PGC: French Progression Ladders - Year 6

Year 6 Progression ladder overview – Term 1

Skills and knowledge	Example contexts and language	Arriving in Year 6 Term 2 able to…
Listening Listen and show understanding of more complex sentences containing familiar words and some unfamiliar words.	Pupils, in the main, spell names of towns correctly Play ‘Splat’ with no support when they hear buildings in a town Pupils move a cuddly toy to the correct position when they listen to a short passage (more confident pupils do this with their eyes closed) Pupils use the snail icon on the audio to support with transcribing more complex sentences containing familiar words	understand the main points, some spoken details, and simple opinions in longer passages that contain familiar language. listen to some unfamiliar words and spell them correctly (using the snail icon to slow down the pace if needed).
Speaking Engage in a short conversation. Become confident in asking and answering questions. Understand and express more complex opinions. Present to an audience.	Pupils are at ease with using French to start and end a lesson Pupils play (some from memory) ‘Who can make the longest sentence’ in French starting with ‘il y a..’ A more confident pupil takes on the lead role of ‘Jacques a dit…’ to revise known vocabulary Pupils move around the room having conversations with different partners to ask for and give directions Pupils are able to present a short description of Paris or their town and add prepositions and buildings	willingly take part in a short conversation asking and answering more complex familiar questions with a scaffold of responses. perform a role play, give a short presentation, sing a song, with growing confidence and reasonably accurate pronunciation.
Reading Read and show understanding of a series of complex sentences using familiar language. When reading aloud more complex sentences, use knowledge of letter string sounds and observe the silent letter rules. Decode a simple unfamiliar text using grammatical knowledge and context.	Play ‘Snap’ with a partner to recall prepositions and buildings from memory Use the ‘Consequences’ activity to create a dialogue asking for and giving directions. Silently read the dialogue focusing on pronunciation Read a presentation written by another class member and pick out the main points	read aloud a variety short texts (and maybe the occasional longer text) made up of familiar phrases and longer sentences. have a go at reading unfamiliar words in sentences using their knowledge of phonics, and letter strings.
Writing Manipulate familiar language to write and present one or two of their own ideas and information in more complex sentences. Write one or two complex sentences from memory manipulating familiar vocabulary with understandable accuracy.	Pupils reuse familiar structures to form new sentences Translate a passage from English into French with support if required Write a short presentation about a French town or where they live	write a paragraph from memory and maybe use the odd unfamiliar phrase with increasing accuracy. write a short text on a familiar topic adapting language already learned. not worry about making mistakes when attempting to write sentences from memory or when using unfamiliar language.
Grammar Become confident in using: Proper nouns and countries Indefinite article ‘un’, ‘une’, ‘des’ ‘Il y a’ Prepositions ‘en’, ‘dans’, ‘à’, ‘sous, ‘sur’, ‘devant’, ‘derrière’ Gender ‘Où est…’ Be introduced to: Prepositions ‘en face de’, ‘à côté de’, ‘entre’, ‘près de’ The imperative	Organise a list of buildings in a town according to ‘un’, ‘une’, ‘des’ Use prepositions from memory to write a short description of a town Be able to use simple commands when giving directions in a dialogue	use Languagenut Verbs section to complete some high frequency ‘er’ verb activities. use basic prepositions more confidently.
Phonics Explore the patterns, sounds and phonemes of language. Begin to spell a few words out. Become more confident in applying phonics knowledge to correct pronunciation and intonation.	Sing the alphabet and spell words so that a sympathetic native French speaker would understand Revise the phonics pairs ‘AN/IN’ and ‘OUO/U’ working with a partner, pupils apply their recalled knowledge of these sounds to pick out words from a list containing unfamiliar words (some pupils may require support to complete this activity) Frequent recall of previously taught sounds supports pupils to say the famous landmarks in Paris	with increasing confidence, pick out some familiar and more unfamiliar words that contain the phonics pairs ‘EU/AU’, ‘É/È’, ‘OU/U’, ‘AN/IN’, ‘I/OI’ and ‘CH/J’. recall some of the mouth movements and instructions needed to make the sounds for the phonics pairs learned so far. sing or recite lines from a song with better pronunciation, accuracy and at times use appropriate tone and intonation. use their phonics inventory to help with recalling sounds. spell words using the French alphabet.
Culture Talk about and present information about a French speaking area or country. Begin to understand, as part of the wider curriculum, more complex issues which affect countries in the world today, for example, poverty, famine, religion and war.	Recall position of some cities in France from a previous lesson on weather Identify the important landmarks in Paris Experience the Christmas Markets in France through the Internet Discover the oldest markets in France	recall information about a famous landmark in Paris. identify a few towns on a map of France.

