German

There are three routes to studying German 
*as a Modern Foreign Language (MFL)/Second Language
*as a First Language
*as an alternative qualification - see the Common European Framework for Languages
==GCSE/IGCSE German (Modern Foreign Language)==
The new 9-1 GCSE languages are now available to private candidates, as well as the traditional IGCSE options. GCSEs are very much designed for the UK market and resources are very good, but teachers' packs and audio material very, very pricey! The big new element in these exams is the translation in both directions, as well as more difficult reading and listening papers, compared to the old exam. 
The speaking assessment is now recorded and sent to the exam board to be marked, along with the written papers, while in the past it had to be internally assessed first, along with coursework. The exception to this is IGCSE Cambridge, which still has to be marked by teachers/examiners at the exam centre or school and then just moderated by the exam board.
It's worth approaching exam centres or schools in your area early on in the process, to see which boards they offer. Some continue to limit themselves to IGCSEs for home educators, while others can be more flexible. If your child has recently come out of a school where they were working towards a particular board, it's particularly important to make enquiries early, but all is not lost if your nearest private exam centre doesn't offer the same board. If you left school on good terms, the school may be able to fit you in as an external candidate. Otherwise the boards all offer similar topics and skill areas, so you can probably adapt to a different board fairly easily.
NOTE:  The Speaking and Listening Component is compulsory for both GCSE and IGCSE German.  You MUST confirm that you have an exam centre prepared to do the speaking test as well as the written papers. It is best to ask the exam centre to confirm in writing that they can offer the speaking test, to avoid misunderstandings.
===Can you bring your own tutor for the speaking test?===
For Edexcel and AQA GCSEs and Edexcel IGCSEs, the speaking test is recorded and sent off to the exam board for marking. As the tutor is not marking the work, it is possible for them to act as questioner for the speaking test without it giving the candidate an advantage. It is common in schools for the class teacher to conduct the speaking assessment. If your exam centre doesn't offer the speaking test, they may be prepared to work with your tutor. They would have to check the tutor's qualifications and take responsibility for the tutor. It is entirely up to the exam centre whether they do this or not.
== Modern Foreign Language Options ==
===Edexcel International GCSE German (Foreign Language)===
This exam has traditionally been vey popular with Home Educators. The new syllabus was first examined in summer 2019, so there are now a few years of past papers available, as the format is different and more difficult compared to the older syllabus. 
Edexcel International GCSE German page and specification
* Exams from 2019
* Available in Summer series
* Specification code 4GN1
* The qualification is untiered
==== Subject content ====
The content of Edexcel IGCSE German papers covers five topic areas:
* Home and abroad
* Education and employment
* Personal life and relationships
* The world around us
* Social activities, fitness and health.
==== Assessment ====
2 written papers and one spoken examination.
* Paper 1 - Listening 30 minutes, plus 5 minutes’ reading time - 40 marks - 25%. Tests listening skills across the five topic areas through a combination of multiple-choice, multiple-matching, note-taking and gap-fill questions.
* Paper 2 - Reading and writing 1 hour 45 minutes - 80 marks (40 marks for reading and 40 marks for writing) - 50% Assesses reading and writing skills in separate sections across the five topic areas. Section A: Reading: a combination of multiple-choice, note-taking, gap-fill and short-answer questions. Section B: Writing: two open-response writing tasks and a task that requires writing verbs in their correct forms. Each task in this section is linked to a specific topic area.
* Paper 3 - Internally conducted and externally assessed spoken examination. Usually scheduled between mid-March and the date of the written exams 8–10 minutes - 40 marks - 25% Assesses speaking skills across the five topic areas, with some sub-topics excluded.
==== Resources ====
Pearson Edexcel IGCSE German resources
Hodder produce a range of resources including a student book, revision guide and workbooks. Link to their MFL resources is here.
Pearson support resources
Past papers can be accessed through the specification page or here. Papers with an R suffix were available in a different time zone and are fine for practice.
===Cambridge IGCSE German (Foreign language)===
This new course had its first exam summer 2021. The difficulty with this particular exam is that the speaking is internally assessed by the centre, who need to understand this and agree to making this available. Check this carefully when speaking to the centre! In terms of content, this course does not vary substantially from the other (I)GCSE courses, but the structure of exam varies slightly between courses and CIE schedule the 4 papers over several days. This can be difficult if you are having to come from some distance to sit the exam.
