German

Assessment

In the first year of A-level German, you will study a wide range of topics. These include technology, youth culture (fashion, music, television), art, Berlin and its history and cultural life. You will also study the play ‘Der Besuch der alten Dame’ (The Visit). This is a brilliant tragicomedy by the Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Its themes (for example, how money can corrupt) are as relevant today as they were when it was written in 1956. In the second year, you will study immigration, integration, racism, Germany and its role in the EU, the political engagement of young people, and the reunification of Germany and its consequences. You will also study the gripping and remarkable film ‘Das Leben der Anderen’ by the director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. This looks at life in the former GDR, the role of the Stasi and how artists lived their lives under this oppressive regime. At the end of the Upper Sixth, you will be examined across three papers.