A Level French tutor, with a native teacher
I am Christine Dauzon, a native French teacher with 22 years in the classroom. At A Level the language stops being the subject and becomes the tool — and that is exactly where most students need help.
AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas: the board changes the work
Most students in British schools sit AQA or Pearson Edexcel; Eduqas turns up less often. They set different themes, different set texts and films, and they weight the speaking exam differently. So the first thing I ask is which board the school follows, and from there we work from its specification and its past papers rather than from a generic syllabus.
If your school sits the Pearson Edexcel International A Level rather than the UK one, tell me — the shape of the course is not the same, and the preparation follows whichever specification you are actually being examined on.
The jump from IGCSE is real
A student can finish IGCSE comfortably and still find the first term of A Level a shock. The topics turn abstract, the texts get longer, and nobody is asking for a description of a weekend any more — they are asking for an argument. Half the work of the first year is closing that gap.
The oral is where the marks are
The speaking exam carries real weight, and the independent research project inside it is the part students most often underestimate. We pick a subject narrow enough to defend, build the vocabulary it actually needs, and then rehearse the discussion out loud — against a native accent, at native speed — until it stops sounding memorised.
The examiner is looking for someone who can hold an opinion under follow-up questions. That only comes from having had the conversation before, several times.
Essays: the argument and the French
Essays on a set text or film are marked on two things at once, and students usually lose marks on the second: the ideas are there but the French buckles under them. We work on structure and on the language that carries it, and I am blunt about which of the two is costing the grade.
Translation shows everything
Translation both ways is where a shaky grasp of tenses or agreement stops being hideable. It is also the most efficient diagnostic I have: twenty minutes of it tells me more about a student than an hour of conversation.
Coming from IGCSE
If the exam ahead is the IGCSE rather than A Level, the preparation is a different shape. There is a separate page on French IGCSE for that.
Speaking
A discussion of a set theme plus the independent research project, defended out loud.
Essays
On a literary text or a film, marked on argument and on the French carrying it.
Translation
Both directions. Where a shaky grasp of tenses stops being hideable.
Listening & reading
Longer, denser and faster than at IGCSE, on social and cultural themes.
What students and parents usually ask
What makes A Level French harder than IGCSE?
The language stops being the subject and becomes the tool. Students are asked to argue about immigration, film or a novel, and to do it in accurate French. Someone can pass IGCSE comfortably and still find the first term of A Level a shock.
Which exam board do you follow — AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas?
Whichever one the school uses. AQA and Pearson Edexcel are the most common in British schools, and Eduqas turns up less often. They differ in the themes, the set texts and films, and how the speaking exam is weighted, so tell me the board and I work from its specification and its past papers. If you sit the Pearson Edexcel International A Level rather than the UK one, say so too, because the course is not shaped the same way.
Can you help with the independent research project?
Yes, and it is often where the marks are won. We choose a subject narrow enough to defend, build the vocabulary it needs, and then rehearse the discussion out loud until it stops sounding recited.
Do you cover the set texts and films?
I work on the essay itself: how to structure an argument, and how to write it in French that does not collapse under the ideas. I am not a literature teacher, so the reading of the text stays with the school and we concentrate on the writing that has to come out of it.
My child needs a particular grade for their university offer. Is that realistic?
That depends on where they are now and how long is left. Tell me both and I will say honestly whether I think it is reachable. I would rather say a target is tight at the start than discover it in May.
Are the lessons in French?
Almost entirely, because the speaking exam demands it. I am a native French speaker and I also speak fluent Spanish, so a grammar point can be explained in whichever language makes it land fastest.
Are the lessons online?
Yes, by video call, which is the default and works well at this level. In-person lessons in Madrid are possible on request, depending on the area and the timetable.
What grade are you aiming for?
Tell me the target and how long is left, and I will tell you honestly if it is reachable.