German

O V E R V I E W

In its annual surveys on the employability of British young people, the CBI (the UK’s main employers’ organisation) repeatedly finds that the great majority of employers emphasise the importance to them of a knowledge of foreign language, when recruiting employees. The A level course responds to this need, opening up the ideal opportunity for students both to enjoy the experience that developing language skills to a high level brings, and improving the range of study, leisure and employment opportunities available to them in the future.

A level courses in Modern Languages will see students, by the end of two years be able to understand and write authentic German with a degree of accuracy and fluency and speak with ease about topics connected with society and culture in German-speaking countries. Year 12 students from AGS and AHS can take part in the annual German exchange with Stuttgart, and participation in this longstanding exchange can enhance enormously a student’s enjoyment and understanding of the language. In Year 13 there is also a study visit to Berlin so that students can experience the cultural life of the capital first-hand.

How is the course assessed?

The exams (taken at the end of Year 13) will have the following format:

Paper 1

Listening, Reading, Writing Two hours 30 minutes

Paper 2

Writing (2 essays) Two hours

Paper 3

Oral Exam 15 - 20 minutes

All the topics which form the basis of Papers 1 and 3 are studied within the context of society and culture in German-speaking countries and include: • The changing nature of the family • The cyber society • Youth culture • Immigration • Cultural life of Berlin • Young people and politics • Reunification of Germany

Essays on Paper 2 will be written on either two books or a film and a book, studied over the course of the two years.

The oral exam will consist of a five-tosix-minute discussion based on a stimulus card dealing with one of the topics above followed by a two-minute presentation and approximately 9minute discussion of an individual research topic of the student’s choice, connected to the culture and society of a German-speaking country.

Head of Department

Mr R E Sloan

Examination Board

AQA

Specification

7662

Follow us on Twitter

@AGSGerman

Anyone considering German at A level should have a grade 7 at GCSE to feel confident of success and certainly no less than a 6

Entry requirements