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    Cambridge IGCSE™ German (for examination from 2021)
    Example Candidate Responses (Paper 3 – Speaking)


    • This resource applies to the following syllabuses, for examination from 2021:

      • Cambridge IGCSE German 0525
      • Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) German 7159




    • Introduction

      The main aim of this resource is to exemplify standards of Cambridge IGCSE German, Paper 3 - Speaking, and show how different levels of candidates' performance (high, middle and low) relate to the subject's curriculum and assessment objectives. 

      Candidate responses have been selected from the June 2021 examination series to exemplify a range of answers. 

      The recording of each speaking test is followed by Cambridge moderator comments on how the test was conducted, and where and why marks were awarded or omitted. At the end of the test we provide further comments on how the teacher/examiner and candidate performance could improve. In this way, it is possible for you to understand how to conduct the test successfully and what candidates have to do to gain their marks and what they can do to improve their answers. 

      Common mistakes and misconceptions are also listed for the Cambridge IGCSE German speaking test.  

      A transcript of the audios with additional commentary is also provided. 


  • Now that you have read the speaking assessment criteria grids, you may want to practise marking a speaking test. Listen to the candidate responses below, make a note of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and give a mark, before you read the examiner comments and marks below.

    Please note: Information about the candidate and centre has been removed from the recordings to protect the identity of the candidate.


    • High level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary
      Example candidate response transcript – high

      Role play 9 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Seit wann bist du schon in Köln?

      Candidate: Seit 2018 bin ich in Köln? [Good inversion of verb, though “seit 2018” is already sufficient for full marks.]

      Teacher/examiner: Ah wirklich? [Good, natural reaction makes RP sound like a conversation.] Und wie gefällt dir die Stadt?

      Candidate: Also, [Good linking word.] Köln ist eine sehr schöne Stadt. Es gibt sehr viele Gebäude, das sind sehr alt und ich mag Köln sehr gut. [Full answer]

      Teacher/examiner: Die Stadt gefällt mir auch sehr. [Good link.] Wie [Script requires Was, but clear enough] sind hier die größten Umweltprobleme deiner Meinung nach?

      Candidate: Also, jetzt wegen [Good preposition.] Corona, Leute tragen die Maske an und es gibt viele Maskenmϋll in die Straße. [Clear despite errors. An unusual, up-to-date example.]

      Teacher/examiner: Da bin ich mit dir völlig einverstanden. [Good link.] Was hast du bei dir zu Hause schon fϋr die Umwelt gemacht?

      Candidate: Also, ich habe die Mϋll rein und ich habe alle Essen in Mϋll eingetragen. [Unclear verbs, but point is communicated - just.]

      Teacher/examiner: Super! Ich sehe, bist du sehr umweltbewußt. Und was wollen [Script requires sollen, but clear.] wir heute Nachmittag machen?

      Candidate: Wir können gern in die Stadt gehen und vielleicht sehen, wie schlecht die Umweltprobleme ist, in die Stadt, und wir können auch essen gehen, also Essen das vegetarisch ist, weil es sehr gut fϋr die Umwelt. [Shorter answer would probably be preferable, in case the main points are obscured. That is not the case here however.]

      Teacher/examiner:       Das ist ein guter Plan. Du hast viele tolle Ideen! Wir sind am Ende des Rollenspiels. [Good, clear finish to role play section of the examination.]


      Topic conversation 1 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Jetzt werden wir ϋber zwei verschiedene Themen sprechen. Zuerst sprechen wir ϋber das Thema Kleidung. [Good example of how to manage this switch to the topic conversations.] Wie viel Geld gibst du jeden Monat fϋr Kleidung aus?

      Candidate: Also, es ist immer anders, aber [Colloquial and natural introduction to a response.] letztes Monat ich habe zehn Euro bekommen.

      Teacher/examiner: Und [A good idea, to add this linking conjunction.] welche Farbe trägst du am liebsten?

      Candidate: Ich liebe weiß und schwarz.

      Teacher/examiner: Wo kaufst du normalerweise deine Kleidung und warum?

