Section outline

    • Low level response

    • Section 1: Presentation and follow-up discussion

      Presentation, interaction/responsiveness

      In line with the mark scheme for communication in the Presentation and follow-up discussion: Presentation, interaction /responsiveness (AO4:S1 and S2), Level 3 and Level 4:

      •  The candidate communicates information that is sometimes detailed. And provides ideas and opinions.
      •  The candidate makes some attempts to justify his answers.
      •  The candidate engages in the conversation, has a good interaction with the teacher/examiner and responds to most questions.

      The candidate does not fit into one level for all descriptors. While there is little detailed information which is not presented in a logical and sequential manner, the candidate interacts well and sometimes, very well, with the teacher/examiner, and answers most questions in a satisfactory manner. Due to this positive and successful interaction, the candidate is awarded Level 4.

      Mark awarded = 7 out of 10


      Language range

      In line with the mark scheme for Language range in the Presentation and follow-up discussion (AO4:S3), Level 3:

      The candidate does use some linking and cohesive devices to connect a sequence of points. The only subordinate clauses in this whole part are two weil sentences and a dass clause, otherwise linking devices are very simple, for example:aber and auch (e.g.: Fußball, ich hab Fußball von ein junges Jahre gespielen, jetzt spiel ich es nicht, aber das ist sehr, für mich das ist sehr gut Sport, das ist international, das ist in Afrika, das ist in USA (English pronunciation), das ist in Europe, das ist in Brasilien).

      The candidate uses vocabulary which is appropriate to the tasks, but, at times, is lacking the words to express himself fully and then he fills in with English words or attempts to Germanise words (like goen for gehen), so for the second bullet, the performance is more Level 2 than Level 3).

      However, there is little repetition and hesitation, so a mark in Level 3 is appropriate.

      Mark awarded = 5 out of 10


      Language accuracy

      In line with the mark scheme for Language accuracy in the Presentation and follow-up discussion (AO4:S4), Level 2:

      The main criterion speaking for this candidate is that his errors rarely impede communication, although a non-English speaker would struggle more to understand when he, too frequently uses English words. (e.g.: Nein, nicht jetzt, aber ich wolle, solle das machen. Ich wolle to ein Chelsea Match goen, weil ich lieb Chelsea, und Dortmund auch, mein Onkel ist ein großes, großes Dortmund Fan, so hopen wir …)

      There are very few attempts to use more complex grammar (the three simple subordinate clauses mentioned above are the only exception), and errors in simple grammar also are quite frequent (e.g.: Ja, er ist sehr groß, so in zehn Jahre wird wir sprechen nach Cristiano Ronaldo noch).

      Mark awarded = 4 out of 10

       

      Total mark awarded for Presentation and follow-up discussion = 16 out of 30

    • Section 2: Conversation task card (Card 3)

      Task completion and communication

      In line with the mark scheme for Task completion and communication in the Conversation task card (AO4:S1 and S2), Level 3:

      The candidate completes some tasks successfully (or in this case, completes most task with some success or limited success), communicates information that is sometimes relevant and engages in the conversation with some interaction with the teacher/examiner. The interaction with the teacher/examiner is the most successful aspect of this performance, but even this is marred by the over-frequent use of English words.

      All these three Level 3 descriptors apply accurately, and at no time could this candidate be raised to Level 4 for this task. On the other hand, he is also very clearly above Level 2.

      Mark awarded = 6 out of 10


      Language range

      In line with the mark scheme for Language range in the Conversation task card (AO4:S3), Level 2:

      Lack of vocabulary appropriate to the task is clearly an issue in this conversation, and the frequent use of English words shows this very clearly (e.g.: Ich denk das ist mit general Kommunikation mit planning, mit checking-in). Also, the candidate’s use of linking devices is not always successful, and there is noticeable repetition

      Mark awarded = 4 out of 10


      Language accuracy

      In line with the mark scheme for Language accuracy in the Conversation task card (AO4:S4), Level 2:

      Errors do sometimes impede communication (e.g.: Das ist sehr schlecht, weil ich möchte nicht meine Information draußen haben, im die Internet haben). The candidate makes a number of errors even with relatively simple grammar (e.g.: Ja, ich denke, das ist sehr wichtig, weil du kannst ein, meine Mutti können in Deutschland bin, und ich in Namibia bin, aber ich könnte noch mit ihm sprechen). Even though in this example communication is not directly impeded, the meaning is slightly ambiguous due to the errors.

      Mark awarded = 4 out of 10

      Total mark awarded for Conversation task card = 14 out of 30


      Pronunciation and intonation for the whole speaking test

      In line with the mark scheme for Pronunciation and intonation (AO4:S5), Level 3:

      Due to his natural way of speaking and the candidate’s positive interaction with the teacher/examiner, his conversation sounds natural with good intonation. However, his pronunciation is not quite so good and several words are mispronounced.   

      Mark awarded = 4 out of 5

       

      Total mark awarded for Speaking test = 34 out of 65

    • Moderator comments (Whole test)

      Conduct of the test:

      The teacher/examiner created a calm and encouraging atmosphere in her introduction. The introduction giving the candidate information about the exam and asking which part the candidate would like to start with was read and the candidate decided he would start with the presentation. The presentation was slightly longer than two minutes, but the timings of all the other parts of the test were correct and the 5-minute preparation time was adhered to appropriately. The candidate’s topic of sport and the theme of Card 3 on Kommunikation und modern Technik do not overlap so this is an appropriate combination of topics. 

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve:

      It might have helped the candidate if the teacher/examiner had pitched some of her questions at a slightly less complex and abstract level. For example, the question Was bedeutet es für ein Land wie Deutschland, wenn man schon vier Mal die Weltmeisterschaft gewonnen hat? drew a much less competent response than the question Haben Sie schon einmal ein großes Spiel live miterlebt?, as the candidate could draw on his personal experience when responding to this latter question.

      How the candidate performance could improve:

      The willingness of the candidate to fully engage in the conversation obviously helped him greatly during the exam. However, his example does show clearly that systematically learnt vocabulary and systematic training of using language patterns which can be applied in different situations are a cornerstone of successful language learning.