German

"Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

At Kendrick, the importance of learning foreign languages is acknowledged and respected by all. Students recognise from an early stage how learning German and the skills involved can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum and how valuable this is, from grasping the cases in Latin to understanding the origins of a high percentage of English words. Furthermore, with German as the most widely spoken language in Europe and Germany as the economic powerhouse of Europe and the third-strongest economy worldwide, there are clear incentives for students to choose this subject.

German is taught at all Key Stages. From Years 7 to 9 it is compulsory, and it is an option at Key Stages 4 and 5. It is a popular choice and uptake is high in every year group throughout the school. We lay great emphasis on maximising exposure to the target language at all levels and teach predominantly in German and use authentic resources in our lessons. Topic areas are explored in a cyclical way and are accessible to all at an appropriate level.

German lessons are fun, interactive and lively. Students are encouraged to join in from day one, so that they recognise for themselves how quickly they can learn to speak and understand how German sounds and works, by simply ‘having a go’. All skills are practised routinely to enable students to develop their expertise in each area.

We place great emphasis on trips to Germany to both develop speaking skills and extend cultural and historical knowledge. In Year 10, the entire cohort goes on a six-day trip to the country of the language that they have chosen for GCSE. There is also a great opportunity for Sixth Formers to visit Cologne and Bonn at Christmastime and to go on a week’s work experience in Germany with Halsbury.

What is studied at KS3?

In Year 7, two forms will learn German and the other two forms will study French. During this first year, great emphasis is placed on how to learn a language, essential skills in language acquisition and familiarisation with key terminology, which proves very effective in future MFL lessons in Year 8 and beyond.

We take a lexicogrammar approach and work with EPI (Extensive Processing Instruction) methodology.

In Year 7 our areas of focus are:

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Term 5

Term 6

Personal information

Family and Pets

School

Hobbies

House and Home

Food and Drink

In Year 8 the topics that we look are:

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Term 5

Term 6

My Town and Region

Fashion

Holidays

Appearances and Festivals

Health and Fitness

Revision and Film Study

In Year 9 we learn about the following topics:

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Term 5

Term 6

Media and Technology

Unusual Hobbies

Holidays

Education and Work

Environment

Activity Week and Revision

Those taking German as a second modern foreign language in Year 8 have a slightly different programme. For the first year they will follow a similar programme to Year 7 and then in the second year, they will follow a condensed, accelerated form of the Year 8 and 9 topics. On account of the emphasis in Year 7 on the skills required for acquisition of a foreign language, this works very well and students reach a very good standard in their mastery of the second language by the end of Year 9.

What is studied at KS4?

At Kendrick, we follow the AQA specification. For further information please follow the link below:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/german/gcse/german-8662/specification

In conjunction with this course, we use our own materials and subscribe to the online Kerboodle resources.

Our schedules to explore key topics for Years 10 and 11 look as follows:

Year 10

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Term 5

Term 6

Identity and Relationships with others 

Healthy Living and Lifestyle

Education and Work

Free Time Activities

Customs, Festivals and Celebrations

Celebrity Culture

Year 11

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Where people live	Travel and tourism, including places of interest	The environment	Media and technology	Revision and Preparation for Orals and Final Papers	GCSE examinations

GCSE German has a Foundation tier (grades 1–5) and a Higher tier (grades 4–9). Students must take all four question papers at the same tier. All question papers must be taken in the same series.

Paper 1: Listening

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 before the listening material is played and 2 minutes at the end 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, 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, 10 marks at Higher tier).

Paper 2: Speaking

What's assessed:

Speaking using clear and comprehensible language to undertake a Role-play.

Carrying out a Reading aloud task.

Talking about visual stimuli.

How it's assessed:

Non-exam assessment (NEA).

Foundation tier: 7–9 minutes + 15 minutes' supervised preparation time.

Higher tier: 10–12 minutes + 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 and Higher tier, but with different stimulus materials for the Role-play and Reading aloud task.

Role-play – 10 marks (recommended duration: 1–1.5 minutes at both tiers).

