German

Course summary

Learning a modern language for GCSE is a matter of taking your first steps. You learn rudimentary grammar and vocabulary that enable you to get by but real conversations are still beyond your reach. It is at the sixth-form level that you will deepen your grammatical competence and broaden your vocabulary so that you can converse about and debate real-world issues, and immerse yourself in the culture, literature and arts of the country. Even though we live in an age where it seems English is spoken everywhere and where Google Translate will help you where it is not, there is nothing like the experience and satisfaction of being able to step inside a different way of speaking and seeing the world. The German A level will introduce you to real German in real situations. You will develop the knowledge and skills to enable you to step inside another culture and enjoy the long and rich history of German art, literature and cinema. In the first year, you will focus on two major topic areas, grammar and translation, and the study in depth of a film. The first topic is Aspects of German-speaking Society, which will cover everything from family values to the digital world and youth culture. The second is Artistic Culture in the German-speaking World where you will be talking about Berlin’s cultural life, art and traditions. The films you will study will be one taken from this list: Good Bye, Lenin!, Das Leben der Anderen, Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Almanya – Wilkommen in Deutschland, Sophie Scholl and Lola rennt. In the second year, you will revise your knowledge of the two first-year topics and the film, and you will cover two more topics, as well as undertake a detailed study of a literary text and its themes and context. You will also be required to research a German topic for your speaking exam. The new topics are Multiculturalism in German-speaking Society in which you will look at various issues such as immigration, racism and integration; and Aspects of Political Life in the German-speaking World, where you will look at political issues; the re-unification of Germany and its consequences. The study of a literary text will be a short novel or play drawn from the AQA-prescribed list.