Year 6 Progression ladder overview – Term 2

Skills and knowledge	Example contexts and language	Arriving in Year 6 Term 3 able to…
Listening Listen and show understanding of more complex sentences containing familiar words and some unfamiliar words. Understand main points and simple opinions in simple sources e.g. story, song or passage.	Identify pronouns using actions Complete the Quiz Listening to recall TV programmes and musical instruments from memory Become more confident at writing the spoken word and opinions as they hear them in the ‘Turning their back to the board’ activity Pupils become more used to using the snail icon when transcribing or listening to unfamiliar words	understand, more confidently, the main points and some spoken details in longer passages that contain familiar language. listen to some unfamiliar words and spell them correctly (using the snail icon to slow down the pace if needed). pick out main points from a short text on a known topic that contains familiar and unfamiliar language.
Speaking Engage in a short conversation . Become confident in asking and answering questions. Understand and express more complex opinions. Present to an audience.	Pupils are at ease with using French to start and finish the lesson, they regularly give more information about themselves Ask a partner their opinions of different types of music (use a sentence template for support if required) Play battleships with a partner to give opinions about TV programmes Present a poster to the class, pointing out key information Pupils play ‘Talking Tennis Ball’ to give the longest sentence possible	spell out occasional words some of which may be unfamiliar. willingly take part in a conversation asking and answering more complex familiar questions with a scaffold of responses. perform a role play, give a presentation, sing a song, with growing confidence and more accurate pronunciation.
Reading Read and show understanding of a series of complex sentences using familiar language. When reading aloud more complex sentences, use some knowledge of letter string sounds and observe the silent letter rules.	Pupils read aloud the musical instruments before listening to the audio Pupils read their posters to their classmates and complete a factfinder in English Read a short diary extract containing extended sentences about when people do certain activities Use a dictionary to work out words in a simple poster about a music festival Translate extended sentences into English	read aloud more texts containing familiar phrases, longer sentences and some unfamiliar words and phrases. read a presentation written by a classmate containing unfamiliar words.
Writing Manipulate familiar language to write and present a few of their own ideas and information in a few complex sentences. Write a few complex sentences from memory manipulating familiar vocabulary with understandable accuracy.	Use the battleships grid to write a short passage about TV programmes Write sentences about why people like and dislike certain types of music Attempt to write sentences about different TV programmes and their opinions from memory Make a poster about a favourite band, with a picture labelled with who plays what. Pupils are encouraged to add lots of other details about the individual band members using previously learned vocabulary Translate extended sentences into French	attempt to write a longer paragraph from memory. write a presentation to include familiar words and phrases making more of an attempt to use unfamiliar words and phrases. not worry about making mistakes when attempting to write sentences from memory or when using unfamiliar language.
Grammar Become confident in using: Definite article Present tense of ‘er’ verbs in particular ‘jouer’ and ‘regarder’ Negatives Be introduced to: Being more confident in using the full verb paradigm of present tense Pronouns ‘Jouer de’	Arrange musical instruments and music genres in groups according to their definite article Use the verb ‘jouer’ in as many forms as possible in their poster Use Languagenut Verb games to practise the present tense of other verbs Match the correct ending to the correct pronoun with help Complete a worksheet showing an understanding of how to use ‘jouer de’ plus an instrument Underline different verb endings in a short text Manipulate different verbs to write sentences including a time phrase	use Languagenut Verbs section to complete more ‘er’ verb activities in the present tense. research other verbs in the present tense to practise on Languagenut. recognise and use more pronouns.
Phonics Explore the patterns, sounds and phonemes of language. Be able to spell more words out. Become more confident in applying phonics knowledge to correct pronunciation and intonation.	Revise the phonics pairs ‘CH/J’ working with a partner, pupils apply their recalled knowledge of these sounds to pick out words from a list containing unfamiliar words (some pupils may require support to complete this activity) Recall all phonics sound taught during the course to date	with increasing confidence, pick out some familiar and more unfamiliar words that contain the phonics pairs ‘EU/AU’, ‘É/È’, ‘OU/U’, ‘AN/IN’, ‘I/OI’ and ‘CH/J’ recall the mouth movements and instructions needed to make the sounds for the phonics pairs learned so far. sing or recite lines from a song with better pronunciation, accuracy and at times use appropriate tone and intonation. use their phonics inventory to help with recalling sounds.
Culture Talk about and present information about a French speaking area or country. Begin to understand more complex issues which affect countries in the world today, for example, poverty, famine, religion and war.	Learn about French speaking singers and artists Have an awareness of different types of music in Francophone countries Learn about ‘la Fête de la Musique’	recall information about a French speaking singer or artist. give information about ‘la Fête de la Musique’.