Cambridge offer 2 IGCSEs in German. The difference is in the grading, 7159 being 9-1 and 0525 being A*-G, otherwise the syllabus is identical.
CAIE International GCSE German (7159) page and specification
CAIE International GCSE German (0525) page and specification 
*Exams from 2021
*Available in Summer and November series in the UK (March in India)
*Specification code 7159 (9-1 grading) or 0525 (A*-G grading)
*The qualification is untiered
====Subject Content====
The content of CAIE IGCSE German is organised into five broad topic areas: 
*Everyday activities
*Personal and social life
*The world around us
*The world of work
*The international world
Candidates are expected to read and understand a variety of written and spoken texts on familiar topics. They will be required to demonstrate understanding of the main ideas, opinions and attitudes, as well as select and extract relevant details and deduce the meaning of occasional unknown words from context.
====Assessment====
3 written papers and one spoken examination 
*Paper 1 - Listening - Approx 50 minutes- 40 marks - 25%. Candidates listen to a number of recordings and answer multiple-choice and matching questions. Externally assessed.
*Paper 2 - Reading - 1 hour - 45 marks - 25%. Candidates read a number of texts and answer multiple-choice and matching questions as well as questions requiring short answers. Externally assessed
*Paper 3 - Speaking - Approx 10 minutes - 40 marks - 25%. One role play and conversations on two topics. Internally assessed and externally moderated.
*Paper 4 - Writing - 1 hour - 45 marks - 25%. One form-filling task, one directed writing task and one task in the format of an email/letter or article/blog. Externally assessed.
====Resources====
There are resources for this spec produced by Hodder
Past papers can be found on the specification pages or sites such as pastpapers.co and papacambridge. Each series of 0525 (besides the March series - which is only sat in India) has 3 sets of papers available. These are because they were sat in different time zones. They are the same syllabus and useful for practice. You can use both 7159 and 0525 papers to practice either spec. 
=== AQA GCSE German ===
AQA GCSE German page and specification
* Exams from 2018
* Available in Summer series
* Specification code 8668 (9-1 grading)
* The qualification is tiered
==== Subject Content ====
The content of AQA GCSE German is organised into three broad topic areas:
* Identity and Culture
* Local, national, international and global areas of interest
* Current and future study and employment
Candidates are expected to read and understand a variety of written and spoken texts on familiar topics. They will be required to demonstrate understanding of the main ideas, opinions and attitudes, as well as select and extract relevant details and deduce the meaning of occasional unknown words from context.
==== Assessment ====
3 written papers and one spoken examination. Foundation and Higher tiers.
* Paper 1 - Listening -35 minutes 40 marks (Foundation), 45 minutes 50 marks (Higher) 25%. For both tiers candidates listen to a number of recordings and answer multiple-choice and matching questions. Externally assessed.
* Paper 2 - Speaking - 7-9 minutes (Foundation) + preparation time 10-12 minutes (Higher Tier) +preparation time 60 marks - 25%. Role play (15 marks), photo card given to candidate to prepare in preparation time (15 marks), conversation on 2 topic areas (30 marks).
* Paper 3 - Reading- 45 minutes (Foundation) 1 hour (Higher) 60 marks - 25% Understanding and responding to different types of written language, including factual and literary texts.
* Paper 4 - Writing - 1 hour (Foundation) 50 marks 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher) 60 marks. Both include English to German translation 60 marks - 25%. Foundation tasks - a message (8 marks ), translation (10 marks) a shorter essay piece (16 marks) and a longer essay piece (16 marks). Higher - shorter essay (16 marks), longer essay (32 marks) translation (16 marks)
==== Resources ====
AQA have a small number of teaching resources here
Pearson produce resources Student Book Foundation, Student Book Higher, Grammar and Translation Workbook, Vocabulary Workbook 
OUP AQA German books
CGP GCSE German revision
You can find past papers on the specification page or here
=== Edexcel GCSE German ===
Edexcel GCSE German page and specification
* Exams from 2018
* Available in Summer series
* Specification code 1GN0 (9-1 grading)
* The qualification is tiered
==== Subject Content ====
The content of Edexcel GCSE German is organised into five themes :
* Identity and Culture
* Local area, Holiday and travel
* School
* Future aspirations, study, work
* International and global dimension
==== Assessment ====
3 written papers and one spoken examination. Foundation and Higher tiers.
