presents

German
How to get a H1 in the Leaving Cert
German Exam

by Gráinne D.
Gráinne got a H1 in her higher Leaving Cert German paper. She is currently
studying General Engineering in UCC. Here she shares what she learned.
German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe, but it is only the 2nd most
popular foreign language taken by Leaving Cert students. With only 6.6% of higher level
German students receiving a H1 in 2016, more and more students are opting to study
Spanish or Italian.

German, unlike many typical Leaving Certificate subjects, is hard to predict and doesn’t
encourage rote learning, similar to spoken languages in real life.

I decided to study German at second level, as I was lucky enough to study it for a year in
6th class. Having previously traveled to Germany, I found the language to be more useful
than French. After studying the language for 5 years at second level, I hope that this guide
can help you optimise your grade and achieve that H1 in August!

Contents
What should my study technique be? ........................................................................... 3
The Oral Exam................................................................................................................. 5
The Reading Comprehension ........................................................................................ 7
The Grammar Section .................................................................................................... 9
The Written Section ...................................................................................................... 10
The Listening Comprehension ..................................................................................... 12
Some Final Tips ............................................................................................................ 13

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 What should my study technique be?
German is quite a broad course, which is heavily based on being exposed to the language rather than
sitting at a desk for hours learning reams of information. Luckily, studying in small chunks, but often,
is ideal in order to succeed in German. These tips should help you focus your study on certain
aspects of the course and subsequently improve your German.

% Flashcards:
Flashcards: I personally found that flashcards were the most successful way to revise German.
This particularly applied to me when we had finished a topic in class e.g. school, and then I
would write words down on a flashcard that evening. This insured that the vocabulary stayed
fresh in my head and if I ever needed to revise a certain topic, I would just have to look back at
the flashcard and try to recall the words.

% Films and Books:

Books: German is a language and you can’t become fluent in by just learning off
vocabulary.
vocabulary In class, we would initially watch films such as Shark Tale in German, as the
language in it is simple to understand. Then as our German progressed, we watched more
advanced films like Goodnight Lenin. You might not get the chance to do this in class but you
can definitely do this at home too! Reading books or even German reading comprehensions in
your book or exam papers allow you to improve your German, as you are immersed in the
language, and the more vocabulary you are exposed to, the more fluent you will become.

% Internet:
Internet: With today’s technology, it has never been easier to learn German outside of the
classroom. In my German class, we often went to the computer room and used
languagesonline.org.uk, as we could learn new vocabulary and improve German through a
variety of games. Even using apps, such as Duolingo, allow you to track your progress and set
goals to accomplish. These insure that learning the language remains fun and can be tailored
to your level.

% Exam Papers:
Papers: Exam papers are vital to success in German.
German Students can often run out of
time due to the tight time constraints, so it’s important to practice your timing. Try to initially

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 practice various questions - reading comprehensions in particular - by trying to answer the
questions without using notes or a dictionary. As tempting as it may be to use a dictionary, you
are more likely to learn a new word or phrase by making the mistake and then revisiting that
particular question the following evening. You can practice this easily on Studyclix using the
Exam Builder or Print Questions feature to print out any questions you want to practice.

% Conversation:
Conversation: The oral is one of the biggest aspects of the German course and in order to get a
H1, so you need to put a lot of work into it. I would recommend that you ask your German
teacher to do a mock oral every couple of weeks or else decide to only speak German with
some of your classmates on a certain evening as the oral approaches. If this isn’t possible,
write out a common list of questions that you can be asked in your oral and sample answers
to accompany them and ask a parent/guardian/friend etc. to quiz you, so you can revise the
key phrases that you want to say in the oral exam.

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 The Oral Exam
The oral exam is worth 25% at higher level (100 marks) and therefore shouldn’t be overlooked if you
want to get a H1. It consists of the picture sequences or project, roleplays and general conversation
and lasts about 15-20 minutes.
% General Conversation:
Conversation: This is clearly the most important part of the oral as it counts for 40 of
the total 100 marks. A great way to do well is to have all your main topics well-
well- rehearsed
(school, local area, hobby, Germany, job, next year etc.), try to also have a few colloquial
phrases or sayings prepared.
prepared The main thing to remember is that the examiner is there to
give you marks and if you simply don’t understand what they said, know how to ask them to
repeat or rephrase the question. You are always asked if you want to discuss a German film or
text, so be prepared to answer that question if you have.

% Picture Sequences:
Sequences: If you choose to study the picture sequences, the 30 marks allocated are
broken down into 10 marks for telling the story, 10 marks for questions based on the story, as
well as a future prediction and 10 marks on the theme of the picture sequence. There are 5
picture sequences which consist of 5-6 smaller pictures. Each picture needs to be 3-4
sentences long, so don’t worry if your picture sequence isn’t 30 lines long. To avoid stress,
make sure you practice them every week and are very familiar with them. This is not
something you can cram.

