The Languages department’s aim is to help students of all abilities to use language effectively for the purpose of practical communication and, in so doing, to develop self-confidence and an awareness of how language works. We encourage students to gain insights into the culture and civilisation of other countries. We hope this will help develop positive attitudes to foreign language learning and to speakers of foreign languages. We aim to create a feeling of enjoyment and achievement in all students and help them acquire skills and language necessary for further study, whether it is for leisure or work.
Key Stage 5
German is currently offered at A Level and students follow the AQA specification. The two-year A Level course builds on the skills taught in Key Stage 4.
In the first year of the course, aspects of the social context are studied, together with aspects of the artistic life of German-speaking countries. In the second year, further aspects of the social background are covered, alongside the German political landscape, both in relation to Germany itself and its place in Europe. The past and its role in shaping the present is viewed through the reunification and its consequences while the focus on young people and politics looks forward to shaping the future of German-speaking countries.
Students study Franz Kafka's 'Die Verwandlung' in depth and analyse a film called 'Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei', which addresses the role of young people in modern Germany.
At the end of the first year, we give students the opportunity to travel to Berlin, as Germany's capital can be linked to nearly all aspects of the course.
They will also undertake an Individual Research Project on a theme of their choice linked to the German-speaking world in order to present and discuss their research findings in the final speaking assessment.
Click here For further information about the A Level German specification.