Shell Guide to the Curriculum 2023

French With more than 301 million French speakers across more than 30 countries spread all over the world, French remains a very useful language to learn. It is spoken on five continents and is still the second most widely-learnt foreign language in the world after English, and the fifth most widely spoken. Here are three top reasons why learning French could be useful for you in both the immediate future and beyond: • The world of work – the ability to speak French and English is an advantage on the international job market, as France is still one of the leading destinations for foreign investments. It is also, along with English, the language of international relations (one of the official languages of the UN, the European Union, UNESCO and NATO for example) • Travelling – not everyone speaks English. With French being one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, speaking French could come in handy. • Learning other languages – as it is part of the romance languages family (along with Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian), French is a good base for learning other languages later in life (Sixth Form or university for example). It could help with English too, as many words in the English language are derived from French. The French Shell curriculum aims to help reinforce, consolidate, build on and

extend your previously acquired linguistic skills in this language. It also aims to foster your curiosity for the language and francophone culture. Topics covered are varied and range from home life to fashion. There is an emphasis on grammar skills too. The course lays down solid foundations for the GCSE examinations that you will take at the end of the Fifth Form.

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