Live Life Team
GCSE German is a good alternative to French. However, you may well not get the opportunity to try it out until you get to the high school environment. Like all of the foreign languages, German is an optional choice, and you do not have to choose any foreign languages if you don’t want to.
Like French you may get the opportunity to travel, this time in Germany. This means you may get to look at German history first hand as well as practicing your conversational German, maybe in shops, cafes or museums. It is a good life skill to go abroad without your parents, and the school will provide you with support to extend your level of independence, whether you go as a group in hostels or on an exchange with a family.
There are examinations at the end of the course, and you will learn all about German in terms of conversational uses, grammar and correct pronunciation, and written German. As with French there will be an oral examination where you will have a conversation and answer questions on a one to one basis with your German teacher. This is recorded and sent in to the moderators for marking.
German is a good option if you are considering a career where being bilingual is an advantage, or obviously if you’re considering becoming a German teacher when you progress through the education system. If this is your plan you will need to go on to A levels and then a degree.
