KEY STAGE 4 GERMAN

Herzlich Willkommen! Welcome! Over the next two years you will be working towards the WJEC GCSE Full Course in German. It is essential that you get organised from the start if you are to fulfil your linguistic potential, so please heed the following advice:

It is very important to keep your notes neat and tidy. Ensure that you write the date and a suitable title for every piece of work. You are advised to keep your grammar notes in the back of your notebook and vocabulary in the front of your notebook. Remember that the notebook is your reference book for the course so you must keep it up to date and aim to make your vocabulary lists as thorough as possible. You will be using this notebook to undertake the necessary revision for tests.

Please complete your homework/class work in your exercise book. You must submit your work on time and in the appropriate book. It is a good idea to redraft your work after it has been corrected. This will help you to avoid making the same spelling/grammatical mistakes in future pieces. The LOGO workbook is used for class and homework on a regular basis and is a valuable resource. Try to fill in the exercises as neatly as possible. It is a good idea to write in pencil first and to go over everything in ink when you are sure you have written in the correct response. Any re-drafting of exercises from the LOGO workbook should be completed in your class/homework exercise book.

Every piece of work will have a launch date and a hand-in date. It is essential that you meet deadlines and always produce your best efforts. However, if you are experiencing genuine difficulties with the work, you must approach your teacher for assistance and guidance. Never be afraid to ask for help and if you cannot submit work for a very good reason, let the teacher know so that alternative arrangements can be made.

When you are requested to revise topic areas, it is very important that you put aside at least one hour to learn vocabulary and structures thoroughly. You will be expected to learn the genders and the spellings of nouns and you must make every effort to learn the full paradigms of verb forms as well as any grammatical rules as you go along. Language learning is an incremental process- you can’t revise everything at the last minute and should have the good sense to revise periodically from your notebook.

You also have your own copy of the GCSE Revision Guide for German. This is an excellent reference book and you can use it to complement the work covered during lessons. Don’t forget to look through it periodically to brush up on grammatical rules and new language. From time to time you will be requested to bring this book to lessons.

 

The GCSE course covers five areas of experience and at the end of the two years you will sit a speaking exam (25%), a listening exam (25%) and a reading comprehension exam (25%). In addition, you will submit a portfolio of written coursework comprising 5 pieces of work completed during the course (25%). The coursework is completed in the classroom under exam conditions and the use of a dictionary is permitted. You will complete most of the coursework during Year 11.