Theme 2: Popular Culture in AQA French
In the AQA GCSE French 2024 specification, Theme 2: Popular Culture explores how young people in French-speaking countries spend their leisure time and celebrate cultural traditions. It is split into three main areas (AQA):
- Free-time activities – music, film, TV, sport, and leisure pursuits.
- Customs and festivals – traditional and modern celebrations in France and the wider francophone world.
- Celebrity culture – the influence of celebrities and public figures.
Why these topics matter
Free-time activities
Students gain vocabulary to discuss their hobbies and interests – whether that’s sports, music, or media. These conversations are central to teenage life and provide a natural entry point for expressing opinions and preferences in French.
Customs and festivals
Learning about how francophone cultures celebrate national and local traditions helps students understand diversity. It encourages comparisons with British customs, sparking cultural awareness and global curiosity.
Celebrity culture
By examining celebrity influence, students practise expressing opinions, using modal verbs, and discussing societal trends. It also makes language learning feel relevant, as students often have strong views on sports stars, influencers, and musicians.
Together, these areas build the ability to share personal experiences, engage in cultural comparisons, and discuss wider social issues – all in French.
Real-world scenarios – speaking French beyond the classroom
| Scenario | How Theme 2 helps |
|---|---|
| Talking about hobbies with French friends | “Le week-end dernier j’ai joué au foot et j’ai regardé un film.” (Perfect tense of avoir & être) |
| Joining a French exchange family at a festival | Using vocabulary on customs and celebrations to describe similarities/differences |
| Debating celebrity culture in class or online | Expressing opinions with modal verbs and emphatic pronouns |
These scenarios show how Theme 2 supports practical, everyday communication – whether bonding with peers in Paris, explaining traditions in Quebec, or discussing pop culture in Brussels.
Broader benefits of learning Theme 2
- Cultural engagement: Students discover French music, films, and traditions, deepening appreciation for global cultures.
- Confidence in self-expression: Discussing free-time and personal interests makes French feel like a “living language,” not just a school subject.
- Transferable skills: Analysing celebrity culture or comparing traditions encourages critical thinking and cross-cultural empathy.
Theme 2 Flashcards – Popular Culture Vocabulary
Use these flashcards to revise essential vocabulary for free-time activities, festivals, and celebrity culture.
See more of our flashcards for study / revision!
Final thoughts for teachers and students
Theme 2: Popular Culture is a lively, relatable part of the AQA GCSE French course. It connects learners to everyday conversations about hobbies, sports, media, and cultural traditions – topics they care about outside the classroom.
By weaving grammar (perfect tense, modal verbs, possessive adjectives) with cultural insights, students not only prepare for exams but also develop the skills to chat about films with French friends, join local festivals abroad, or debate the role of influencers in modern society.
Check out some of our Theme 2 Resources for revision activities, classroom ideas, and cultural insights to bring this exciting theme to life.
