Did you know that Germany has the world’s fourth largest economy? that it is home to some of the world’s best-known manufacturing and engineering companies including Volkswagen, Siemens, Audi, BMW and Thyssenkrupp?
Subject Information
German enhances the knowledge, understanding and skills acquired at GCSE. It allows you to broaden your vocabulary, deepen your grammatical competence, and develop your listening, reading and writing skills. It immerses you in the rich and vibrant history, art, music, politics and society of the German-speaking world. It fosters communication, critical thinking, research skills and creativity.
Course Details
The core content covers:
- Social issues and trends (the changing statement of the family, the digital world, youth culture, immigration, integration, racism)
- Political and artistic culture (festivals and traditions, art and architecture, cultural life in Berlin, past and present, Germany and the European Union, German re-unification and its consequences, politics and youth)
- Grammar
- Literary texts and films
The four language skills are assessed by examination after 2 years of study.
- Paper 1: Listening, reading and writing (50%)
- Paper 2: Writing (20%)
- Paper 3: Speaking (30%) which includes an individual research project
Subject Specific Entry Requirements
- Grade 6 in GCSE German.
- or applicant is bilingual or near-native standard .
Where could German take me?
German will prepare you for degree-level study, either as a single honours or joint honours degree. German is extremely versatile and can be combined with almost any other subject. A proficient knowledge of German will make you attractive to many employers and businesses keen to recruit German speakers for effective and successful communication. It opens the door to a wide variety of career options in, for example, banking, diplomacy, fashion, interpreting, journalism, law, marketing, media, sport, teaching, tourism or translation. German is the second most commonly used language in the scientific world and on the internet. You will have more access to research, publications and information. You will be able to enjoy the works of Beethoven, Einstein, Goethe, Marx, Mozart or Beethoven in the original.
German is a great investment for your future!
Reading List
Fiction
- Zonenkinder, Jana Hensel (set text)
- Emil und die Detektive, Erich Kästner
- Die Wolke, Gudrun Pausewang
- Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm, Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm
- Die Verwandlung, Franz Kafka
- Der Vorleser, Bernhard Schlink
- Die Wand, Marlen Haushofer
- Die Erfindung des Lebens, Hanns –Josef Ortheil
- Im Westen Nichts Neues, Erich Maria Remarque
- Die Entdeckung der Currywurst, Uwe Timm
Non-fiction
- Tatsachen über Deutschland (August 2018 edition)
- The Shortest History of Germany, James Hawes
Useful books to support vocabulary and grammar
- Wort für Wort, German vocabulary for AQA A-Level, Paul Stocker (sixth edition)
- AQA A-Level German Revision and Practice Workbook: Themes 1 and 2, Paul Elliott
- AQA A-Level German Revision and Practice Workbook: Themes 3 and 4, Paul Elliott
Audio books
- vorleser.net
Download an audio book . Great for listening to poetry, too. - youtube.com/channel/UCfICLkXJnzcDDc3I7S6f9QA/featured
My German Short Stories – YouTube channel with 5-10 min stories featuring key words. There is no need to subscribe. There’s plenty to listen to for free.
Culture and news
- tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en
Gives lots of background knowledge in English or German - zdf.de/kinder/logo
a bit like Newsround - goethe.de/ins/gb/de/index.html
Explore the Goethe Institut’s site. It is huge and there is everything you could want. Sign up to their free E-Lirary ‘Onleihe’ lending service. - www.newsinslowgerman.com/series/episode/755
News in slow German with transcripts. - open.spotify.com/episode/7scobjsOpQXxEsxdslAqLu
News in slow German - learngerman.dw.com/de/langsam-gesprochene-nachrichten/s-60040332
- dw.com/de/themen/s-9077
Explore the Deutsche Welle website by clicking on Themen Media Center TV Deutsch Lernen at the top of the page. There is a huge amount of material here. - tagesschau.de/100sekunden
Die Nachrichten in1000 Sekunden - tagesschau.de
Music
- lyricstraining.com/de
- goethe.de/prj/stg/en/mus.html
a wide range of materials from the Goethe Institut on music, football, film, sutainability and Germany. Introductions are often in English but there are countless links to podcasts, video clips, worksheets in German.
