WCI’s Extended French Magnet Program

At graduation, your child will receive an Extended French Certificate, if he/she meets the criteria. To acquire an Extended French Certificate, a student is required to take seven (7) Extended French courses. Four of the seven courses must be Language Arts courses and the other three are grade 9 Geography, grade 10 History, Civics, and Careers.

The Difference Between Core French, Extended French and French Immersion

Normally, after Grade 8, an Immersion student will have a maximum of 4,000 hours of instruction in French; but in Core French, a student will have a maximum of 950 hours. As such the French at the Immersion and Extended is far more advanced than the Core program. In addition, Core French students simply learn French Language Arts in high school. In Immersion and Extended French, the students not only learn French language and literature at an advanced level, they also study other subjects in French. 

At WCI, we offer Extended French rather than French Immersion. This means that a student will  have 7 courses in the program upon graduating as opposed to 10 courses in French Immersion.  Extended French is a form of Immersion; the degree of difficulty is the same. The only difference is the number of hours of French instruction at the end of four years of high school. Both groups achieve the B2 Level of proficiency with the CEFR international test. This level asserts that they are  functionally bilingual as they have a working knowledge of French.

Are You Eligible to Attend WCI’s Extended French Magnet Program?

The Extended French Magnet Program is a WRDSB recognized Magnet Program, which means qualified students within and outside the WCI boundary are eligible to enter the program.  Eligible students must have one of the following ‘home’ secondary schools: EDSS, BCI or WCI. Your ‘home’ secondary school is based on your address, regardless of whether you attended a public, Catholic or private school for Grade 8. Please confirm your ‘home’ secondary school.

No Application Form is required. Students are automatically enrolled in the Extended French Magnet program if they meet the above program eligibility.

Extended French Course Offerings

Grade 9
Language Arts – FEF 1D1
Geography – CGC 1DF

Grade 10
Language Arts – FEF 2D1
History – CHC 2DF
Gr 10 Civics & Careers – CHV 2OF/GLC 2OF

Grade 11
Language Arts – FEF 3UI

Grade 12
Language Arts – FEF 4UI