French

Key details of the groups

Elementary French

Level 1/2. A friendly group, targeted at people who have a little, perhaps rather rusty knowledge of the language and who want to practise and improve their conversational French.

French Intermediate Conversation 1

Level 3+. Relaxed topical conversation at your own level.

French Intermediate Conversation 2

Level 3+. Relaxed topical conversation at your own level.

French Advanced Conversation

Level 6. A conversation class, conducted entirely in French, where participants are expected to be completely fluent in French. Best suited to those who have lived and worked in French-speaking countries or are graduates in French or whose mother tongue is French.

French Higher Intermediate

Level 4. This year we will be reviewing major grammatical points for practice and improvement of written and oral skills, and looking at French culture and life in a variety of ways.

French Improvers

Level 3. We will try to progress our grammar and conversation, discover more about French life and culture and maybe listen to the odd “chanson”.

French Intermediate

Level 3. A qualified French instructor will run this group with the emphasis on oral practice including role play and using the book “French Experience Vol 1” (with CD).


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Language Levels Definition

Language levels

The following is a guide to the skills required for each level, where specified in the groups above:
Level 1 – Beginner – No previous knowledge required.

Level 2 – Elementary – “I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people that I know”.

Level 3 – Lower intermediate – “I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe simply my family and other people, living conditions, my educational background and my present/most recent job”.

Level 4 – Mid intermediate – “I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions”.

Level 5 – Higher intermediate – “I can present detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to interests. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options”.

Level 6 – Advanced – “I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion”.


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