It is important that all students are confident that they can make an effective, purposeful start to their A level courses in September 2025. All departments have been asked to outline preparatory work that students should complete over the summer.
Germany and current affairs: http://www.dw.com. Use the German version of this website (Deutsche Welle) every day through to September and beyond- for up-to-date news in Germany, for regular podcasts in accessible German, for German learning tips and practice exercises online or via Twitter. Choose 1 short news article per week and (a) annotate it, (b) record all new vocabulary, (c) write a short summary and give your opinion on the article and (d) prepare a presentation for September on any two of the articles.
Literature - read Wanderer, kommst du nach Spa… (pdf here)
Podcasts. In addition to podcasts on Deutsche Welle, you will find a wealth of other options including an entertaining series by the Easy German team, and podcasts available from the main news providers, for example Tagesschau, FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung. You can also find a range of German podcasts on Apple or Spotify.
Vocabulary: Keep your own vocabulary book for all new words encountered and actively use the vocabulary in it. Aim for 30-40 new words per week, based on your research articles above. In addition, vocabulary for your first module in September can be found here.
German film: Watch a German film or series (see our recommendations list) and prepare a slide presentation and 200 word summary for September on the main characters, plot and your evaluation of the film.
Grammar: Complete at least pages 1-24 of Grammar Book 1 and pages 1-18 of Grammar Book 2 (see links below)
You should also look at this checklist and be sure that you are confident with all GCSE grammar - the A-level assumes that you are familiar with all of those language elements!
Optional extras: Some great German series on streaming services: Deutschland 83, 86, or 89 on Walter presents (Channel 4) or Dark on Netflix
Resources to obtain
Essential Books
AQA German for A level Hodder Education ISBN: 978-1-4718-5802-4
AQA German AS and A Level Grammar Workbook 1 Hodder Education ISBN: 978-1-5104-1771-7
AQA German AS and A Level Grammar Workbook 2 Hodder Education ISBN: 978-1-4085-2015-4