      Candidate:       Also, normalerweise ich geh’ in die Stadt, in der Stadt [Shows case awareness, but opts for the wrong one, and candidates should preferably not normally pause to correct their own grammar.] und Kleidung kaufen, weil [Justification.] es sehr viele verschiedene Kleidung gibt.

      Teacher/examiner:       Erzähl mir bitte etwas mehr. [Asks extension question (as provided) to encourage a fuller response.]

      Candidate: Also, zum Beispiel [Exemplification, to give the required detail.] in der Stadt es gibt sehr viele modern Kleidung und es gibt sehr viele – im Jahre – also schönes Kleidung in der Stadt.

      Teacher/examiner: Beschreibe, was du in den letzten Ferien getragen hast und warum.

      Candidate: Also, letzte Ferien ich habe eine Rock und ein T-Shirt getragen, weil das mag ich am liebsten. [Justification, with correct superlative adverb.]

      Teacher/examiner: Kannst du noch meher darϋber sagen? [Uses an alternative extension question.]

      Candidate: Also, ich mag schwarz und weiß, deswegen [Justification, with unusual adverb.] träge ich immer schwarz und weiße T-Shirt an und schwarzen Rocken an.

      Teacher/examiner:       Wenn du später alt bist, was fϋr Kleidung wirst du tragen?

      Candidate: Ich glaube, immer noch [Good adverb.] schwarz und weiß.

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mal, [Good, colloquial introduction to a question.] Wie kleiden sich die Jugendlichen in deinem Heimatland? [Extra question of Teacher/examiner’s choice.]

      Candidate: Können Sie es noch mal (sagen)? [Good way to ask for repetition of question.]

      Teacher/examiner: Wie kleiden sich die Jugendlichen in deinem Heimatland?       [Repeats additional question.]

      Candidate: Ach so, [Good. Shows that repeated question has been understood.] ich glaube, es ist gleiche in meinem Heimatland, also schwarz und weiß… vielleicht [Humour!] und manche Leute mögen.. also..rote T-Shirt oder zum Beispiel [Exemplification.] orange oder gelb, ja viele Farbe, verschiedene Farbe.

      Teacher/examiner:       Kannst du noch mehr darϋber sagen? [Examiner tries to stretch candidate further.]

      Candidate: Es gibt auch, jedes Jahr es gibt ein Mode, und z.B. letztes Jahr Leute hat getragt [Attempts example in a different tense.] eine kurze T-Shirt, also der kurz das war der Style letztes Jahr.

      Teacher/examiner: Findest du die Schuluniform gut? [Additional extra question to ensure the conversation lasts long enough.] 

      Candidate: Ja?

      Teacher/examiner:       Warum?

      Candidate: Weil, wenn es kein Schuluniform gibt, dann muss ich jeden Morgen suchen, was ich anziehen will [Excellent justification.] und das macht.. also, ich will mehr lernen und mehr in mein Freizeit machen, aber wenn ich Kleidung suchen und anziehen, das macht viel Zeit also, viel Zeit aus, und.. [Excellent further detail.]

      Teacher/examiner: Laßt uns jetzt ϋber das Thema Menschen und Orte sprechen. [Concludes first conversation with an introduction to the second.]


      Topic conversation 4 transcript

      Teacher/examiner:       In welchem Land lebst du?

      Candidate: Ich leb’ jetzt in Deutschland.

      Teacher/examiner: Und welche Sprachen spricht man dort?

      Candidate: Deutsch und Englisch.. (unclear) [Good, short answers to first two questions. This technique is to be recommended, as extensive responses are more appropriate to questions 3 to 5.]

      Teacher/examiner: Welche Vorteile gibt es, in diesem Land zu leben?

      Candidate: Also, fϋr mich, [Idiomatic.] ich kann sehr gut Deutsch lernen, in Deutschland, und es kann die Kultur lernen und also viele andere Leute kennenzulernen. [Detailed examples.]

      Teacher/examiner:       Erzähl mir bitte etwas mehr. [Extension.]

