A Level German Tutor

A Level German is a step up from previously studied German. Having an A Level German Tutor can really excel your learning and understanding of the subject. The best way to support your child through their A Level German is to give them the tools and skills to succeed. Some targeted intervention with an experienced A Level German tutor can make all the difference. Our A Level German tutors are experienced, qualified teachers, Heads of Department and Examiners who know the A Level German syllabuses back to front. They can teach your child in the manner they learn best, explain the latest mark schemes, coach unusual pronunciations, and dramatically improve their exam technique.

Why choose A level German

There are at least 170 million speakers of German worldwide. The German language is known for its intricate grammar, its many loanwords and cognates with English, and its rich literary canon which spans from Goethe to Sebald. A Level German builds on the grammar and vocabulary taught at GCSE, while introducing students to the unique challenges and pleasures of studying culture- namely literature, film, and current affairs- in another language. In addition to the practical benefits and cachet of being proficient in another language, students and university graduates of German also enjoy an advantage in the job market. This is an A Level for anyone intending to pursue the humanities, as well as those with an interest in Germany or linguistics.

Exam Boards

It’s important to identify which exam board your child’s school is following for A Level German as they do vary. For example, some exam boards structure oral examinations differently. Exam boards also diverge in their prescribed cultural topics. Having some knowledge of exam boards is great information to give to your A Level German Tutor. This will help them tailor their lessons with your child, to include relevant syllabus content.

The main exam boards for A Level German are:

• Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
• Edexcel
• Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE)

What is A Level German all about?

Though syllabuses and prescribed texts do vary, students of A Level German build confidence by applying the language in different registers and contexts.

Reading

Candidates are required to critically analyse a text; in terms of how the language’s syntax fundamentally functions and why writers make lexical and syntactic choices for stylistic effect. Students must also extract and explain pertinent information from a text, whether it is plain everyday German, journalism, or something more literary.

Writing

Candidates must communicate clearly and succinctly in multiple registers. They must also demonstrate a grasp of grammar and a broad vocabulary, be it to answer a simple factual question, or to develop a considered response to an argument or cultural topic in an essay. For some exam boards, such as CIE, candidates are required to respond to passages from and essay questions on a prescribed text.

Listening

Candidates are required to distill key takeaways from an audio passage and respond in clear and succinct English and German.

Speaking

Candidates are required to understand and respond to examiner prompts, as well as a stimulus article, with appropriate content in an appropriate register. Your child should be able to demonstrate understanding of the key ideas and themes of a stimulus article. They must also discuss one or two prescribed topics with an examiner; presenting ideas, justifying opinions, and considering new perspectives in clear, accurate, and interesting German.

How an A Level German tutor will help you do well

The foundation of your child’s success at German A Level will come from a solid understanding of grammar and a wide, varied vocabulary. This understanding will come in part from the fundamentals taught at GCSE. It is important that your child doesn’t focus on the cultural component at the expense of language skills. The cultural topics are designed to give students the chance to demonstrate complex German using advanced constructions and specialist vocabulary.

To succeed, your child should continue to build confidence and familiarity with both the language and culture through exposing them to as much spoken German as possible. This could be through travel, or simply listening to the radio for 15 minutes daily. While speaking German may feel uncomfortable at first, practising everyday conversations with a native speaker or qualified tutor can set candidates apart. This is particularly evident in A Level oral exams where candidates must present and discuss topics in considerably more depth than at GCSE.

For the cultural component, it helps if your child finds a research topic they genuinely find interesting. This enthusiasm comes across in the oral exam, and also increases the likelihood of retaining information to use in written exams.

Your A Level German Tutor will spend a lot of time in the run up to the exam going through past papers. These provide the best preparation to help your child master each style of exam question. This will help your child to obtain higher marks.

Understand the mark scheme

As a parent, you need to understand how your child’s A Level German exams will be marked.  This is so that you know how to help them to obtain the best mark that they can achieve. All the exam boards publish detailed guidance on what they are looking for, including specimen marked answers. The examiner will be giving a specific number of marks for predetermined responses to each question.

Your child needs to know exactly what the examiner wants from them in each style of assessment. They then need to learn how to ‘tick the boxes’ on the mark scheme to ensure they pick up the most marks they can. Learning different exam question styles will be an essential part of your child’s time with their A Level German tutor.

Make a revision plan

It is important that your child allows enough time for revision. They need to organise their work properly. Your A Level German tutor will have a structured revision plan by the January of their exam year.

Quality revision

Students should actively revise key grammar (conjugations and tenses), as well as vocabulary, connectives, and opinions. German revision can also be passive: playing a German show (e.g. Türkisch Für Anfänger) or podcast at the breakfast table or in the car helps familiarise your child with common speech patterns. Regularly reading simple German novellas and news articles improves comprehension speed, introduces new vocabulary, and prepares them for further study. When approaching exam season, doing past papers is vital for practising question styles and managing exam timings.

Before exams, make sure your child has their notes in order! It can help to check notes against the syllabus as the year progresses. Once you’re confident that the whole syllabus is covered, they can independently start to make revision notes and mind maps based on things such as vocabulary modules or cultural topics. The skills developed in this re-noting and reformulating are very helpful for planning and practising common discursive structures.

Before exam season, it is also important to liaise with teachers about any material that your child is finding difficult. The more notice you give them before exams, the more likely it is that they’ll be able to make time to offer support and go over tricky topics.

Throughout the academic year and revision period it is also helpful to think about how your child learns best. Do they like the pressure of a memory test or flashcards? Or mapping out key ideas helpful? Maybe they like challenging themselves to write everything they know about a topic on one side of A4? Or talking things over with a parent, sibling, or with their A Level German tutor? Or recording useful or interesting constructions to play back on the bus? Everyone learns and revises differently!

Sitting public exams

Even after navigating the demands of GCSEs, students can feel immense pressure around the time of public exams and it is part of your job as a parent to help them navigate this. On a positive note, this can be a time of great personal growth for teenagers, as they specialise in academic interests, sustain hard work over many months and push through exam nerves. Talk to your child about managing their emotions and introduce important elements of self care, such as sufficient sleep and good nutrition.

A Level German tutor

The best way to support your child through their A Level German is to give them the tools and skills to succeed. Some targeted intervention with an experienced A Level German tutor can make all the difference.  Our A Level German tutors are experienced, qualified teachers, Heads of Department and examiners who know the A Level German syllabuses back to front. They can teach your child in the manner they learn best, explain the latest mark schemes, coach unusual pronunciations, and dramatically improve their exam technique.

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