A-Level German: Aiming for A/A*

Course Code: T0302 £249.00

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new course, brand new for 2025, is designed for all teachers of A-Level German. The aim of the course is to help teachers fine tune students’ performances so that they can achieve the highest grades. The course will outline what is expected of high ability students and explore ways to build your teaching practice around this. The course will demonstrate practical teaching and learning ideas and approaches for developing key skills and knowledge through which able students can enhance higher level skills.   We will analyse what is expected at the top end of the mark range and explore active strategies to build your teaching practice around this to effectively stretch and challenge students. It will also provide guidance on effective revision strategies and examination techniques.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

  • Focused on identifying the demands of Grades A & A* and providing materials to help teachers prepare students effectively
  • Emphasis on teaching approaches which are most effective with able German students
  • Focus on teaching approaches which stretch and challenge beyond A-Level
  • A detailed look at the different demands and types of questions
  • Materials will be provided that will allow teachers to cover the course in innovative and student-friendly ways that push the highest ability students

PROGRAMME

10.00am

Grades A & A*: Key student behaviours

  • The structure of the specification and using it to plan for success for the top end students
  • Exam Feedback: what does it tell us about the standards set for the top learners?
  • How can we teach to this effectively?
  • Grades A & A*: what are the differences between these?
  • Key attributes of Grade A & A* German students in the classroom and how to identify these students
  • Which skills are the very hardest in A-Level German?
  • Developing analytical skills after the description based GCSE
  • Avoiding potential hazards: what can cost a top student their A grade?

10.45am: Break

11.00am

The Key Challenges For A/A* Students On Paper 1

  • Stretching students’ vocabulary skills and use in the classroom
  • Strategies for answering the Reading and Listening questions – spotting and dealing with distractors
  • Tackling the toughest sentences: developing the skills needed to unpick hard German
  • Stretching top students with unseen texts
  • Best resources and ideas for helping students revise for the Listening and Reading
  • Getting students to self-monitor; routines and ideas for creating personal checklists to use in exam conditions

12.00pm

Stretching and Challenge Able Students for High quality responses on the Writing Paper

  • What are examiners looking for?
  • A breakdown of what is required by Assessment Objective – how do AO4 and AO3 connect with each other?
  • Planning to ensure effective use of ‘terminology’ (Edexcel) and a ‘range of vocabulary and complex structures’ (AQA)
  • Approaches to ensure ‘detailed reference to the work’ (AQA) and lots of ‘relevant supporting evidence’ (Eduqas)
  • Supporting students to write fool-proof plans and giving them strategies to self-monitor under exam conditions

1.00pm: Lunch

2.00pm

Interpretations – The Key Challenges for Paper 3: Speaking

  • What are the major issues to cover from German speaking countries – what is current and how can you and your students keep track?
  • No excuses for not getting full marks for AO4 (Knowledge of Society) – easy wins for the oral exam
  • Choosing and monitoring the IRP; what kind of titles do examiners like and why?
  • Finding a suitable topic – getting a balance between interest and the level of language required to discuss the topic

2.45pm: Break

2.50pm

Finishing Touches: Conducting the speaking exam to get the best out of your students

  • How to conduct the exam to get the best out of your students
  • Common pitfalls to avoid
  • Helping students achieve their ‘linguistic ceiling’ without scaring them into silence
  • What do examiners like to see/hear?

3.15pm

Exam Tactics for Reaching the Highest Grades

  • What are the biggest challenges in A-Level German for the A/A* learner?
  • Retention, recall and deployment. Hints for embedding chronology and coverage of key content
  • Varying techniques to stretch the most able. l Revision ideas to help students produce the highest quality responses

Depart

3.15pm  
A-Level - Code: T0302

A-Level German: Aiming for A/A*

COURSE LEADER

Wanda Marshall is a German and French teacher of nearly 20 years’ experience. She was formerly Head of German in a large north London comprehensive. She currently teaches Edexcel A-Level German in a sixth form college and has also been an examiner for AQA A-Level German (Paper 3, oral) for the past five years so she has first hand current experience of teaching and examining the two main boards.

Read more