      Candidate:       Also, z.B. wenn ich hier in Deutschland leb’, dann ich kann, kann ich [Realises inversion of the verb is required in this complex construction.] deutsche Freundin oder Freunde kennenzulernen und viele auf Deutsch sagen, und es wird gut fϋr mein Zukunft.

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir von einem interessanten Ort, den du in diesem Land einmal besucht hast.

      Candidate: Also, der Hauptstadt Berlin, und es war eine sehr schöne Stadt und es gibt sehr viele altes Gebäude und es war West- und Ostdeutschland vorher [Details of history.] aber jetzt ist es zusammen. Es gibt viel historische Dings und ich mag Berlin sehr. [Personal input.]

      Teacher/examiner:       Ja, und was hast du dort gemacht?

      Candidate: Also, ich hab’ im Museum besuchen und ich hab’ hingehen. Ich habe auch Stadtrundfahren gemacht.

      Teacher/examiner: Willst du in der Zukunft in dem Land bleiben, in dem du jetzt wohnst?

      Candidate:       Ja.

      Teacher/examiner: Warum?

      Candidate: Also, jetzt bin ich hier [Inversion] wegen Deutschland und fϋr mein Zukunft, also in die Universität gehen. Deswegen [Effective use of adverb, and again followed by verb inversion.] werde ich hier bleiben [Correct use of future tense.] und mehr Deutsch lernen, zu gut zu werden. [Good reason for plan.]

      Teacher/examiner:       Erzähl mir etwas ϋber einen Plan fϋr einen Besuch in ein anderes Land, den du in den nächsten Jahren machen möchtest. [Further question, chosen by teacher/examiner.]

      Candidate: Können Sie noch mal …?

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir etwas ϋber einen Plan fϋr einen Besuch in ein anderes Land, den du in den nächsten Jahren machen möchtest. [Repeats the question.]

      Candidate: Also, ich hätte gern nach Großbritannien besuchen [Attempts a subjunctive construction.] und, oder auch Italien besuchen, und, weil es gibt sehr weil es sehr viele historische… also.. ϋber Musik geben. Deswegen werde ich da rϋbergehen, und... also Leute kennenzulernen, und die Sprache lernen [two futures] fϋr mein Zukunft, weil ich Musik dort lernen möchte. [Excellent word order in subordinate clause, and good justification.]

      Teacher/examiner: Das klingt ja super! [Very encouraging and supportive examining.] Kannst du noch mehr darϋber erzählen?

      Candidate:       Und ja, also England.. Leute sprechen Englisch, also es ist sehr einfach fϋr mich, da gehen und Musik lernen, aber Italien, z.B. Italien, in Musik es gibt sehr viele Wörter auf Italienische, deswegen werde ich nach Italien gehen und Musikvokabeln oder –wörter lernen und Leute kennenzulernen. Ja. [Very detailed reasons given, to complete the second conversation and the speaking test.]


    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 9 

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner conducts this role play impeccably at an appropriate speed, with particularly appropriate and natural reactions to each of the candidate’s responses. This helps to create a very natural-sounding conversation, despite the fact that the questions are all scripted. The teacher/examiner accepts the answer to question 4 without feeling the need to repeat it, even though the verbs used by the candidate are rather unclear. No re-phrasing of the questions is allowed, so this was good practice, even if awarding the full mark of two for the given response did not seem appropriate to the teacher/examiner at the time.

      Candidate response

      This is a responsive candidate, who understands all the questions immediately and gives clear answers, communicating all the required information, except perhaps for question 4, where the verbs are slightly ambiguous. Many candidates seem to struggle with seit wann? questions, but this candidate is clearly very familiar with what is required from question 1. Even if the response was a little unusual, it was clearly acceptable. The moderator decided that the candidate response to question 4 was in fact sufficient for the full two marks. The key to full marks is successful communication and this candidate was considered to have achieved it. The past time frame was appropriate, even if the verbs were used rather inaccurately. Please note: even verb errors may be considered to be minor if communication is achieved.

      Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 2 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 2 out of 2  

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 2 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 10 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations

      Topic 1: Kleidung

      Topic 4: Menschen und Orte


      Conduct of the test

      This teacher/examiner exhibits some very good practice in her conduct of these conversations. It is particularly worth noting her regular use of extension questions to encourage fuller responses. These can take any form the teacher/examiner wishes, as long as ideas or vocabulary are not simply given to the candidate. The two examples for extension questions provided in the Instructions for Teachers/Examiners are ideal, as used on this occasion: Erzähl mir bitte etwas mehr and Kannst du noch mehr darϋber sagen?

      In order to ensure that each conversation lasted the required four minutes, the teacher/examiner also asked further unscripted questions in both of them. These were perhaps not ideally phrased, as the candidate twice had to ask for the further questions to be repeated. The candidates are of course unaware of which questions are provided in the instructions and which are added by the teacher/examiner.


      Candidate response

      The candidate responds confidently throughout and communicates consistently relevant information. There are many examples of ideas being expanded upon and developed, even without the candidate having to be prompted to do so: for example, her detailed explanation as to why a school uniform is a good idea. For these reasons, both the teacher/examiner and the moderator placed this performance in the 'Very good' level of the mark scheme for Communication. All the criteria for this descriptor are present.  However, occasional rephrasing is required for the teacher/examiner’s own extra questions. This is one of the criteria for a 'Good' rather than a 'Very good' performance and indicates that a mark from the bottom of the top level, so 13 marks are appropriately awarded.

      Mark awarded for Communication = 13 out of 15

      The candidate is clearly fluent. Her ability to communicate is clearly good despite a fair number of errors. It should be borne in mind that the emphasis of this syllabus is firmly on spontaneity of response and on communication, which can still be achieved without strict grammatical accuracy. Nevertheless, the number of minor errors here would indicate that the most appropriate mark for Quality of Language should come from the level labelled 'Good' rather than 'Very good'. There are errors of word order, case, adjective endings and verb formation, none of which however impede comprehension of what she wishes to say. There is a good range of vocabulary and structures and good pronunciation and intonation. The errors are certainly not frequent, so a mark from the 'Satisfactory' level would be inappropriate here.

      Mark awarded for Quality of Language = 11 out of 15

       

      Total mark awarded = 34 out of 40


      Moderator comments - Whole test

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      It is difficult to suggest how this teacher/examiner performance could be improved. The examination is conducted in a positive and lively fashion, with natural interchanges with the candidate and encouraging comments. The candidate has achieved her true potential, which is the most important thing, and has undoubtedly had a positive and possibly even an enjoyable experience in taking this potentially very demanding examination.


      How the candidate performance could improve

      The candidate could improve in some areas of German grammar, and possibly of vocabulary, but is essentially already performing at the required standard for a good or very good grade at Cambridge IGCSE level.
    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • In Role play 9: seit wann? surprisingly caused difficulty for many candidates. No specific knowledge about Cologne was expected, even though the role play takes place there, simply general information and opinions on environmental issues.
      • In Topic conversation 1: many candidates did not know, or could not respond correctly to, the simple word Farbe, and instead talked about an item of clothing, as the overall topic had been stated by the teacher/examiner to be Kleidung.
      • In Topic conversation 4: some candidates confused Vorteile with Nachteile and many did not recognise the key-word Ort, which was part of the overall theme of the topic and should be an essential item.

      For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.


    • Middle level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary

      Example candidate response transcript – middle

      Role play 8 transcript

      Teacher/examiner:  Wie findest du unsere Schule?

      Candidate: Ich finde es sehr gut. [This is already sufficient for full marks.] Ich denke, der Austauschschule ist sehr interessant. Meine Elternschule / älteren Schule [Unclear and confusing] sie sind sehr langweilig, ich habe keine Freunden. Aber in der Austauschschule habe ich [Good inversion.] viel Freunden.

      Teacher/examiner: Super! [Good encouragement.] Und ..die erste Stunde ist Mathe, mein [emphasised to assist candidate.] Lieblingsfach. Was ist dein [Emphasised.] Lieblingsfach?

