MH
Mrs Helen Carter, parent
June 2026
Verified
A*My daughter dreaded the speaking exam. After a few weeks of practising the IRP and stimulus cards entirely in French, she walked in confident and came out beami...
AQA A-Level French · Manchester
A-Level specialist tutoring
A-Level FrenchTutoring
Expert 1-on-1 A-Level French tutoring with qualified UK tutors for AQA, Edexcel, and CIE. Build spontaneous speaking, sharpen essay technique on the set texts and films, and reach Grade A or A*.
89%
reach Grade A or above
+1.7
average grade improvement
10+
years average tutor experience
Free
first lesson, no commitment
AQAEdexcel (Pearson)CIE AAQAEdexcel (Pearson)CIE AAQAEdexcel (Pearson)CIE A
Real specialists
Meet tutors with examiner instincts.
Specialist tutors with board knowledge, strong academic backgrounds, and proven grade-improvement records.
AQA Senior ExaminerMme Claire Dubois
Sorbonne MA · AQA Examiner
A-Level French (all boards), IGCSE French, IB French
Avg +1.8 grade improvement
Oral & IRP SpecialistMr Thomas Beaumont
Oxford BA Modern Languages
A-Level French AQA and Edexcel, set-text essays
92% of students reach Grade A+
CIE SpecialistMme Amara Diallo
Cambridge MPhil French Literature
CIE A-Level French 9716, francophone culture and texts
Set-text and film essay specialist
Get started
Book a free demo lesson.
Tell us about your child and we'll match a specialist A-Level French tutor within 24 hours.
- UK-qualified specialist tutors, matched to your exact board.
- We reply within 24 hours with tutor recommendations.
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Our standard
Every tutor clears a high bar.
UK-qualified teachers
Degree-level subject specialists, many PGCE-trained, who teach to the UK exam standard.
Examiner insight
Tutors who know the mark schemes and coach the exact phrasing that earns every mark.
Vetted & background-checked
Every tutor is interviewed, reference-checked, and background-verified before their first lesson.
Matched to your board
You are paired with a specialist in your exact board and tier — never a generalist.
Lesson flow
From confusion to calm, one lesson at a time.
Our tutors build fluency and cultural insight alongside grammatical precision — the combination that produces A and A* grades in French, where spontaneous speaking and analytical essays carry the most marks.
Step 1
Pinpoint the gaps
We start with recent marks, confidence blockers, and the exact exam board so sessions feel personal from lesson one.
Step 2
Teach the mark scheme
Tutors connect concepts to examiner language, worked examples, and the habits that turn knowledge into marks.
Step 3
Track the lift
Parents see what changed after each session: topics covered, next steps, and the grade trajectory we are building toward.
What we cover
A syllabus map students can actually follow.
Social Issues & Trends
The changing nature of family, the 'cyber-society', and the place of voluntary work in France and the French-speaking world — the core social themes assessed in listening, reading, and writing.
Artistic & Political Culture
A positive attitude to cultural heritage, contemporary francophone music, and cinema — plus political engagement, immigration, and the far right in French politics.
Grammar & Translation
The full A-Level grammar range: the subjunctive, conditional perfect, passive voice, and complex tenses, applied to translation into and out of French — a heavily weighted skill.
The Set Text
Detailed study of a prescribed literary work (e.g. 'No et moi', 'L'Étranger', or 'Un sac de billes') for the written essay, focusing on theme, character, and authorial technique.
The Set Film
Analysis of a prescribed film (e.g. 'La Haine', 'Au revoir les enfants', or 'Les 400 coups') for the essay paper, covering narrative, cinematography, and social commentary.
Speaking & the IRP
The Individual Research Project and stimulus-card discussion: building an argument, defending a viewpoint spontaneously, and demonstrating knowledge of francophone culture.
Listening & Reading
Comprehension of authentic spoken and written French — news reports, interviews, and articles — with the summary and inference skills examiners reward.
Social Issues & Trends
The changing nature of family, the 'cyber-society', and the place of voluntary work in France and the French-speaking world — the core social themes assessed in listening, reading, and writing.
Artistic & Political Culture
A positive attitude to cultural heritage, contemporary francophone music, and cinema — plus political engagement, immigration, and the far right in French politics.
Grammar & Translation
The full A-Level grammar range: the subjunctive, conditional perfect, passive voice, and complex tenses, applied to translation into and out of French — a heavily weighted skill.
The Set Text
Detailed study of a prescribed literary work (e.g. 'No et moi', 'L'Étranger', or 'Un sac de billes') for the written essay, focusing on theme, character, and authorial technique.
