The course is based on the study of contemporary issues in France and French-speaking countries. The aim is to improve your overall communication and understanding of French but with a particular emphasis on your ability to debate and put forward a balanced argument on any given topic. The themes are a departure from those studied at GCSE thus allowing you to gain a better understanding of Francophone culture and affording you the opportunity to discuss your viewpoints on a diverse range of topics and current affairs. Some of the themes studied and debated include crime and punishment, lowering the voting age, racism, homophobia and secularism. You will also study a French novel and film which will enable you to greatly improve your writing skills. You will be expected to use the target language as much as possible during lessons and will do a lot of speaking work in pairs and small groups. In addition to normal lessons, you will also have a number of study periods in which you will carry out independent work provided by your teacher. This could be anything from reading news articles on a topic you have studied, preparing for an in-class debate, researching an aspect of French culture or doing grammar drills to brush up on points studied during lessons.