well-constructed paragraphs
• Use imaginative and varied vocabulary

Grade Description

Grade A
• Candidates understand and communicate information at both a straightforward and a complex level.
• Candidates understand facts, ideas and opinions, and order and present in detail what is relevant for specific purposes.
• Candidates describe and reflect upon experience and detail, analysing effectively what is felt and what is imagined.
• Candidates recognise implicit meanings and attitudes of a writer.
• Candidates show a clear sense of audience and an understanding of appropriate uses of language.
• Candidates write in well constructed paragraphs, using a full range of appropriate sentence structures and showing accuracy in spelling and punctuation.

Grade C
• Candidates understand and convey information both at a straightforward level and at a more complex level.
• Candidates understand basic facts, ideas and opinions, presenting them with a degree of clarity and accuracy.
• Candidates evaluate material from texts and select what is relevant for specific purposes.
• Candidates describe and reflect upon experience and express effectively what is felt and what is imagined.
• Candidates recognise the more obvious implicit meanings and attitudes of a writer.
• Candidates show a sense of audience and an awareness of appropriate uses of language.
• Candidates write in paragraphs, using sentences of varied kinds and exercising care over spelling and punctuation.

Grade F
• Candidates understand and convey information at a straightforward level.
• Candidates understand basic facts, ideas and opinions, presenting them with a degree of coherence.
• Candidates select material from texts and comment upon it at a literal level.
• Candidates describe experience in concrete terms and express intelligibly what is felt and what is imagined.
• Candidates recognise clear meanings and explicit attitudes of a writer.
• Candidates show awareness that language is used in different ways in different circumstances.
• Candidates write at least in simple sentences – weaknesses in spelling and punctuation and the construction of complex sentences will be apparent, but will not seriously impair communication.

Objectives of Assessment

Reading
Students are assessed on their ability to-

  1. Understand and collate explicit meanings
  2. Understand, explain and collate implicit meanings and attitudes
  3. Select, analyse and evaluate what is relevant to specific purposes
  4. Understand how writers achieve effects.

Writing
Students are assessed on their ability to-

  1. Articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined
  2. Order and present facts, ideas and opinions
  3. Understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary
  4. Use language and register appropriate to audience and context
  5. Make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation and spelling.

Assessment

Paper 1: Reading
2 hours
Question 1 (25 marks)
Question 2 (25 marks)
Weighting: 50%

Paper 2: Writing
2 hours
Section 1 – Discussion and Argument (25 marks)
Section 2 – Description and Narration (25 marks)
Weighting: 50%

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