The Set Film
Analysis of a prescribed film (e.g. 'La Haine', 'Au revoir les enfants', or 'Les 400 coups') for the essay paper, covering narrative, cinematography, and social commentary.
Speaking & the IRP
The Individual Research Project and stimulus-card discussion: building an argument, defending a viewpoint spontaneously, and demonstrating knowledge of francophone culture.
Listening & Reading
Comprehension of authentic spoken and written French — news reports, interviews, and articles — with the summary and inference skills examiners reward.
See this plan built around your child's exact paper.
Book Free Demo
+1.7
average grade improvement
Common blockers
Where students struggle, and how we fix it.
1Spontaneous speaking and the oral exam+
Many students freeze when asked to react in real time. We run every session with substantial time in French, practising stimulus cards and IRP defence so students develop the reflexes to argue, hesitate naturally, and recover — which is exactly what the speaking mark scheme rewards.
2The essay on the set text or film+
A high-scoring French essay needs analysis, not plot summary, and must be written in accurate French. We teach a clear essay structure, a bank of critical vocabulary, and how to embed quotations and film technique, so students write with the sophistication AQA and Edexcel demand.
3Translation accuracy in both directions+
Translation into French exposes every gap in grammar. We drill the high-frequency traps — tense choice, agreement, prepositions, and idiom — using past-paper passages and the exact mark scheme criteria, so students stop losing easy marks.
Proof that feels close to home.
SL
Sophie L., student
June 2026
Verified
AThe essay on La Haine was where I was losing marks. My tutor taught me how to analyse the cinematography and structure an argument in French. My essay marks jum...
Edexcel A-Level French · Bristol
MR
Mr Rajan Mehta, parent
June 2026
Verified
ACIE French has its own paper styles and my son needed a specialist. The tutor's examiner insight into the texts paper made a huge difference to how he approache...
CIE A-Level French 9716 · Dubai
Sarah M.
June 2026
Verified
Grade 4 → 6My daughter was struggling with IB Mathematics HL and had almost given up hope of getting a 7. After just two months of weekly sessions with her ComboTutors tut...
Parent of IB Student · London
James P.
June 2026
Verified
B → A*My son started tutoring for A-Level Physics about three months before his exams. His tutor was incredibly patient and broke down complex topics like electromagn...
Parent of A-Level Student · Manchester
Priya K.
June 2026
Verified
+2 GradesWe needed help with GCSE Science for my son who found chemistry particularly challenging. His tutor made the sessions engaging and relatable—using real-world ex...
Parent of GCSE Student · Birmingham
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Family trust
Why parents chose Combo.
Families usually want three things: a tutor their child respects, a plan that fits the real paper, and updates that make progress easy to follow.
Handpicked tutors
We shortlist tutors who know the curriculum, teach clearly, and can coach the exact exam habits that lift marks.
Top-university academics and exam-savvy specialists.
Clear weekly updates
Parents see what was covered, what improved, and what needs attention next, so progress never feels vague.
Structured feedback after every lesson block.
A plan built around your child's paper
Sessions are matched to the student's board, tier, topic gaps, and exam timeline instead of generic subject tutoring.
Board-specific support with a measurable target grade path.
Ready to close the gaps? Start with a free demo.
Book Free DemoA-Level FAQ
Common Questions.
At AQA (7652) and Edexcel (9FR0) the speaking test has two parts: a discussion based on a stimulus card linked to a theme, and a presentation and discussion of your Individual Research Project (IRP). We prepare both, rehearsing spontaneous responses so you feel in control on the day.
We cover all the popular prescribed works, including 'No et moi', 'L'Étranger', and 'Un sac de billes', and films such as 'La Haine', 'Au revoir les enfants', and 'Les 400 coups'. Tell us your school's choices and we will match a tutor who knows them in depth.
Translation into and out of French appears across the listening/reading and writing papers and is a reliable place to gain or lose marks. We drill it systematically against the mark scheme, targeting tense choice, agreement, and idiom, so accuracy becomes automatic.
No. Plenty of our A* students have never lived abroad. What matters is regular, structured practice in speaking, listening, and analytical writing — which is exactly what one-to-one tutoring provides. Cultural depth comes from studying the themes, texts, and film closely.
Yes. We help you choose a focused, francophone topic, build a strong argument with evidence, and rehearse defending it under questioning. A well-prepared IRP is one of the most reliable ways to secure top marks in the speaking exam.
Transparent pricing
See pricingSpecialist tutoring from $15/hr.
Every exam board, every tier. No hidden fees and no long contracts — start with a free trial lesson.
Ready to Excel in A-Level French?
Book a free consultation and we will match you with a specialist A-Level French tutor who can make a real difference.