Table 1: Grammatical progression
Year 7
(Units 1-6)
Year 8
(Units 7-12)
Year 9
(Units 13-18)
nouns and pronouns
  • articles (indefinite, definite)
  • gender
  • singular/plural
  • subject pronoun
  • partitive article
  • introduction to direct object pronouns
  • more on direct object pronouns
  • relative pronouns (qui/que)
  • y
adjectives
  • possessive
  • agreement/position
  • demonstrative
  • comparative
  • superlative
verbs
  • tu/vous
  • most common irregular (avoir, être, aller)
  • present tense
  • question forms
  • regular -er
  • imperative (for receptive use)
  • negative (ne...pas)
  • introduction to reflexives
  • verb + infinitive (aimer)
  • imperative (active use)
  • regular -ir and -re
  • immediate future
  • modals + infinitive
  • introduction to perfect tense (avoir)
  • il faut + infinitive
  • introduction to verbs with à or de + infinitive
  • perfect tense (avoir/être/ reflexives)
  • other negatives
  • introduction to imperfect tense
structural features
  • il y a
  • question words
  • simple prepositions, including à
  • quantifiers
  • simple adverbs of time
  • conjunctions
  • si, quand
  • prepositions with de
  • depuis + present tense
  • adverbs of time
other features
  • alphabet
  • numbers 1-100
  • numbers above 100
  • ordinals

Table 2: Skills progression
Year 7
(Units 1-6)
Year 8
(Units 7-12)
Year 9
(Units 13-18)
application of knowledge
  • pronounce parts of words or full words
  • substitute words from memory
  • make sentences
  • ask as well as answer
  • understand instructions
  • apply knowledge, eg of verb paradigms, spelling rules
  • express simple opinions
  • express simple reasons
  • early steps in independent reading
  • write an informal letter
  • read for information
  • unravel longer sentences in authentic texts
  • give an oral presentation
  • make longer sentences
  • recognise cognates
  • write a formal letter
  • volunteer opinions/ reasons
  • use and apply knowledge of language, eg grammar, word families
  • increased complexity across the four attainment targets
  • summarise
  • recount
  • use clues in text to aid under- standing
  • read lengthier texts
  • read for pleasure
study skills and learning strategies
  • pronounce/repeat
  • ways of learning vocabulary
  • make and refer to notes
  • know when to ask for help
  • begin to deal with the unfamiliar
  • begin to use verb tables
  • increase range of classroom language
  • refer to textbook or to work in exercise book
  • ways to learn rules
  • make notes to aid learning/ revising
  • begin to cope with the unknown/ unpredictable
  • use verb tables
  • check own work critically
  • choose reading materials
dictionary use
  • differences between Fr/Eng and Eng/Fr sections
  • how to find gender
  • verb in infinitive
  • recognise abbreviations
  • find specific forms, eg feminine, past participle, irregular, plural
  • choose between alternatives