Reading aloud task & short conversation – 15 marks.

Recommended duration: 2–2.5 minutes (Foundation tier), 3–3.5 minutes (Higher tier).

Reading aloud task: Minimum 35 words (Foundation), 50 words (Higher).

Includes a short unprepared conversation.

Photo card discussion – 25 marks.

Recommended duration: 4–5 minutes (Foundation tier), 6–7 minutes (Higher tier).

Response to the content of the photos (approx. 1 minute at Foundation, 1.5 minutes at Higher).

Unprepared conversation: Recommended duration 3–4 minutes (Foundation), 4.5–5.5 minutes (Higher).

Paper 3: Reading

What's assessed:

Understanding and responding to written texts focusing predominantly on the vocabulary and grammar at each tier.

Inferring plausible meanings of single words when 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 35 words at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier (10 marks).

Paper 4: Writing

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 writes a short piece 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 writes a piece 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 writes a piece 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 where the student responds to two bullet points, producing approximately 150 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (25 marks).

What is studied at KS5?

At Kendrick, we follow the AQA specification. For further information please follow the link below:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/german/a-level/german-7662/specification

The AQA books provide a basis for our teaching.

In conjunction with this course, we use our own materials and subscribe to the online Kerboodle resources.

Our schedules for Years 12 and 13 look as follows:

Year 12

Teacher 1

Teacher 2

Familie im Wandel

Die digitale Welt

Jugendkultur:

Mode, Musik und Fernsehen

Feste und Traditionen

Kunst und Architektur

Das Berliner Kulturleben – damals und heute

Film: ‘Das Leben der Anderen’

Year 13

Teacher 1			Teacher 2
Einwanderung	Integration	Rassismus	Die EU und Deutschland	Die Politik und die Jugend	Die Wiedervereinigung und ihre Folgen
Film: ‘Das Leben der Anderen’ (Revision)			Play: ‘Der Besuch der alten Dame’

Assessments (A Level)

Paper 1: Listening, reading and writing

What's assessed:

• Aspects of German-speaking society

• Artistic culture in the German-speaking world

• Multiculturalism in German-speaking society

• Aspects of political life in German-speaking society

• Grammar

How it's assessed:

• Written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes

• 100 marks

• 50 % of A-level

Questions

• Listening and responding to spoken passages from a range of contexts and sources covering different registers and adapted as necessary. Material will include complex factual and abstract content and questions will target main points, gist and detail. Studio recordings will be used and students will have individual control of the recording. All questions are in German, to be answered with non-verbal responses or in German (30 marks)

• Reading and responding to a variety of texts written for different purposes, drawn from a range of authentic sources and adapted as necessary. Material will include complex factual and abstract content and questions will target main points, gist and detail. All questions are in German, to be answered with non-verbal responses or in German (50 marks)

• Translation into English; a passage of minimum 100 words (10 marks).

• Translation into German; a passage of minimum 100 words (10 marks).

No access to a dictionary during the assessment.

Paper 2: Writing

What's assessed:

• One text and one film or two texts from the list set in the specification

• Grammar

How it's assessed

• Written exam: 2 hours

• 80 marks in total

• 20 % of A-level

Questions

• Either one question in German on a set text from a choice of two questions and one question in German on a set film from a choice of two questions or two questions in German on set texts from a choice of two questions on each text.

• All questions will require a critical appreciation of the concepts and issues covered in the work and a critical and

analytical response to features such as the form and the technique of presentation, as appropriate to the work studied (eg the effect of narrative voice in a prose text or camera work in a film).

No access to texts or films during the assessment.

No access to a dictionary during the assessment.

Students are advised to write approximately 300 words per essay.

Paper 3: Speaking

What's assessed:

• Individual research project

• One of four sub-themes ie Aspects of German-speaking society or Artistic culture in the German-speaking world or

Multiculturalism in German-speaking society or Aspects of political life in German speaking society

How it's assessed:

• Oral exam: 21 – 23 minutes (including 5 minutes preparation time)

• 60 marks in total

• 30 % of A-level