All pupils study French in the Lower School to IGCSE level, including in the Fifth Form (Year 9). The course is taught in proficiency groups and teaching builds on pupils’ previous learning.
The CIE IGCSE French specification is rigorous in its assessment and allows pupils to develop all four language skills (speaking, reading, listening and writing). Roughly two thirds of the Lower Shell (Year 10) sit the IGCSE a year early. They then have the option to take the DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française), which is a standalone international qualification examined at the end of the Upper Shell (Year 11).