A Level German Speaking aagghhhh

Absolutely losing my mind over the uncertainty of the ALevel german speaking component. I am sitting in 2 weeks. I cannot figure out how much I should know, because I cant get feedback on my IRP. My discussion cards are hit or miss with whether I have enough to say, I know that theres a choice of 2 so hopefully that helps. Oh yes also I am doing eduqas!!! Losing my mind, I don't know what or how to revise for it.

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by tblurj

Hi @tblurj

I felt the exact same way when I was taking my A Level German speaking too - so I know how you feel!

With speaking exams, there will always be a level of uncertainty and unpredictability as you have with any conversation, so I appreciate the feeling of not knowing whether you're prepared enough. But I found having a bank of pre-written answers helped me to feel more prepared in the exam.

You can guide the conversation quite easily, for example if there is a subtopic within the exam theme you're given that you know lots about, you can try to direct the conversation there. Although the examiner is asking you questions, you can try to make the conversation more natural when responding by guiding it to an area you know more about, like you would in a conversation in English.

My best preparation technique was to look at past exam papers online, and to generate written answers first, with all the fancy clauses and phrases, which I would then try to replicate when speaking. I wouldn't memorize exactly what I had written in detail, but having answers prepared in advance, you will find your focus can be on your speaking rather than generating brand new ideas out of the blue. This can also help you think about what your examiner might ask you in response too.

When practicing, don't be afraid to speak aloud to yourself. It sounds silly, but I would literally have an out loud conversation with myself where I would predict what my examiner might ask in response to what I had just said.

I also found it helpful to have some key phrases 'rehearsed' that I knew would get me higher marks. These can be things like different tenses, conversational phrases that are more colloquial to sound more fluent, or just adjectives and connectives that are a step up from the basic response. You can then drop these into the conversation where you best see fit.

Also don't be afraid to ask for the question to be repeated in the exam - so long as you ask in German! I used to be afraid that I would sound silly asking for the question again, but sometimes with the nerves of the exam I wouldn't quite understand the question first time around but once more can help you figure out what you're being asked if you're unsure.

Wishing you the best for your exam! 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

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