Speaking (2) (AQA GCSE German): Revision Notes

Paper 2: Speaking

Understanding the speaking exam structure

The German speaking exam consists of two main tasks that test different skills. You'll need to demonstrate your pronunciation, comprehension, and conversational abilities across both parts of the assessment.

The reading aloud task

This first section evaluates how well you can pronounce German text and respond to follow-up questions about what you've read.

What happens during this task:

• You'll receive a text containing vocabulary from the official AQA word lists
• Your teacher will signal when to begin by saying "Lies mir den Text vor" (read the text to me)
• After reading, you'll answer four questions related to the same topic as the passage
• The questions will be asked in the present tense at both Foundation and Higher levels
• These follow-up questions won't be written on your card

Marking breakdown:

• Reading the text aloud: 5 marks
• Follow-up questions: 10 marks (total of 15 marks for this section)

The photo card task

This section has two distinct parts that build upon each other, testing both descriptive and conversational skills.

Part 1: Describing the picture (5 marks) You'll receive a card showing two black and white photographs related to a specific topic. Your job is to describe both images, mentioning at least one detail about each photo. Focus on describing the people, places, and activities you can observe in the pictures.

Part 2: Unprepared conversation (20 marks) Following your photo descriptions, you'll engage in a spontaneous conversation about the same topic. This carries the highest mark allocation, so preparation strategies are crucial for success.

Essential vocabulary for success

German	English	Usage notes
der Mann	the man	Use for adult male people
die Frau	the woman	Use for adult female people
der Junge	the boy	Use for young male people
das Mädchen	the girl	Remember: das Mädchen (neuter!)
die Leute	the people	Plural form, always use with plural verbs
eine Person	a person	Useful for singular descriptions
toll	great/brilliant	Positive adjective for opinions
wunderbar	wonderful	Strong positive adjective
schlecht	bad	Negative opinion adjective
langweilig	boring	Useful for expressing dislikes
gefährlich	dangerous	Descriptive adjective for activities
auf dem ersten Foto	in the first photo	Essential phrase for photo descriptions
auf dem zweiten Foto	in the second photo	Essential phrase for photo descriptions

Example sentences with translations

Present tense examples:

• Ich mag meine Schule. (I like my school.)
• Jeden Tag haben wir fünf Stunden. (Every day we have five lessons.)
• Mein Lieblingsfach dieses Jahr ist Geschichte. (My favourite subject this year is history.)

Past tense examples:

• In der Mittagspause esse ich Brot mit Käse. (At lunchtime I eat bread with cheese.)
• Zweimal in der Woche gehe ich nach der Schule zu dem Filmklub. (Twice a week I go to the film club after school.)

Opinion expressions:

• Ich finde es toll. (I think it's great.)
• Das ist wunderbar! (That's wonderful!)
• Es ist ziemlich langweilig. (It's quite boring.)

Grammar and pronunciation tips

Pronunciation guidance:

• Take time during the preparation period to understand the text thoroughly - your pronunciation improves when you know what you're saying
• Read the text slowly and clearly rather than rushing - there's no benefit to reading quickly
• Pay special attention to words with pronunciation marks like "ow", "sh", "ay" annotations
• Practice common letter combinations like "ch", "sch", and "ei"

Grammar reminders:

• Revise useful descriptive phrases before the exam
• Remember that adjectives change their endings depending on the noun they describe
• Use a variety of tenses in the conversation section to demonstrate your range
• Don't be afraid to use complex sentence structures with conjunctions like "weil", "obwohl", and "dass"

Conversation strategies:

• Keep your answers relevant to the questions asked
• Develop some answers to show more detail rather than giving only brief responses
• Express your opinions and explain your reasoning
• Use what you know confidently - you don't need to invent words, but you can be creative with the vocabulary you have

Translation practice exercise

German to English:

1. Auf dem ersten Foto sehe ich einen Mann und eine Frau.
2. Ich finde das Wetter heute toll, aber gestern war es schlecht.

English to German: 3. The girl is reading a book in the library. 4. I think the film is boring, but my friend likes it.

Answers:

1. In the first photo I see a man and a woman.
2. I think the weather is great today, but yesterday it was bad.
3. Das Mädchen liest ein Buch in der Bibliothek.
4. Ich finde den Film langweilig, aber mein Freund mag ihn.

Remember!

• Take your time with pronunciation - understanding the text during preparation time significantly improves your spoken delivery and confidence

• Use familiar vocabulary creatively - you don't need to know every word, but use what you know well to express your ideas clearly

• Focus on the conversation section - with 20 marks available, this is where you can really demonstrate your German skills through detailed responses and varied tenses

• Describe systematically - for photo cards, mention people, places, and activities in both images using phrases like "auf dem ersten Foto" and "auf dem zweiten Foto"

• Answer fully and give opinions - especially in the unprepared conversation, develop your answers with explanations and personal views to show off your language abilities