% Project:
Project: This is the other option which you can choose. I personally would choose the picture
sequences, as you can rehearse them and quite often and the actual exam paper includes
themes found in the picture sequences. Your project can be based on anything on the German
course e.g. Sport in Germany or German food. Most marks are allocated for discussing your
project in general, with 10 marks going for questions based on the general theme of your
project.

% Roleplay: Similar to the picture sequences, it is vital to revise them. They are also worth 30

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 marks and there are 5 to revise. Make sure you know each point inside out, but if you do forget
one on the day, the examiner generally goes back to the point. Vocabulary and accuracy are
worth 10 marks, so try to focus on those when revising. Also, remember what role you’re
playing, because if you begin to read the wrong point, it suggests that you haven’t revised.

% General advice: The German oral exam is so much easier than both French and Irish orals, so
the likelihood of getting a H1 in the oral is higher.

Don’t panic on the day, everyone gets nervous, so make sure you have a decent bank of
vocabulary and phrases to fall back on in case you go completely blank.
blank If you make a few
mistakes, it doesn’t mean that you have no chance of getting a H1, as the examiner
understands that you are human and can make mistakes.

Make sure to expand on your points.

points Don’t just reply by saying “yes” or “no”. E.g. if the
examiner asks you if you like German, they are leaving the question open to discussing what
you do in class or if you went on a school tour to Germany, they don’t want just a yes/no
answer.

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 The Reading Comprehension
The two reading comprehensions on the paper are together worth 120 marks, which is more than the
oral and makes up the majority of the written production marks (220m)! The first reading
comprehension is generally an extract from a fictional story, whereas the second reading
comprehension is based on real life events, people or organization.

% Timing:
Timing: This is often the biggest % Answering Questions:
Questions: The first 4 parts
challenge, especially in the first of question 1 are generally in German,
reading comprehension. You should therefore answer them in German, as
spend 40 minutes on the first reading otherwise you will lose a lot of marks
comprehension, which includes the even if your answer was correct. The
time allocated for the detailed rest of the questions are in English and
question 4 and 30 minutes for the therefore you should answer them in
second reading comprehension. English.

% How to approach it:

it: I personally % German Questions:
Questions: For the German
preferred to read the questions first to questions, make sure you know what
get an idea about the text and with a the different questions mean e.g.
highlighter, highlight the most Wann? (When?), as many people often
important words in the question to get confused between them and can
focus on what’s important in the text. lose a lot of marks.
Afterwards quickly read through the
text, keeping an eye out for relevant
detail to the questions, which you can
also highlight.

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% Question 4:
4: This is the most weighted % Detail: Similar to the listening
question in the first reading comprehension, detail is required in
comprehension and is based on your every answer,
answer as each reading
understanding of the text. The marking comprehension is worth 60 marks.
scheme is generally broken down into When answering question 1 in German,
4x3m or 3x4m and the question make sure you don’t directly copy lots
requires you to read the text again to of details from the comprehension as
give sufficient detail. Always try to give you will lose marks, so try to write the
an extra point in case one of your answers in your own words.
points isn’t detailed enough for a mark.

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 The Grammar Section
At 25 marks, I recommend that you spend approximately 15 minutes on this section. As it is worth the
fewest marks, I would leave it until the end, because if you are running out of time, you can quickly
fill it out. The section is based on the first reading comprehension and tests you on your knowledge
of the different cases and grammatical rules.

% Marking scheme: Marks are split up into 2 sections, with one of the sections based on your
ability to recognise the different forms of grammar and the other section based on your ability
to write grammatically correct sentences or questions.
% Tenses: This is one of the most common questions asked. They often give you a sentence from
the text and ask you to change the tense or ask you what tense it’s written in. Therefore, you
should know the irregular verbs and how they are written in the past tense, perfect tense,
past perfect tense (plusquamperfekt), present tense, future tense and the conditional mode
(e.g. I would…).
% Gender:
Gender Unlike English, German nouns each have a gender and they are often asked in the
grammar section, therefore when learning off words, pay attention to the gender of the nouns.
% Cases: This is another type of question that appears quite often on the paper and is based on
your understanding of the nominative, accusative, dative and genitive cases. They can be
quite difficult to grasp; therefore, many people have to just sit down and learn off the table. I
personally found flashcards quite useful for this as I accompanied each case and gender with
a common example.
% Relative Pronoun: Known for being one of the most difficult aspects of grammar for LC
German, it takes a lot of practice to get a good grasp of it, which is necessary to get a H1. The
best way to understand it is to translate the sentences into English and then alter them,
because if it sounds right in English, it’s right in German.