      Candidate: Mein Lieblingsfach sind Physik. Es ist ein sehr interessant Fach. Ich habe… mein Vater sind..ist ein Forscher. [Detail interesting, but not needed.]

      Teacher/examiner: Ah,toll! Interessant! [Good interaction.] Und, weißt du [Friendly addition.], Ich lerne auch gern Fremdsprachen. Wie findest du Fremdsprachen?

      Candidate: Ich finde Fremdsprachen sehr langweilig. Es ist…….

      Teacher/examiner: Warum? [Teacher/examiner interrupted at this point, as it seemed an appropriate opportunity to ask the specified follow-up warum? question.]

      Candidate: Weil sehr kompliziert es ist.

      Teacher/examiner: Ok, und was hast du eigentlich gestern in der Mittagspause gemacht?

      Candidate: Gestern in der Mittagspause spiele ich mit meinen Freunde, auf meinem Handy.  [Reference to a past tense time-frame but incorrect verb.]

      Teacher/examiner: Und ..morgen haben wir ja schulfrei. Was sollen wir dann machen?

      Candidate: Wie bitte? [One repetition of question may be requested.]

      Teacher/examiner: Und ..morgen haben wir ja schulfrei. Was sollen wir dann machen? [Repeats question verbatim as specified.]

      Candidate: Ah…ich mache Sport, mit meine Freunde. Es ist sehr cool, weil ich habe viel Spaß. [Uses present tense to convey future meaning – this is slightly ambiguous but the information is sufficiently well conveyed.]

      Teacher/examiner: Aha, wunderbar! Danke schön ... so weit. Dann kommen wir zu unserem ersten Gespräch. [Clear indication that role play has finished and the first topic conversation can begin.]

       

      Topic conversation 2 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Das erste Gespräch hat das Thema: Selbst, Familie und Freunde. Ok? Meine erste Frage: Wie sieht dein bester Freund oder deine erste Freundin aus?

      Candidate: Bitte?

      Teacher/examiner: Wie sieht dein bester Freund oder deine erste Freundin aus? [Repeats.]

      Candidate: Mein bester Freundin hat blaue Augen und er …ich habe blaue Jeans und ein schwarzer Pullover.

      Teacher/examiner: Ok. Seit wann kennst du ihn..deinen besten Freund? [Re-phrasing of scripted question, which is not permissible. A possible difficulty for the candidate over the meaning of ihn has been avoided.]  Seit wann kennst du ihn..deinen besten Freund? [Teacher/examiner then repeats the re-phrased question.]

      Candidate: Wie bitte?

      Teacher/examiner: Seit wann kennst du ihn..deinen besten Freund? [Second repeat, which is not permissible for questions one and two.]

      Teacher/examiner: Wann hast du ihn zum ersten Mal gesehen? [Further re-phrasing, which is not permissible at all.]

      Candidate: Ich habe.. ich sehe er in Mathematik und Physik.

      Teacher/examiner: Ok. Und .. denkst du, dass es wichtig ist, Freunde regelmäßig zu sehen?

      Candidate: Ja, es ist sehr wichtig?

      Teacher/examiner: Warum?

      Candidate: Weil, mein Freunde sind.. Freunde ist.. Freunde sehr wichtig ist, [Achieves correct word order.] weil…

      Teacher/examiner: Freunde sind wichtig, und warum sind Freunde so wichtig? [Legitimate repeat of second part of question three, despite slight re-phrasing.]

      Candidate: Weil meine Freunde freundlich kann sind.

      Teacher/examiner: Genau. [Encourages candidate by agreeing.] Möchtest du deinen Urlaub nächstes Jahr lieber mit Freunden oder mit Familie verbringen?

      Candidate: Mit Familie verbringen, weil…

      Teacher/examiner: Warum? [Candidate pausing allows teacher/examiner a good opportunity to ask the second part of question 4]

      Candidate: Weil meine Freunde sehr wichtig sind aus .. auch sind. Mein Eltern habe … meine Familie sind mehr wichtiger als meine Freunde, weil es sind sehr freundlich aus, aber ich habe..

