Our GCSE German Tutors
Our GCSE German tutors showcase the joys of language learning, enabling teenagers to develop their speaking, writing and listening skills in a supportive environment.
The ability to speak another language is invaluable, and this can open exciting doors at university and in the world of work. Widely spoken in Europe and with a rich cultural history, German is a particularly interesting subject to study. However, many teenagers find it more demanding than other modern foreign languages, and exam entries for German GCSE have fallen in recent years.
Our experienced team of tutors (you can search tutors here) is determined to change this. United by a passion for education, our team consists of current and former teachers, full-time professional tutors and first class Oxbridge graduates who have lived and worked in Germany. All pride themselves on the quality of their tuition, and are committed to seeing their pupils succeed.
How our GCSE German Tutors Teach
A student’s confidence is key when it comes to learning German. One-to-one tuition will give your child the tailored support they need to get to grips with this tricky language. Using a blend of traditional teaching methods and multimedia resources, our tutors build teenagers’ vocabularies and deepen their grammatical understanding. Our German Tutors also encourage students to speak German as much as they can in tutoring sessions to help them apply their language skills. Therefore, next time they are in Germany – or in a GCSE oral exam – they can converse with confidence and flair.
GCSE language assessments have become even more demanding in recent years, so exam preparation is central to they way we teach. Whether it involves going through past papers, studying mark schemes, or devising effective revision techniques, our tutors enable students to shine in the exam hall and stand out from their peers.
We also know that no teenager learns in exactly the same way, or finds the same topics difficult. Our German tutors adapt to the needs of individual pupils, setting them a series of long and short term goals. We also do not let our students underestimate themselves, challenging them to take risks and perform the very best they can.
Online GCSE German Tutoring option
As well as providing face-to-face tuition, our tutors regularly teach online, working with families outside of London or based overseas. This is an excellent option and learning can be a highly effective without the need for travelling. Online tutoring is becoming very popular with many families across the UK and overseas students attending International Schools.
Exam Boards we cover:
Our GCSE tutors prepare students for all of the main GCSE exam boards at higher and foundation level. Listed below are details of how candidates are examined.
OCR:
Students learn about home and the local area; health and sport; leisure and entertainment; travel and the wider world; and education and work.
- Listening: Students listen for, identify and note main points, and take details from spoken German of increasing length, speed and complexity. They need to demonstrate an understanding of the language using a range of non-verbal responses, and some short answers in English. This is a 45 minute written exam, and 20% of the total course.
- Speaking: The pupils must communicate in German on at least two topics (from a specified list or of their own choice), and interact with German speakers, expressing and justifying opinions where appropriate. This is worth 30% of the total GCSE course, and the exam is a controlled assessment.
- Reading: Pupils read, identify and note main points, and take details from a German text of increasing length, speed and complexity. A 45 minute long exam, worth 20% of the total course.
- Writing: Students write about at least two topic areas from a specified list, or of their own choice. They must express and justify their points of view in German where appropriate. This is a controlled assessment worth 30% of the total GCSE.
AQA:
Students study three ‘themes’ in German: identity and culture; local, national and global areas of interest; and current and future study and employment.
- Listening: Students are assessed on theirunderstanding and responding to different types of spoken language. This is a 45 minute exam worth 25% of the GCSE, with a total of 50 marks. The exam includes 5 minutes’ reading time of the question paper before the listening stimulus is played. Section A of the paper has questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally. Section B has questions in German, to be answered in German or non-verbally.
- Speaking: This is a 10-12 minute non-exam assessment (with added preparation time). It has 60 marks and is worth 25% of total course. There are three sections. Firstly, a Role-play worth 15 marks, lasting for 2 minutes. Next, there is a Photo card assessment worth 15 marks, with a 3 minute duration. Lastly, there is the General conversation worth 30 marks, with a duration of 5-7 minutes.
