German remains an important language in the twenty-first century. Home to the third largest economy in the world, Germany is the world’s most successful exporting nation. Roughly 10% of all books published worldwide are written in German and there are more than twice as many German websites (.de) as British (.co.uk). The popular culture of Germany, as well as other German-speaking nations such as Austria and Switzerland, their cultural history and geography are amongst some of the topics you will explore. From the different regions of Germany and their customs to the historical influence of immigration; from the
impact of musicians and film directors in the German speaking world to the history and politics surrounding the Berlin Wall, the course offers content for every student’s interests. The Independent Research project also gives free rein to content covered in this piece of work. You can study, research and present information on a topic of interest as long as it has a link to the German speaking world. As well as the obvious problem-solving skills that learning a language develops, you will also develop listening and reading comprehension, fluency in speaking and the ability to summarise texts and sound files in German.
Entry Requirements
- GCSE Grade 6 or higher in German
Course Duration
2 years full-time
Specification
AQA
How you will study
The German A level course looks at the following themes all in a German speaking world context. The themes comprise: 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, and grammar.
The themes discussed within ‘How You Will Study form the content
for the Multi Skills Paper 1.
Students also study a play or novel and one film, which use German as the original language. The studies of the two works form the content for the Essay Writing Paper 2.
For the Speaking exam, Paper 3, students will research a project of their
own choosing which is based on a theme relevant to German speaking
countries.
Component breakdown
- Listening, Reading, Writing exam – 2.5 hours, 100 marks – 50% of A-Level
- Written exam – 2 hours, 80 marks – 20% of A-Level – 2 essays (300 words each)
- Speaking exam – 21-23 minutes, 60 marks – 30% of A-Level
Thousands of job opportunities, from interpreter/translator to sales executive, are vastly enhanced by the ability to speak a second language and there is a great need for communication and persuasion in today’s competitive world. Employers will always be looking for the candidate with an extra skill to set them apart from the rest of the field and a language is most definitely that! German can take you all over the world in your working life.