Year 6 Progression ladder overview – Term 3

Skills and knowledge	Example contexts and language	Arriving in Year 7 Term 1 able to…
Listening Listen and show understanding of more complex sentences containing familiar words and some unfamiliar words Understand main points and opinions in simple sources e.g. story, song or passage	Pupils, in the main, can accurately spell the school subjects when they hear them for the first time Pupils make fewer mistakes in dictations containing familiar words e.g. phrases containing a time phrase or a connective Pupils become more used to using the snail icon when transcribing or listening to unfamiliar words	listen to spoken language for gist, some details and key points understand main points of a short text on a known topic understand with increasing confidence very familiar language spoken by someone other than their teacher i.e. their new teachers in Year 7 willingly have a go at transcribing unfamiliar words
Speaking Engage in a short conversation Become confident in asking and answering questions Understand and express more complex opinions Present to an audience	Pupils are at ease with using French to start and end the lesson and some add further information spontaneously Regularly use ‘Kim’s Game’ to help commit vocabulary to memory Describe a timetable to a partner and say why they like or dislike a certain subject Give justifications for why they like and don’t like certain things e.g. school subjects, musical genres	spell out words some of which may be unfamiliar attempt to use limited language spontaneously willingly take part in a conversation asking and answering more complex familiar questions with a prompts if required willingly perform a role play, give a presentation, sing a song, with growing confidence and accurate and comprehensible pronunciation
Reading Read and show understanding of a series of complex sentences using familiar language When reading aloud more complex sentences, use knowledge of letter string sounds and observe the silent letter rules Begin to decode a simple unfamiliar text using grammatical knowledge, context or a bi-lingual dictionary	Understand main points in extended sentences containing opinions about school subjects Work with a partner to spot the differences in texts containing complex sentences and answer questions Pupils begin to make fewer mistakes when translating extended passages using the ‘Pyramid translation’	read aloud a wider variety of texts containing familiar and unfamiliar phrases and longer sentences read and show some understanding of a series of complex sentences using both familiar and unfamiliar language willingly have a go at tackling the pronunciation of new and unfamiliar words, using phonic knowledge gained throughout KS2 understand key points and some detail in short written texts in familiar contexts and be able to give simple answers in French and more complex answers in English
Writing Manipulate familiar language to write and present more of their own ideas and information in more complex sentences Write more complex sentences from memory manipulating familiar vocabulary with understandable accuracy	Pupils design their ideal timetable and give extended sentences about why they like and don’t like certain subjects Pupils revisit a previous piece of writing or a presentation and add connectives and opinions	adapt language already learned to suit their own purposes write showing an understanding of gender of nouns, agreement of high frequency adjectives, present tense endings and other basic grammar points covered throughout KS2
Grammar Become confident in using: Definite article Present tense of regular verbs Negatives Preposition ‘à’ with times Be introduced to: More complex adjectives and their endings Words for justification Connectives ‘et’, ‘parce que’, ‘car’, ‘mais’, ‘aussi’, ‘cependant’ Preposition ‘après’ ‘aller’ ‘faire (de)’	Arrange musical instruments in groups according to their definite article Complete opinion sentences about school subjects using a justification Play the Writing ‘Blast Off’ game to practise the spelling of connectives Use ‘Sentence builders’ to practise reading sentences with an opinion and justification and manipulate the language to create sentences of their own	have a limited understanding of the rules about how to use more complex adjectives apply their knowledge of negatives to verbs like ‘regarder’, ‘parler’ and ‘détester’ to start to use connectives and justifications when writing and speaking
Phonics Explore the patterns, sounds and phonemes of language Be able to spell words out Become more confident in applying phonics knowledge to correct pronunciation and intonation	use their knowledge of phonics to say what subjects they study before hearing the audio of the words Pupils play the game ‘Hot and Cold’ to practise pronunciation of words containing key phonics sounds Play ‘Anagram detective’ to practise different sounds	with increasing confidence, pick out some familiar and more unfamiliar words that contain the phonics pairs ‘EU/AU’, ‘É/È’, ‘OU/U’, ‘AN/IN’, ‘I/OI’ and ‘CH/J’ recall some of the mouth movements and instructions needed to make the sounds for the phonics pairs learned so far sing or recite lines from a song with better pronunciation, more accuracy and at times use appropriate tone and intonation use their phonics inventory to help with recalling sounds spell words using the French alphabet
Culture Talk about and present information about a French speaking area or country Begin to understand more complex issues which affect countries in the world today, for example, poverty, famine, religion and war	Learn about France’s National Day – Bastille Day	Recall information about Bastille Day

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Last updated on October 17, 2025