New Themes
Your German GCSE now has three updated themes. Everything you learn fits into these:
Theme 1: People and Lifestyle
Talking about who you are, your relationships, health, school life, and future plans.
Theme 2: Popular Culture
Free time, hobbies, festivals, celebrations, and celebrity culture.
Theme 3: Communication and the World Around Us
Technology, media, travel, tourism, the environment, and where people live.
Vocabulary List
AQA now gives a set vocabulary list.
You will only be tested on words from this list.
This makes revision clearer and helps you know exactly what to learn.
New Task Types
- Dictation (you listen and write down what you hear)
- Reading aloud in the speaking exam
- More structured questions
- Fewer long, memorised answers
- Tasks focus more on understanding and communicating clearly
Exam Papers
The structure stays the same:
- Listening – 25%
- Speaking – 25%
- Reading – 25%
- Writing – 25%
But the total marks are now 200 instead of 240.
What the Exams Focus On
The exams now put more weight on understanding German:
- Listening comprehension – 35%
- Reading comprehension – 45%
- Grammar and vocabulary accuracy – 20%
This means you’re rewarded more for understanding spoken and written French, not just producing long answers.
Pronunciation Matters
You’ll practise phonics more, and pronunciation is tested through:
- Reading aloud
- Dictation
- Listening tasks
AQA provides audio to help you practise.
Why These Changes?
The new GCSE aims to be:
- More accessible
- More predictable
- More focused on real-life communication
- Easier to revise for
- Clearer about what vocabulary and grammar you need
You can access resources to support your learning and revision at:
https://www.aqa.org.uk/files/514f7d21-60b2-4358-9888-97fa21a931c1