GCSE Course Outline
Why choose Edexcel GCSE German?
Learning languages is a liberation from insularity, and provides a path into understanding and appreciating cultures and societies beyond one's own. GCSE German involves studying a variety of relevant and interesting topics and through these you will be able to listen, speak, read and write German in a wide variety of situations. The GCSE course also provides an excellent grounding for those wishing to continue to A-level German.
Manageable content
The content has been structured across six broad thematic contexts, which are relevant to students' current and future interests and needs.
Themes:
Theme 1: My personal world
- Talking about self, family and friends and role models
- Cultural life: celebrations and festivals; reading; music; sport; film and television
Theme 2: Lifestyle and wellbeing
- Healthy living and food and drink
- Illnesses and problems
Theme 3: My neighbourhood
- My home and local area and what activities there are
- Environmental issues - what can be done?
Theme 4: Media and technology
- Life online - advantages and disadvantages
- How I use technology
Theme 5: Studying and my future
- My life at school - subjects, opinions, rules and future plans
- Current and future employment
Theme 6: Travel and Tourism
- Planning and describing a holiday
- The German speaking world
The aims and objectives of this qualification include enabling students to:
- Deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts
- Acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to a rich range of authentic spoken and written material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, including literary texts
- Develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken
| GERMAN (EDX) GCSE Specification |
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Paper 1: Speaking
Internally conducted and then submitted to Pearson for external marking.
Foundation tier: 7-9 minutes plus 15 minutes preparation time; 60 marks
Higher tier: 10-12 minutes plus 15 minutes preparation time; 50 marks
25% of the total qualification
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Task 1: Read aloud and 2 short unprepared questions
Task 2: Role play in a transactional setting
Task 3: Picture description (from a choice of two pictures), 2 short unprepared questions and follow-on conversation based around a theme chosen in advance by the candidate
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Paper 2: Listening and Understanding
Written examination
Foundation tier: 45 minutes; 50 marks
Higher tier: 1 hour; 50 marks
25% of the total qualification
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5 mins reading time included
Section A: Listening - multiple-choice, multiple-response and short-answer open response questions. All questions set in English.
Section B: Dictation
All extracts are played three times
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Paper 3: Reading and understanding in German.
Written examination
Foundation tier: 45 minutes; 50 marks
Higher tier: 1 hour; 50 marks
25% of the total qualification
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Section A: Reading - multiple-choice, multiple-response and short-answer open response questions. All questions set in English.
Section B: Translation into English
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Paper 4: Writing in German
Written examination
Foundation tier: 1 hour 15 minutes; 50 marks
Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes; 50 marks
25% of the total qualification
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Picture task (Foundation tier only)
Two writing responses (both tiers, with a choice of two options for each question), with a rubric in English
Translation into German (both tiers)
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Albemarle Independent College
(+44) 20 7409 7273
