GCSE German (Sep 2024 onwards)

Curriculum

This specification will first be taught from September 2024.

Why study GCSE German?

The aims of the course are to enable students to develop an understanding of German in a variety of contexts. It also allows students to increase their knowledge of German vocabulary and structures, to transfer language learning skills and to communicate effectively in German. Finally, the course aims at helping students to understand countries and communities where German is spoken.

GCSE German FAQ's

What will I learn?

Students study all of the following themes on which the assessments are based:

Theme 1 : People and lifestyle

Theme 2 : Popular culture

Theme 3 : Communication and the world around us

Each of these broad themes is broken down further into sub-topics which we cover over the 2-year course.  Many of the topics will have been covered briefly in Years 7-9,  allowing us to study and analyse a topic in much more depth over the GCSE.

A new feature of the GCSE is the emphasis placed on cultural awareness.  Students will be learning about the customs and traditions of German speaking countries alongside the more traditional language structures, vocabulary and grammar.

What course will I follow?

AQA GCSE German (8662)

How will I be assessed?

There are two tiers of entry: Foundation (Grades 1-5) or Higher (Grades 4-9)

(25% of GCSE)

What’s assessed

  • Understanding and responding to spoken extracts comprising the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier
  • Dictation of short, spoken extracts

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation tier), 45 minutes (Higher tier)
  • 40 marks (Foundation tier), 50 marks (Higher tier)
  • 25% of GCSE

Recording controlled by the invigilator with built-in repetitions and pauses.

Each exam includes 5 minutes’ reading time at the start of the question paper before the listening material is played and 2 minutes at the end of the recording for students to check their work.

Questions

  • Section A – listening comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks at Foundation tier and 40 marks at Higher tier)
  • Section B – dictation where students transcribe short sentences, including a small number of words from outside the prescribed vocabulary list (8 marks at Foundation tier and 10 marks at Higher tier)

(25% of GCSE)

What’s assessed

  • Speaking using clear and comprehensible language to undertake a Role-play
  • Carry out a Reading aloud task
  • Talk about visual stimuli

How it’s assessed

  • Non-exam assessment (NEA)
  • 7–9 minutes (Foundation tier) + 15 minutes’ supervised preparation time
  • 10–12 minutes (Higher tier) + 15 minutes’ supervised preparation time
  • 50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)
  • 25% of GCSE

Questions

The format is the same at Foundation tier and Higher tier, but with different stimulus materials for the Role-play and the Reading aloud task. For the Photo card task, the same photos are used at both tiers.
  • Role-play – 10 marks (recommended to last between 1 and 1.5 minutes at both tiers)
  • Reading aloud task and short conversation – 15 marks (recommended to last in total between 2 and 2.5 minutes at Foundation tier and between 3 and 3.5 minutes at Higher tier)
    • Reading aloud task: minimum 35 words of text at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier
    • Short unprepared conversation
  • Photo card discussion – 25 marks (recommended to last between 4 and 5 minutes in total at Foundation tier, and between 6 and 7 minutes in total at Higher tier)
    • Response to the content of the photos on the card (recommended to last approximately 1 minute at Foundation tier and approximately 1.5 minutes at Higher tier)
    • Unprepared conversation (recommended to last between 3 and 4 minutes at Foundation tier and between 4.5 and 5.5 minutes at Higher tier)

(25% of GCSE)

What’s assessed

  • Understanding and responding to written texts which focus predominantly on the vocabulary and grammar at each tier
  • Inferring plausible meanings of single words when they are embedded in written sentences
  • Translating from German into English

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation tier), 1 hour (Higher tier)
  • 50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)
  • 25% of GCSE

Questions

  • Section A – reading comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non- verbally (40 marks)
  • Section B – translation from German into English, minimum of 35 words at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier (10 marks)

(25% of GCSE)

What’s assessed

  • Writing text in the language in a lexically and grammatically accurate way in response to simple and familiar stimuli
  • Translating from English into German

How it’s assessed

  • Written exam: 1 hour 10 minutes (Foundation tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher tier)
  • 50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)
  • 25% of GCSE

Questions

Foundation tier

  • Question 1 – student produces five short sentences in response to a photo (10 marks)
  • Question 2 – student produces a short piece of writing in response to five compulsory bullet points, approximately 50 words in total (10 marks)
  • Question 3 – student completes five short grammar tasks (5 marks)
  • Question 4 – translation of sentences from English into German, minimum 35 words in total (10 marks)
  • Question 5 (overlap question) – student produces a piece of writing in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks)

Higher tier

  • Question 1 – translation of sentences from English into German, minimum 50 words in total (10 marks)
  • Question 2 (overlap question) – student produces a piece of writing in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks)
  • Question 3 – open-ended writing task (student responds to two bullets, producing approximately 150 words in total). There is a choice from two questions (25 marks)

What skills or equipment will I need?

The qualification requires students to:

  • Develop the ability to listen to and understand spoken German in a range of contexts and variety of style
  • Communicate in speech for a variety of purposes
  • Read and respond to different types of written language
  • Communicate in writing for a variety of purposes
  • Understand and apply a range of vocabulary and structures
  • Develop language learning and communication skills which can be applied broadly

Where can GCSE German lead to?

Not only is Germany one of the UK’s most important trading partners but German itself is spoken by 120 million people as a first language and by many millions as a second and third language.

German is the second most commonly used scientific language in the world and many of the Western world’s most important works of philosophy, literature, music, art history, chemistry, physics, engineering and medicine are written in German and continue to be produced in German.

Studying German can also lead to careers in translation – for business and communities - and education – Primary, Secondary and Higher.

We are not just thinking about the global arena either: BMW manufactures engines on the outskirts of Birmingham and Thomas Dudley, a local company, does the majority of its trade with Germany so there are opportunities here in our own region for students with German as an additional language.

How can i support my child with German?

  • Revision Guide and Workbooks 
  • Log onto German radio stations and TV online
  • Language apps