French 1

Course Overview

Please note that each weekly session will be two and a half hours in length and run from 6pm to 8.30pm (please disregard any other timings on this page).

Start your French language learning journey and discover the diversity of cultures in the French-speaking world. You can take French 1 as a short course, or as part of the Certificate of Higher Education in Culture and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) or a BA degree.

This French 1 course, leading to *CEFR A2 (Elementary)/GCSE, is for complete beginners. We will teach you how to speak and understand basic French. You will learn to speak and write at a basic level about:

• yourself and your family
• your home, your home town and everyday routines
• your feelings
• past events and future plans
• the climate
• people
• clothes
• culinary tastes
• visits to shops, restaurants or cinemas.

You will learn to give directions and tell the time in French. You will also learn to speak about the environment, your friends, neighbourhood, job, countries you have visited, books you have read, how to make holiday bookings, or write a CV. You will be introduced to the French media (websites, newspapers, television and films) and learn how to give your opinion on TV programmes, films, books and news items. Classes will be conducted in French from day one.

Assessment is via two pieces of coursework (10%), a 40-60-minute in-class written assessment (20%), a 90-minute in-class written and listening comprehension assessment (40%), a 10-minute in-class oral interview (20%) and class participation (5%).

We offer French language courses from beginner to advanced levels so you can continue your language journey to a high level of competency. 

We operate a rolling application procedure and some courses fill up quickly. We encourage you to enrol as early as possible.

As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.

This short course runs with classes over three terms every year starting in October.

* Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Please note: this is only an approximate equivalence.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

• Culture and Language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese) (Certificate of Higher Education)

Credits: 30 credits at level 4