Welcome to Enniskillen
Royal Grammar School

German Department

Home Literacy and Language German Department

Introduction
German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. More people speak German as their native language than any other language in Europe. Learning German can connect you to over 100 million native speakers around the globe and many people also learn German as a second language. It is the 3rd most popular foreign language taught worldwide and the second most popular in Europe and Japan, after English.

Germany’s economic strength equals business opportunities. Multinational business opportunities exist throughout the European Union and in the Eastern European countries, where German is the second most spoken language after Russian. Two-thirds of the world’s leading international trade fairs take place in Germany

If you’re looking for employment in the United States, knowing German can give you a great advantage. German companies such as BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Lufthansa and Bosch account for 700,000 jobs in the United States, and US companies have created approximately the same number of jobs in Germany.
Knowing the language will prepare you to better appreciate some of the great German cultural contributions. Germany is often referred to as the land of “Dichter und Denker” — of poets and thinkers. The world of classical music is inseparable from the names of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, and Wagner. The philosophies of Kant, Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche have had lasting influences on modern society, while psychologists Freud and Jung forever changed the way we think about human behaviour.

Staff: Mrs J. Donald, Mrs C. McCready-Bamber, Mrs. S. O’Neill, Mrs E. Maguire

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 students learn to use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns. They learn to identify and use tenses, and give and justify their opinions. Through exposure to the four key skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking, students recognise, express and develop ideas clearly and with increasing accuracy and with a growing awareness of good pronunciation and intonation.

German is studied from Year 9 onwards (pupils choose between German and Spanish). The topics of study include All About Me, My Family and Home, School Life, Free Time, Holidays, Food & Drink, Jobs & Future Plans and Healthy Living.

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Year 9

Year 10

Key Topics

All about Me; School Life; My Family; My Home Life; Free Time; My Town/City; Weather; Time Hobbies; Fashion

Shopping & Clothes; Body Parts & Healthy Living; Food & Drink; Daily Routine; Holidays and Going Out

Key Grammar

Verbs in the present tense; articles; Using adjectives with nous; plurals; possessive adjectives; word order; prepositions; recognising the past tense

Revision of the present tense; the perfect tense; more about word order; modal verbs; using separable verbs; using the past present and future tenses together

Key Stage 4

All pupils are encouraged to choose at least one language for GCSE. At Key Stage 4, there is a continued focus on grammar structures and pupils express themselves more fully in both written and speaking tasks. Building on the groundwork covered at Key Stage 3, pupils perfect their German pronunciation and regularly access past GCSE reading and listening examinations.

The topics areas which are tested include:
1. The Individual – Relationships, Environment, Daily Routine & Leisure, Health & Lifestyle
2. Citizenship – Travel and Tourism, Media, Spanish Celebrations, Social Issues
3. Employability – School life, Part-time jobs, Future plans

In the GCSE course four skills are tested.

Reading	20%	Final examination at end of Year 12
Listening	20%	Final examination at end of Year 12
Writing	30%	Assessed through controlled assessment; two tasks during Year 11 / Year 12
Speaking	30%	Assessed through controlled assessment; two tasks during Year 11 / Year 12

Key Stage 5

AS and A2 German allow students to use language for a wide range of purposes. Through the course pupils develop awareness and understanding of German grammar and the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of countries or communities where German is spoken. Pupils also have the opportunity to read German literature and watch German cinema in the original language. The A Level course is a sound basis for the further study of languages at degree level or equivalent but also provides a worthwhile and enjoyable course of study for students who do not progress to further study in the subject.

1. Relationships, including
• family
• intergenerational issues
• Influences on young people

2. Culture and Lifestyle including
• diet or exercise
• smoking, alcohol and drugs or extreme sports;
• stress
• the arts
• social media
• holidays, festivals and tourism.

ORAL EXAMINATION
11 MINUTES approximately
Presentation and General Conversation
LISTENING, READING & LANGUAGE EXAMINATION
2 HOURS IN TOTAL
Listening Comprehension (40 mins)
Reading Comprehension (50 mins)
Language Questions (grammar and translation) (30 mins)WRITING EXAMINATION
ONE HOUR
Students write one essay in German in
response to a set film or literary text.AS: 40% of A level

A2
From 20171. Young People in Society including
• jobs, education and employment;
• career planning – aspirations and/or intentions;
• young people and democracy;
• European citizenship2. Our Place in a Changing World including
• equality/inequality,
• poverty
• immigration
• multicultural society
• conflict
• sustainable living and environmental issues.

ORAL EXAMINATION
15 MINUTES approximately
Topic and General ConversationLISTENING, READING & LANGUAGE EXAMINATION
2 HOURS 45 MINS IN TOTAL
Listening Comprehension (45 mins)
Reading Comprehension & Language Questions (grammar and translation) (2 hours)
WRITING EXAMINATION 30% of A2
ONE HOUR
Students write one essay in German in
response to a literary text.
A2: 60% of A level