This study focuses on the consequences of immersion experience as a means of developing second language skills. The students involved are 13 to 14 years of age, finishing grade 7 in the public school system. Two forms of immersion are compared, "early" and "late." Early immersion means that students had followed an immersion program from kindergarten on, while late immersion means that students had followed a French-as-a-second language program during elementary school, and taken a one-year French immersion program at grade 7. An analysis of the comparative abilities of the two groups leads to the general conclusions that there were differences in second language proficiency between early and late immersion students. These differences appeared on tests of reading, writing, speaking and listening where the early immersion students generally performed better than the later immersion students. However, neither group of students performed at the same level as the francophone students. (Author)