* Paper 1 - Listening -35 minutes 50 marks (Foundation), 45 minutes 50 marks (Higher) 25%. Students are assessed on their understanding of spoken German in a variety of scenarios covering all themes and topics. Multiple choice and short answer questions.
* Paper 2 - Speaking - 7-9 minutes (Foundation) + 12 minutes preparation time - 70 marks 10-12 minutes (Higher Tier) + 12 minutes preparation time 70 marks - 25%. both given to candidate to prepare in preparation time, conversation on 2 topic areas
* Paper 3 - Reading- 45 minutes (Foundation) 1 hour (Higher) 50 marks - 25% Understanding and responding to different types of written language, including factual and literary texts. Section A is set in English, Section B in German. Section C includes a translation passage from German into English.
* Paper 4 - Writing - 1 hour 10 minutes (Foundation) 60 marks ; 1 hour 20 minutes (Higher) 60 marks. Foundation - three open response questions of varying lengths and one translation into German. Higher = two open response questions and one translation into German.
==== Resources ====
Studio for Edexcel French GCSE resources
Supporting resources from Pearson
Past papers are on the specification page or here 
== GCSE/IGCSE German - First Language ==
CAIE German - First Language
* Exams from 2019
* Available in Summer series in the UK
* Specification code 0505 (A*-G grading)
* The qualification is untiered
* 2 Papers - Paper 1 Reading - Paper 2 Writing.
==The European Framework of Reference for Languages==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages
These qualifications are easy to access in many countries all over the world, often preparing learners for living in the country, where the language they are learning is being spoken, so there is a different emphasis on practical use of language right from the beginning. A good alternative if you don't need it to be a GCSE or A-level qualification.
The Goethe-Institut offers in person and online courses in the UK.
==A-level German==
These courses can be prepared by using textbooks and related film/literature to cover the syllabus, but it's a big course to cover. There is a speaking element, which needs to be carefully arranged with an exam centre. To cover the material for these new courses 2/3 hours teacher/contact time a week would be considered a minimum, as well as several hours of personal study and research.
==AQA AS/A-level==
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/as-and-a-level/german-7662
==Edexcel AS/A-level==
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-international-advanced-levels/german-2016.html
==Courses and Textbooks==
Each exam board has at least one endorsed book for a foreign language course. Publishers include Hodder and Pearson. Audio and teacher packs can be very expensive. If you can it's worth getting the book for the correct syllabus, although differences are not as major here as they would be for other subjects.
[Wolsey Hall German IGCSE] correspondence course
===Online Tutors/Classes===
There are various online tutor sites where you can get one-to-one tuition over Skype, Zoom etc. eg see [The Tutor Crowd] 
Trixi Schirok teaches German at all levels including IGCSE, as well as more advanced. Her lessons take place via the online platform Zoom, mostly in small groups of 3-6. She is a native speaker, qualified teacher and home ed mum. Below is a link to her FB Teacher Page, which can also be accessed by non FB users. It will give you info re. her classes, reviews from previous students/parents, as well as lots of other useful posts relating to German. You can contact her via email: germantrixi@icloud.com or through her FB Teacher Page. https://www.facebook.com/GermanTrixi/photos/a.100570181310188/130906788276527/?__tn__=%3C
===Online Resources===
[DuoLingo] - Free interactive site, good for a few European languages - also available as iPad and Android apps.  Includes lessons, tests, and a competitive and optional social element.  Great for teaching you exact spellings and accents.  Really good fun. May be better suited to teens than littlies as many of the sentences you have to translate are about drinking wine and beer!  As well as completing exercises and gaining points, you can help to translate the web via a crowdsourcing project.
[Busuu] - Interactive site and language learning community - can put you in touch with other learners to practise together.  
[Conversation Exchange] - Pairs you with another learner who wants to learn, say, English - you can meet, Skype, email etc.. to practise.
[Zut!] - Interactive language site, free outside school hours.  Covers French, German, Welsh and Spanish.
[Memrise] - Vocabulary building using fun mnemonics techniques in a game-like format.  Covers many languages including French, Mandarin and Japanese. “A world memory champion and a neuroscientist have joined forces to create a language-learning website called Memrise, which combines mnemonic tricks with a game to help users learn quickly and efficiently”
[Quizlet German IGCSE] - Vocabulary flashcards in German - use wider search terms, eg 'German GCSE' for more options.
[BBC Languages] - Courses in a number of languages, all free online.
Category:Subjects
Category:Modern Foreign Languages