Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Oral | 10 x 1 Hour Orals |
| Listening | 5 x 1 Hour Listening |
| Grammar | 15 x 1 Hour Grammar |
| Translation | 10 x 1 Hour Translations |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 20%: 8 written assignments, 4 of them under exam conditions (those taken under exam conditions counting twice as much as the others); 10%: oral (4 marks based on attendance, active contribution and performance in small oral groups); 20%: listening comprehension (4 tests). | 50% |
| Semester Exam | The oral Examination takes the form of a 15-minute interview with two members of staff (one of whom may be the external examiner, who may join in). During this interview the candidate will be asked: (a) to offer a brief presentation (maximum 5-7 minutes) in the target language on a selected topic and (b) to engage in a general conversation arising in the first instance from the presentation itself. Some weeks before the oral exam, students will be provided with 8 topics taken from the topics covered during the oral classes throughout the year. They will need to prepare all eight of these topics as only one of them will be given to the student in the exam. The final exam topic will be provided to the candidate at the beginning of the examination. There will be no period of preparation time immediately beforehand. Candidates are reminded that they are not allowed to read from a script and are not allowed to bring any notes into the examination room; they must not deliver a previously learnt speech. The presentation should lead into (and be constructed so as to lead into) a conversation and further discussion of the topic. A more general conversation will follow. | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 3 Hours written examination | 30% |
| Supplementary Exam | 3 Hours 1 x 3-hour written examination (unless ONLY the oral component is failed, in which case the supplementary exam will be an oral examination). | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, if you have made satisfactory progress, you will be able to:
- quantify your own improvement in French vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and spoken language since before going abroad
- listen to and understand complex French on various subjects and of various registers
- translate idiomatically into and out of French, using factual or fictional texts
- translate selected unseen passages in class
- prepare passages for translation and discussion in class
- explain and justify your own choice and use of different linguistic registers
- demonstrate active command of stylistic levels of French
- demonstrate competence in preparing effectively for essay-writing: structuring work, constructing logical argument and expressing ideas in the appropriate linguistic register
- apply language skills acquired in French, and during the year abroad, with particular emphasis on achieving as native-like a pronunciation as possible
- express yourself with confidence using a rich and varied vocabulary
- apply orally the complex vocabulary and grammatical structures introduced in written classes
- present independently prepared material in spoken or written French
- analyse and discuss complex French texts
- give detailed insight into French cultural and political affairs
Language modules have, as an integral part of their structure, regular homework assignments and class tests as well as end of year examinations. All assessment is designed to measure your progress against learning outcomes at the appropriate level.
Brief description
1. The first weekly hour will be chiefly devoted to reading and writing French. The basis will be a course book, Campus 4, methode de francais, which offers a wide variety of authentic materials pertaining to aspects of French life and culture. The aim is to consolidate skills developed in Levels 1 and 2, as well as during the Year Abroad, to understand and manipulate French with increasing fluency and confidence in class work which will focus on textual analysis, essay-writing, report-writing and precis techniques.
2. The second weekly hour will be devoted to translation from and into French (version and theme respectively). The register of the texts chosen will tend to be modern literary and professional. The constraints imposed by the requirement to remain faithful to the original text mean that this exercise is perhaps the most rigorous and demanding test of your capacity to manipulate French, and one of the better ways to highlight and explore, at an advanced level, the grammatical and structural complexities of the language. Translation is the skill which you are most likely to need in any future employment.
3. The third weekly hour is a conversation class with a native-speaker. You will be expected to prepare material for these classes and your success in them depends very much on your active participation.
4. The fortnightly hour will be spent primarily on audiovisual materials, on aural comprehension, and on students' presentation of work. During this class, a number of assessed exercises will be carried out. These will include: oral, presentations of prepared topics; responses to topical media information; formal tests under examination conditions; set exercises which will be marked and discussed in class; listening comprehension, etc.
Written work will be set from time to time, and must be handed in by the deadlines stipulated: your tutor, like you, works to a demanding timetable and will not be able to accommodate late submission of work. Marks for assessed work will go towards your degree result, so that failure to hand in work as required (and/or to attend classes where assessment takes place) will rapidly reduce your overall marks on the module. It is your responsibility to attend (should you for any reason miss them); it is your responsibility to catch up any missed work.
Continuous assessment for this module will take the form (for the predominantly 'written' components) of a variety of exercises, 12 in total over the year, all of which will count. Many of these assignments will be carried out in or directly arising from class work such as: unseen translations; report-writing; responses to topical news items (in broadcast, print or internet media), group presentations, etc. There will be some assignments to be completed at home in the traditional manner, or within a limited time (akin to 'take-away' examinations). The continuous component of the module plays a substantial role in determining the final mark and non-submission of assignments (or non-attendance of classes where you are assessed) will rapidly have an impact on your marks.
Listening comprehension will be practised from time to time during the year, and will be assessed by tests which will contribute 20% of the total module marks. You are expected and strongly advised to practise listening comprehension in your own time (e.g. in the Language Laboratories).
Dictionaries - You will need as a minimum (if you do not already have one) a good, one-volume bilingual dictionary. Recommended dictionaries are the
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6