A really useful guide to…
Higher French
In this booklet you will find:
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Getting organised for class
An overview of the Higher course
Contexts and topics covered
Details on unit assessments
Details of the final exam
Marking schemes
Websites for independent study
kahaslett@edinburghacademy.org.uk
GETTING ORGANISED FOR CLASS
Books
There is no prescribed textbook for Higher but you will receive a number of booklets and
worksheets from your teacher- keeping things filed neatly and in the correct place will be
very important!
You should also bring your dictionary to every lesson. Although there may be occasions
when these are not used, it is better to get into the habit of bringing them. They are also
excellent reference tools and the more familiar you become with them the more efficient
and useful you will find them. Get to know them inside out!
File
Well organised notes are key to success at Higher- do not under-estimate this one! Make
sure your notes are clear as well as easy to read over and to refer back to. Careful notetaking now will help you make the most of your notes in class and for prep, enhance your
learning AND save on valuable revision time as exams approach. Make good use of
different coloured pens and space to help this.
You should label the dividers in your folder as follows:
1. Course Information
2. Society
3. Learning
4. Employability
5. Culture
6. Directed Writing
7. Short essay
8. Grammar
9. Performance (Talking)
10.Vocabulary
11.Exam practice
Vocabulary
You should keep some paper, with a dividing line down the middle, at the front of each of
the four context sections 2, 3, 4, 5. These should be used for jotting down new vocabulary
related to that section as you come across it.
You should keep a similar piece of paper in the vocabulary section of your folder for
noting any generic vocabulary.
You should make a habit of reading over these vocabulary notes once a week. It won’t
take long, but it will hugely enhance your working knowledge of the language and
therefore your overall performance. It will also save on revision time at the end of the year.
You will also have a handy list of relevant words and phrases for writing essays on a topic.
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COURSE OVERVIEW
The content of your course will cover four main real-life contexts:
 Society
 Learning
 Employability
 Culture
You can find a list of these contexts, the topics that fall within them, and how these topics
will be developed, in the next section of this booklet. (NB: if progressing from National 5,
you will notice the contexts remain the same, but please note that the way in which they
are developed is in greater detail)
The course is made up of two units and a final course assessment.
The units are:
 Understanding language (Reading and Listening)
 Using language (Writing and Talking)
During your Higher course your teacher will help you undergo an assessment in each of
the four main skills, Reading, Listening, Talking and Writing. You can find out more about
these assessments in the ‘Unit Assessments’ section of this booklet.
The final course assessment consists of:
 2 written papers
 A performance (Talking)
Paper 1
Paper 2
Performance
1hour
40 mins
1 hour
5-7 mins
Reading
30 marks
Directed
Writing
10 marks
Listening
20 marks
Writing
10 marks
Talking
30 marks
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1 text of approx. 650 words.
Questions & answers in English (20
marks)
Translation (10 marks)
Dictionary allowed
Written account of a past experience
based on a choice of two scenarios.
The contexts will be whichever isn’t
covered in the Reading and Listening
4 bullet points must be addressed.
Dictionary allowed.
Monologue (8 marks)
Conversation (12 marks)
Both recordings linked to same context
(the one not covered in Reading or
Directed Writing)
Dictionary allowed
Short essay based on same context as
Listening.
Based around three questions
120-150 words.
Dictionary allowed.
Presentation & Conversation
To cover at least two contexts
CONTEXTS & TOPIC DEVELOPMENT
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UNIT ASSESSMENTS
You will undergo unit assessments in the four skills of Reading, Listening, Writing and
Talking and need to achieve a pass in each of these. These will most likely take place
during your normal lessons during your Higher course and you will need to achieve a pass
in each.
Your teacher may decide to combine unit assessments (eg. Talking and Writing) or may
prefer for you to sit them separately.
