GCSE German
GCSE German is almost entirely a literacy qualification: learners listen to and read German, answer in English or Welsh, translate into English or Welsh, write in German about a studied work and to a stimulus, and speak for 7 to 10 minutes, with 20.5% of marks for grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling accuracy and no dictionary in any unit. Numeracy is light and incidental: numbers 1 to 100, simple fractions, the 12 and 24 hour clock, dates, and graphs among the reading texts. The biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is secure, dictionary-free recall of core vocabulary and grammar, used every week in short translations and independent writing and speaking.
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
- Unit 1: Oracy: Non-examination assessment, speaking test 7 to 10 minutes plus 10 minutes preparation, 60 marks, 30%
- Unit 2: Reading and Writing: Non-examination assessment 1 hour, 45 marks, 15%
- Unit 3: Listening: Written examination 45 minutes including 5 minutes reading time, 45 marks, 20%
- Unit 4: Reading and Writing: Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks, 35%
Skills that use Connectives and syntax
-
Writing in German for different purposes
The Unit 4 writing task asks learners to write in German in response to a stimulus, communicating information, describing, narrating and justifying opinions in formal and informal contexts, using more complex structures and past, present and future time frames.
Literacy: Connectives and syntax, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write a five-sentence German description of their family and pets, each sentence including an opinion joined with 'weil', sending the verb to the end.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a German postcard from a holiday using the perfect tense for three things they did and one sentence about a future plan.
- Year 9
- Pupils write 80 to 100 words in German replying to an advert for a summer job, using three time frames and justified opinions, then check it against a success checklist.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 4 Reading and Writing, Areas of content, page 19
“communicate clearly and effectively in writing for a variety of purposes, including communicating information, describing, narrating, expressing and justifying opinions”
Progression step 3
I can use an increasing range of connectives to organise my ideas in sentences, paragraphs and whole texts.
I can use the standard form of a variety of words, e.g. present, past and negative forms.
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.
I can use a range of connectives specifically when organising my ideas in whole texts for different purposes.
I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.
Progression step 5
I can vary sentence structures to engage and sustain the reader’s interest and write with grammatical accuracy.
I can organise writing in an appropriate form, ensuring content is detailed within and between paragraphs or sections, developing and sustaining ideas coherently.
-
Grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling accuracy
AO3, knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling correspondence, carries 20.5% of the qualification across Units 1, 2 and 4. Learners must learn the Appendix A grammar and sound-spelling list and the Appendix B vocabulary lists, and read aloud accurately enough to be understood.
Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Understanding, response and analysis, Connectives and syntax
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils play a weekly German sound bingo, focusing on 'ch', 'ei' or 'ie', where they hear a word, write it from its sounds, and check umlauts against the sound-spelling list.
- Year 8
- Pupils read an unseen five-line German text aloud to a partner, who ticks each 'ei', 'ie', 'ch' and umlaut said correctly, then swap and repeat.
- Year 9
- Pupils proofread a German paragraph seeded with ten errors in word order, case endings and capital letters on nouns, correct them, and explain two of the rules in English.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.1 Assessment objectives and weightings, page 21
“Demonstrate knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling correspondence.”
Progression step 3
I can use language appropriate to writing, including standard forms, e.g. nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, connectives and verb tenses.
I can use my knowledge of letter sounds and patterns accurately in my spelling, including:
- roots, e.g. light, geo, appear
- suffixes, e.g. -able, -cious/tious, -ful
- plural forms correctly in context, e.g. -s, -es, -ies.
I can read a wide range of texts aloud with expression, varying intonation, voice and pace.
Progression step 4
I can use a variety of strategies and resources to spell familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary and area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words correctly.
I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.
I can read a range of challenging and authentic texts aloud with expression, varying intonation, voice and pace to convey meaning.
Progression step 5
I can use strategies to spell discipline-specific and general academic words in appropriate contexts.
I can vary sentence structures to engage and sustain the reader’s interest and write with grammatical accuracy.
I can read a range of challenging and authentic texts aloud with expression, varying intonation, voice and pace to convey meaning.
Good to know
- Dictionaries are banned in every unit: "Learners are not permitted to use a dictionary in any part of the assessment." (Summary of assessment, page 5).
- Unit 1 oracy allows only the learner's own notes: "or any other reference materials excluding the learner's own notes." (Section 3.2, Unit 1, page 21). Presentation preparation is time-limited: "The preparation period for the presentation may begin two weeks prior to the first timetabled assessment." (page 22).
- Unit 2 reading and writing NEA allows no reference materials at all: "Learners are not permitted to use dictionaries in any part of the assessment, or any other reference materials." (Section 3.2, Unit 2, page 22).
- Accuracy of language is assessed directly through AO3, "Demonstrate knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and sound-spelling correspondence.", weighted 8% in Unit 1, 5% in Unit 2 and 7.5% in Unit 4, 20.5% overall (Section 3.1, page 21). There is no separate SPaG mark for English or Welsh answers.
- Productive vocabulary is tied to the Appendix B lists: "Equal but no additional credit will be given for learners who use vocabulary outside the specified list in productive tasks." (Section 2, page 10).
- Unit 3 and Unit 4 questions are answered in English or Welsh, so learners' English or Welsh must be clear enough to show understanding: "respond to a range of questions in Cymraeg/English." (Unit 3, page 17).
- Unit 3 includes reading time before listening: "Written examination: 45 minutes (including 5 minutes' reading time)" (Unit 3, page 16).
- Number knowledge is limited to a stated range: learners "are expected to know the numbers" 1 to 100 (Appendix B, Numbers, page 40). The spec sets no calculation, mentions no calculator, and states no word limits for the writing tasks or whether responses are handwritten or typed.
Links with other GCSEs
WJEC's Appendix C ticks literacy listening for all four units, reading and writing for Units 2 and 4, and speaking for Units 1 and 4 (page 92), and ticks only the number system strand of numeracy, for all four units (page 93).
Source: WJEC GCSE German specification, Teaching from 2025, For award from 2027, Version 2, February 2025.