Divided into 9 dossiers each concentrating on specific themes such as places, fashion, customs, attitudes and famous personalities, "A l'heure actuelle" gives students a thorough yet concise introduction to French civilisation, with analysis of the culture and daily life in France, but also provides a wide view of the geographical and historical background.

Each subject is supported by a number of authentic texts ranging in difficulty and a broad-range of exercises to deepen students knowledge of the subject and test their comprehension skills and consolidate vocabulary. The exercises offer a stimulus for debate and freer practice of the language based on the suggested topic.

The audio-CD offers a wealth of supplementary texts to use in class as oral comprehension exercises and for the introduction of short practice exercises in simultaneous or consecutive translation and for pronunciation practice.