To achieve a pass in each unit assessment you will need to demonstrate that you can
achieve the following outcomes:
For the Understanding Written & Spoken Language unit:
Written
1.1
1.2
1.3
Identifying and explaining overall purpose
Identifying main points and supporting detail
Applying knowledge and understanding of the modern language
Spoken
2.1
2.2
2.3
Identifying overall purpose
Identifying main points and supporting detail
Applying knowledge and understanding of the modern language
(i.e. Reading)
(i.e. Listening)
For the Using Written & Spoken Language unit:
Spoken
1.1
1.2
1.3
Written
2.1
2.2
2.3
Using relevant ideas and content
Applying grammatical knowledge and understanding of detailed
and complex language
Conveying meaning to a sympathetic listener with accuracy
Using relevant ideas and content
Applying grammatical knowledge and understanding of detailed
and complex language
Communicating with accuracy
If you don’t achieve a pass then you will have the opportunity to undergo a further unit
assessment, on a different topic, at a later stage.
kahaslett@edinburghacademy.org.uk
THE EXAM
Paper 1 – Reading & Directed Writing
Paper 2 – Listening & Writing
Performance
Paper 1 – Reading & Directed Writing (40%)
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1 hour 40 minutes
40 marks
Section A- Reading
 Spend 1 hour minutes on it
 One text of 550-650 words, questions & answers in English, based on a
context
 Dictionary allowed
 Questions & answers – 20 marks
 Overall purpose question
 Translation from text – 10 marks. Worth 10% so don’t leave yourself short on
time!
Section B – Directed Writing
 Spend 40 minutes on it
 Choice of two scenarios based on the other contexts not covered in the
Reading and Listening papers
 4 bullet points must be addressed. If you do not address a bullet point you
will be penalised.
 120-150 words
 Dictionary allowed
 10 marks
Tip: For each bullet point, make sure you include:
 at least one complex sentence with a sub clause
 a positive and a negative
In the final sentence, try to include both the conditional and future tenses
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Paper 2 – Listening & Writing (30%)
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1 hour
30 marks
Section A – Listening
 20 marks
 Monologue and conversation
 Questions and answers in English. Overall purpose question based on
monologue
 Dictionary allowed
Section B – Writing
 10 marks
 Personal response essay based on the topic of the Listening
 Based around 3 questions so structure essay in three key paragraphs
 120-150 words
 Dictionary allowed
Performance (30%)
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30 marks – 10 for presentation, 15 for conversation and 5 for ability to sustain a
natural conversation
6-8 minutes
Presentation and conversation based on one context and then leading into at least
one other
Presentation should last 1½ - 2 minutes
Conversation should last 4½ - 6 minutes
You may use a sheet of notes consisting of a maximum of 5 headings with no more
than 8 words per heading
Conducted in school with your teacher and recorded
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MARKING SCHEME- TALKING PERFORMANCE
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MARKING SCHEME- DIRECTED WRITING
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MARKING SCHEME – SHORT ESSAY (L&W PAPER)
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WEBSITES FOR INDEPENDENT STUDY
http://scholar.hw.ac.uk/
Username:
Password:
(the above details will be provided by your teacher)
This is the most useful site for Higher. It contains loads of really useful exercises on
Reading, Writing, translation, Listening and grammar. It is specifically designed to
prepare you for Higher.
USE IT AND COMPLETE IT!!!
www.linguascope.com & www.languagesonline.org.uk
These are more useful for National 5 and earlier, but if you feel you require a recap of
the basics, they are a good place to go.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z43cjxs
BBC Bitesize. Interesting and very useful web-site.
Premiere France
http://www.premiere.fr/
A French version of the film and cinema magazine, this site provides a valuable way of
introducing students to contemporary and colloquial French.
The World Press.com
http://www.theworldpress.com/index.htm
Read the main newspapers from around the world. This site enables you to access
1296 newspapers, from 192 countries, around the globe.
For your smartphone or tablet:
Tune In Radio app. You can choose any French speaking radio station of your choice to
practise Listening. Plug in your earphones as you walk to school and practise your
French!
Add any other useful website addresses here:
kahaslett@edinburghacademy.org.uk