German

The aim of the course is to encourage you to build on the language skills already acquired from Cohorts 7 and 8 to enable you to communicate effectively and confidently in German in a range of situations.  You will learn about the culture and customs of the country and will be able to communicate with German speaking people. Your teacher will speak lots of German to you and you will be expected to respond in German as much as possible. Throughout the course, you will be practising the four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Grammar and vocabulary learning will also play an important role throughout the course. 

You will be assessed separately in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.  However, in practice, many tasks involve using two or more skills simultaneously, as in real life.  Great emphasis is placed on encouraging confidence in speaking the foreign language and you will often be required to work in pairs and small groups.

The ability to communicate in everyday situations is the overriding aim for all learners, although those who show a greater awareness of language structure will be encouraged to produce more accurate spoken and written language. 

Studying a language at GCSE is an important qualification offering the best opportunities post 16. At Honywood we are passionate about languages and strongly believe that as many learners as possible should study at least one language or more to GCSE. The German course is designed to be accessible to all learners regardless of their previous level of attainment in the subject, as many of the topic areas are revised over the course duration. The subject has proved a very popular choice in the past with a wide range of learners. 

The exam board is Edexcel and over the course you will be taught by a German specialist teacher.  You will also use the iPads and have access to authentic material such as film, newspaper and magazine articles. 

There are two tiers of entry: Foundation (grades 1-5) and Higher (grades 4-9).  Learners must enter for all 4 skills at the same tier, following the themes below:

•  My personal world

• Lifestyle and wellbeing

• My neighbourhood

• Media and technology

• Studying and my future

• Travel and tourism

Paper 1: Speaking

What's assessed:

Students are assessed on their ability to speak using clear and comprehensible language for a range of audiences and purposes, in different contexts, which are relevant to their current and future needs and interests.

How it's assessed

Internally conducted and externally assessed:

Foundation tier: 7-9 minutes plus 15 minutes’ preparation time; 50 marks

Higher tier: 10-12 minutes plus 15 minutes’ preparation time; 50 marks

25% of the qualification

Questions

Task 1: Read aloud (12 marks)

Read aloud a short text and undertake a short, unprepared interaction relating to the text. In the read aloud task itself students will be assessed on their pronunciation and in the short interaction that follows students will be assessed on their communication.

Task 2: Role play (10 marks)

Undertake a transactional role play, in a setting taken from the defined list 

Task 3: Picture task (12 marks) with conversation (16 marks)

Students select their thematic context for Task 3 in advance of the assessment. Students select one option from a choice of two of the six thematic contexts. The two options will be randomly generated. Describe a picture stimulus, related to the selected thematic context. Students have a choice of two pictures on the stimulus card. Answer two compulsory questions related to the subject matter of the picture, then move on to a short unprepared conversation developed from the same thematic context.

Paper 2: : Listening and understanding

What's assessed

Students are assessed on their understanding of standard spoken German by one or more speakers, across a range of formal and informal contexts, and in familiar and unfamiliar settings. 

How it's assessed

Written examination:

Foundation tier: 45 minutes, including 5 minutes’ reading time, 50 marks

Higher tier: 60 minutes, including 5 minutes’ reading time, 50 marks

25% of the qualification

Questions

Section A: Listening (40 marks)

Students respond to multiple-choice, multiple-response and short-answer open response questions.

All questions are set in English and students produce all responses in English.

Section B: Dictation (10 marks)

Students are assessed on their ability to transcribe spoken German into written German. They will be rewarded for their accuracy of spelling based on their knowledge and understanding of the sound symbol.

Paper 3: Reading

What's assessed

Students are assessed on their understanding of written German across a range of formal and informal contexts, and in familiar and unfamiliar settings

How it's assessed

Written examination:

Foundation tier: 45 minutes, 50 marks

Higher tier: 60 minutes, 50 marks

25% of the qualification

Questions

Section A: Reading and Understanding (40 marks)

Students respond to multiple-choice, multiple-response and short-answer open response questions based on these texts.

All questions are set in English and students produce all responses in English.

Section B: Translation into English (10 marks)

Students translate a passage from German into English, with instructions in English.

 Paper 4: Writing

What's assessed

Students are assessed on their ability to communicate effectively through writing in German for different purposes and audiences. Students are required to produce responses of varying lengths and types to express ideas and opinions in German. The instructions to students are in English.

How it's assessed

Written examination:

Foundation tier: 1 hour 15 minutes; 50 marks.

Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes; 50 marks.

25% of the qualification

Questions

Foundation Tier

• Question 1: picture-based task (8 marks)

• Question 2: one of two open-response questions, set in formal context (14 marks)

• Question 3: one of two open-response questions, set in informal context (18 marks)

• Question 4: translation into German (10 marks)

Higher Tier

• Question 1: one of two open-response questions, set in informal context (18 marks)

• Question 2: one of two open-response questions, set in formal context (22 marks)

• Question 3: translation into German (10 mark)

After your GCSE in German, you can choose to carry on and study German at college as an A Level subject or to study on an IB course. 

Having a language at GCSE and A Level will give you access to a wide range of jobs and further education jobs in the future.  Graduates in Modern Languages are amongst the most employable,  with  opportunities far and wide.  The job opportunities on offer to Language graduates include Journalism, Translators, Tourism and Teaching.

‘Did you know?...

• 72% of UK firms employ people with language skills

• On average people earn 8% to 20% more after learning a language

• 94% of the planet do not speak English as their mother tongue. 75% do not speak English at all

Source: CILT – Government Language Agency

Studying a language at GCSE will ensure you are best placed to access opportunities post 16 and for higher education.

Languages form part of the EBacc measure, a set of subjects at GCSE that keeps young people’s options open for further study and future careers.

The EBacc is made up of the subjects which the Russell Group says, at A Level, open more doors to more degrees.

Research shows that a pupil’s socio-economic background impacts the subjects they choose at GCSE, and that this determines their opportunities beyond school.

A study by the UCL Institute of Education shows that studying subjects included in the EBacc provides students with greater opportunities in further education and increases the likelihood that a pupil will stay on in full-time education. Sutton Trust research reveals that studying the EBacc can help improve a young person’s performance in English and maths.  The government’s ambition is to see 75% of pupils studying the EBacc subject combination at GCSE by 2022, and 90% by 2025.

Therefore, studying a language to GCSE will provide you with the best qualifications to access further education, training and careers. 

Mr P Bilby, Subject Leader for Modern Foreign Languages (pbilby@honywoodschool.com)