German HEAD OF DEPARTMENT: Mrs S Hankin EXAMINATION BOARD: AQA SPECIFICATION CODE: 7662 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: GCSE German Grade 7 A Level German helps students develop confident, effective communication skills in German and a thorough understanding of the culture of countries and communities where German is spoken. It develops an interest in, and enthusiasm for, language learning and encourages students to consider their study of the language in a broader context. The course aims to enable students to develop and build on the skills acquired at GCSE, to develop their ability to write and speak in German with accurate grammar and syntax for a range of purposes and to understand written or spoken German in a variety of contexts and genres. COURSE CONTENT The course is designed to inspire all students who have an appreciation of the language, literature, film and culture of the German-speaking world. The engaging themes are closely linked to the most interesting aspects of German, Austrian and Swiss society. The study of both literature and film is introduced at A Level, providing an opportunity for developing analytical essay-writing skills. The independent research project enables pupils to talk about a theme of personal interest. THEMES The four themes address a range of social issues and trends, as well as aspects of the political and artistic culture of German and German-speaking countries. Theme One, for example, considers the changing family, the digital world and youth culture. Theme Two, however, requires students to broaden their knowledge of German culture through the study of art, architecture, festivals and traditions.
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TEXTS AND FILMS The study of film and literature is a keystone of the A Level course and provides an opportunity for in-depth study. The current programme offers the film Das Leben der Anderen by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and the book Zonenkinder by Jana Hensel. ASSESSMENT Terminal assessment takes place at the end of the second year. Paper 1: Listening comprehension, reading comprehension, summaries and translations 2 hours 30 mins, 50% of A Level. Paper 2: Essay paper on film and texts 2 hours, 20% of A Level. Paper 3: Oral: discussion of a theme and research project 20 mins, 30% of A Level. WHO SHOULD STUDY GERMAN? Students need to show real enthusiasm for communicating in German. Classes will be conducted in German and students must be willing to use their German as the main means of communication. They should have a sound grammatical awareness, including tenses and key structures. A willingness to learn by rote is important, as is a curiosity to find out more about Germany through independent research. HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREERS Languages combine well with a range of social science, humanities and science subjects. The range and combination of courses available is very wide from German and History at Warwick, to Biochemistry with German at Imperial. Languages are increasingly in demand by businesses that operate in Europe and those wishing to break into new markets. The most recent CBI survey shows that German remains one of the languages most in demand by British business at 49%. 21