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 The Written Section
Section
The written section of the paper consists of the Äuẞerung zum Thema and the Schriftliche Produktion
and they are worth 75 marks combined. Many students choose to do these sections first as they are
the most time consuming. In order to get a H1 overall, you generally need to get a H1 or a high H2 in
this section, because on average, the written aspects of the paper are where students get their worst
mark.
Äuẞerung zum Thema
% Timing:
Timing: Since the section is worth 25 chances of getting a H1.
marks, I would spend 25 minutes on the % Quality not Quantity:
Quantity: If you are asked
section in order to ensure that you for a certain amount of information,
answer every question asked. make sure to fully answer the
% Plan:
Plan: In this section, you get a choice of question in detail, but stay on track!
track
2 questions, which are based on the For example, if you are asked about 2
themes of the 2 reading ways on how to reduce the effects of
comprehensions, therefore instead of global warming, don’t go off on a
attempting both questions choose 1 tangent about sea levels rising, etc., as
and plan your answers in bullet point this suggests that you can only
form,
form as often they require 2-3 reasons regurgitate paragraphs you have learnt
for your opinion. off or that you are a weaker student,
% Accuracy: 12 marks out of 25 in this who only recognised the words “global
section are for your accuracy and warming” and wrote everything you
proficiency in the German language, know. Also, if you write excessively, you
therefore try to critically analyse your tend to make more mistakes, as you
points in case you made any rush to put all your points down on the
grammatical errors or have poor page and therefore will lose more
expression, as they reduce your marks for accuracy in expression.
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Schriftliche Produktion
% Timing: I would recommend on % Layout:
Layout: Make sure you know the layout
spending 40 minutes on this section, as of a letter if you decide to choose this
it is worth 50 marks and you want to option, as 4 marks go for suitable and
ensure that you read over the letter a elaborate opening and closing phrases.
few times in order to make sure that % Details: Even if you have answered all
you answer every point. the points and have written at least 160
% Themes:
Themes: In the letter, a broad range of words, don’t be afraid to give more
themes are generally asked, so make detail on your points as you can get up
sure you are able to discuss basic to 5 more marks.
topics like the summer holidays or % Accuracy: For both options, accuracy is
university. Every year they ask required in word order, grammar and
questions that you couldn’t revise for, expression, as they account for up to 25
in order to prevent rote learning, so marks. Use also a variety of verbs and
don’t panic! If you get a shock, chances phrases, as they highlight your fluency
are the vast majority of students are and the more fluent you are, the more
surprised as well. likely you are to get a H1!

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 The Listening Comprehension

This section is worth 20% and occurs after the written portion of the exam. Most students do better
in the listening than the written part of the exam, as sections 1, 3 and 4 in the listening are done
through English. Here are some tips which can help you optimise your grade.

% Practice:
Practice: To do well in the listening, practice is key!
key Try to do at least one listening
comprehension a week and correct it with the entire text in front of you, which you can find in
the marking scheme.
% Vocabulary
Vocabu lary:
lary: If you are unsure about the meaning of a word, write it down and find its meaning,
as certain professions, place names and problems are constantly repeated in various listening
comprehensions.
% Section 2: Don’t forget that section 2 in the higher level listening paper must be answered
through German. Many people, (including myself☺) have made this mistake and automatically
lost around 12 marks
% Detail: Always expand on your points and write down as much detail as possible. Questions
often state to “Give Details” and you might think that 2 pieces of information is sufficient, but
sometimes the marking scheme could be 3x2m or 4x1m and you could lose marks quite easily.
% Blanks: Never leave a blank,
blank even if you didn’t understand a single word! If this happens, read
over the questions and any previous answers and give an educated guess.
% Section 4: The most marks are going for this section; “The news”. You can always revise for the
weather question, as the question is basically guaranteed but the other sections are harder to
predict. Therefore, watch small news clips on Das Erste or other news channels to keep up to
date with news in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
% Breaks: Don’t panic if you don’t hear everything the first time! You hear everything 3 times with
multiple breaks included so you have plenty of time to write down everything you hear.
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 Some Final Tips

% Don’t cram German and leave it until the last minute.

minute Constantly study it throughout the
year, as it is easier to gradually learn languages and cramming just leads to more stress, which
isn’t helpful when you are sitting your exams in June.
% Remember you’ve been studying German for 5-6 years, so don’t be afraid to show off your
vocabulary. At the end of the day, the
fluency by using loads of sayings and impressive vocabulary
examiner is there to give you marks- not deduct them!
% If you go blank on the day, don’t worry! Just move on from that section and come back to it,
because the word might come back to you after looking at a reading comprehension.
% Know your exam technique and the marks for each section off by heart before you go
into the exam,
exam as otherwise you could lose a lot of marks due to running out of time or
forgetting to do a section.
% Don’t treat German like Irish. The language is alive and used daily in Europe. It also looks
impressive on a CV, as it highlights that you are bilingual. You never know you if might need it
for a job or might end up living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland!

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I wish you the best of luck in
the exam! You’ll do great. ☺

Gráinne

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