- Reading: It is a 1 hour exam worth 25% of the total GCSE, and a total of 60 marks to be gained. Section A of this test will have questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally. Section B has questions in German, to be answered in German or non-verbally. Section C is a translation from German into English, with a minimum of 50 words.
- Writing: A 1 hour 15 minute exam worth 25% of the total course, with 60 marks. The questions will be set as follows: Question 1– a structured writing task (students respond to four compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 90 words in total), with a choice from two questions. This is worth 16 marks. Question 2– an open-ended writing task (students respond to two compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 150 words in total), with a choice from two questions. This is worth 32 marks. Question 3– a translation from English into German (minimum 50 words). This is worth 12 marks.
Edexcel :
Students learn about identity and culture; their local area; holiday and travel; school; future aspirations, study and work; and international and global dimensions.
- Listening and understanding: 45 minutes including 5 minutes’ reading time; 50 marks, 25% of the total qualification. Students are assessed on their understanding of standard spoken German by one or more speakers in a range of public and social settings. Students will respond to multiple-response and short-answer open response questions based on a recording featuring male and female German speakers. Section A of the exam is set in German.The instructions to students are in German. Section B is set in English.The instructions to students are in English.
- Speaking: 10–12 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time; 70 marks, 25% of the total qualification. This examination is internally conducted and externally assessed. Students are assessed on their ability to communicate and interact effectively through speaking in German for different purposes and in different settings. There are three tasks which must be conducted in the following order: Task 1 – a role play based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson. Task 2 – questions based on a picture stimulus based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson. Task 3 – conversation based on two themes. The first theme is based on the topic chosen by the student in advance of the assessment. The second theme is allocated by Pearson.
- Reading: 1 hour; 50 marks, and 25% of the total qualification. Students are assessed on their understanding of written German across a range of different types of texts, including advertisements, emails, letters, articles and literary texts. Students are required to respond to multiple-response and short-answer questions based on these texts.
- Writing: 1 hour 20 minutes; 60 marks, 25% of the total GCSE. Pupils are assessed on their ability to communicate effectively through writing in German for different purposes and audiences. Pupils are required to produce responses of varying lengths and types to express ideas and opinions in German. The instructions to students are in German. Word counts are specified for each question.
IGCSE :
Our German tutors can prepare students for German IGCSE as well the standard qualification. IGCSEs were introduced 30 years ago by Cambridge Assessment International Education and were created for international students. Many independent schools, as well as state schools, now offer IGCSEs as an alternative to the more common qualification. Universities and employers regard IGCSE and GCSE as equivalent qualifications.
- Listening: It is a 30 minute exam (with 5 minutes’ reading time), it’s worth 25% of the GCSE course, with a total of 40 marks. Candidates listen to a number of recordings and answer questions testing comprehension. This paper assesses listening skills across five topic areas: Home and abroad; Education and employment; Personal life and relationships; The world around us; Social activities, fitness and health.
- Reading and writing: A 1 hour 45 minute exam, worth 50% of the total IGCSE qualification, with 80 marks in total. Candidates read a number of texts and answer questions testing comprehension. This paper also assesses all the same topics as the listening paper.
- Speaking: The total assessment time is 8-10 minutes, worth 25% of the IGCSE, with a total of 40 marks. The examination is made up of three tasks. Pupils will present and answer questions on a picture. They will also discuss two different topics chosen at random by Pearson, from the following: Home and abroad; Education and employment; Personal life and relationships; The world around us; Social activities, fitness and health. There is more information about the few sub-topics that will not be discussed during this paper on the Pearson website.
Is tuition right for your child?
GCSEs can be stressful for teenagers and parents alike, but at Hampstead and Frognal Tutors we want to make Years 10 and 11 as fun and rewarding as possible. Our tutors instil knowledge, self-belief and motivation in their students, enabling them to excel in their examinations and beyond.
If you would like to request a tutor or a free assessment please click here.
