1. As at AS, the A2 course is split into topics: Environmental Issues: Technology, Pollution, Global Warming, Transport, Energy (Nuclear Energy, Renewables, Fossil Fuels), Conservation, Recycling, Sustainability Social and Political Issues: The Role of the Media, Racism, Immigration, Social Exclusion and Integration (Homelessness, Unemployment, Wealth v Poverty), Terrorism, World of Work (Employment, Commerce, Globalization) Alongside these topics are the Guided Studies Options… more of which anon Each week, we will (usually) spend one double lesson on topic work and one double lesson on Guided Studies

2. Grammar: We have covered a lot of grammar at AS, but there is still more to come at A2. We will also re-cap certain AS points, but you should try to revise grammar independently as much as possible. Good grammar knowledge is crucial for the translation part of the exam. You have a very long summer holiday ahead of you – adjectival endings, ahoy! Vocabulary: It is essential that you get into recording and learning new vocabulary from day one. You should also revise old vocabulary on a daily / weekly basis. How to record? How to revise? Speaking: You need to be prepared to contribute, even more so now than at AS. Your oral exam will be much tougher than at AS and you need to be confident with your skills. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes (I still make loads – no one minds). Homework: Year 13 is full of coursework pressures and deadlines from other subjects. Although there is no coursework in German you must keep up to date with homework. Exchange: Maybe you didn’t go on the exchange last year and would like to this year, maybe you went and want to go again (new partner, however… and new location). The exchange is open to year 13 as well as year 12.

3. Summary of assessment: GN3: Oral 20% / 15-20 minutes Structured Discussion (based on text prepared shortly before test) You will be able to make short notes which you can take into the test. You must not read from an extensive script. You will be asked a few questions on the subject matter and then state your views / exchange views with the examiner. Exposé and Discussion Exposé will last around 4 minutes and can be on a book, film, or region. This may be from the prescribed list, or may be free choice. You will be allowed 5 – 10 brief headings. There will then be 10 minutes discussing the exposé and related topics. All tests will be conducted by a visiting examiner… and could be as early as 17 th March

4. GN4: Listening, Reading and Writing 30% / 3 hours Listening and Responding: 1 or 2 items with comprehension tasks answered in English (6 marks) Reading and Responding: 1 or 2 passages in German related to the topic areas with comprehension tasks in both English and German: Gap fill (8 marks) Identifying false statements (4 marks) Questions in German / answers in German (5 marks) Questions in English / answers in English (5 marks) Translation: from English into German: approx. 100 words (25 marks) Guided Studies Essay (400 words in German): must answer on different film or book from that chosen for the oral (45 marks)

5. WJEC prescribed films / texts / regions: Films: Jenseits der Stille, Caroline Link Crazy, Hans Christian Schmidt Vaya con Dios, Zoltan Spirandelli Good Bye Lenin!, Wolfgang Becker Der Rote Kakadu, Dominik Graf Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Hans Weingartner Die weiße Rose, Michael Verhoeven Des Teufels General, Helmut Käutner Alles auf Zucker, Dani Levi

6. WJEC prescribed films / texts / regions: Texts: Heinrich Böll, Das Brot der frühen Jahre Bertolt Brecht, Mutter Courage Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Der Besuch der alten Dame Max Frisch, Homo Faber Günther Grass, Katz und Maus Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser Jana Frey, Kein Wort zu niemandem Franz Kafka, Die Verwandlung Siegfried Lenz, Schweigeminute

7. WJEC prescribed films / texts / regions: Regions of Germany: Städte und Landschaften an Nord- und Ostsee Berlin und das Land Brandenburg Westfalen und das Land am Niederrhein Das Land der Niedersachsen Land der Mitte: Hessen und Thüringen Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt Das Rheinland und die Pfalz Das Land der Schwaben Bayern und Franken

8. The next few weeks? Over the next few weeks we will start work which will give us a head start in September. We will focus exclusively on the Guided Studies, doing some background work for our first film, Good Bye Lenin! We will look at: post-war (WW2) Germany the Berlin wall – where, when, why, how? the divided Germany: what were the differences between East and West Germany? For how long was the country divided? key dates between the period 1945 - present