      Teacher/examiner: Aha. Deine Familie ist wichtig fϋr dich, ja?

      Candidate: Sehr wichtig. [Natural response.]

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir von einem Problem, das du mit einem Freund oder mit deiner Familie gehabt hast.

      Candidate: Ich habe hat viele Probleme mit meiner Familie, weil wir…aber es sind sehr freundlich.

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir von einem Problem, das du mit einem Freund oder mit deiner Familie gehabt hast. [Repeats the question.]

      Candidate: Meine Schwester sind sehr.. meine Schwester ist sehr..

      Teacher/examiner: Ist sie freundlich oder unfreundlich? [The alternative question provided should have been used instead, in order to elicit an acceptable response. It is not acceptable to offer candidates vocabulary items.]

      Candidate: Unfreundlich! [No credit for response given by the teacher/examiner.]

      Teacher/examiner: Sie ist unfreundlich gewesen einmal. Das ist nicht nett, nein. Ich danke dir so weit, fϋr dieses Gespräch.

      [Good conclusion, responding to candidate and bringing first conversation to a neat end.]

       

      Topic conversation 7 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Dann kommen wir jetzt zu unserem zweiten Gespräch, und das Thema ist Kommunikation und Technik. Ok? Und die erste Frage ist: Wie viel Zeit verbringst du online?

      Candidate: Ich verbringst viel Zeit online, sechs oder zwei…

      Teacher/examiner: Viele Stunden? Wie viele Stunden?

      Candidate: .....sechs oder zwei Stunden auf mein Handy. [Repeats teacher/examiner’s prompt, with no credit for given response.] Ich mache meine Schularbeite auf mein Handy und also auf mein Computer.

      Teacher/examiner: Und meine zweite Frage ist: Welche sozialen Netzwerke benutzt du?

      Candidate: Ich benutze Instagram sehr viel, weil ich kann.. mit meinen Freunden texten.

      Teacher/examiner: Ok, und erzähl mir was du gestern im Internet gemacht hast.

      Candidate: Wie bitte?

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir was du gestern, gestern ja, im Internet gemacht hast. [Repeats question to legitimately emphasise "gestern", but repetition of "gestern" should have been avoided.]

      Candidate: Ich mache meine Schularbeite, ich mache Videospielen mit meine Freunde. Es ist sehr Spaß. [No indication of the required past tense, nor of a past time-frame.]

      Teacher/examiner: Ok, und was denkst du, wie werden die Menschen in 20 Jahren miteinander kommunizieren?

      Candidate: In zwanzig Jahren? Die kommunizieren werden…will sehr let [leicht?] ist..sind. Die Technologie sehr gut will.

      Teacher/examiner: Was glaubst du, wie, wie, wie werden wir in der Zukunft kommunizieren? [Re-phrases slightly.] 

      Candidate: Ah! Auf dem Handy und ein Computer.

      Teacher/examiner: Und was hält deine Familie von Kommunikationstechnologie?

      Candidate: Mein Vater denkt, es ist sehr wichtig, aber meine Mutter macht [mag?] es nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Und warum? Oder warum nicht?

      Candidate: Weil ich gestern viel Stunden auf mein Handy und Computer. [Justification.]

      Teacher/examiner: Und dein Vater denkt, das ist positiv, oder? [Good, original extension question. The equivalent of the more general Erzähl mir bitte etwas mehr. provided in the Instructions for Teachers/Examiners.]

      Candidate: Meine Mutter denkt es ist negativ.

      Teacher/examiner: Und warum denken die das? [Another extension question.]

      Candidate: Weil ich spiele auf meine Computer und Handy viele Stunde. Sie denkt, es ist nicht so gut. [Justification, and gives parental reaction.]

      Teacher/examiner: Und dein Vater?

      Candidate: Und mein Vater denkt das ist Ok. Ich denke, das ist wichtig fϋr mich, dass ich spiele mit meine Freunde. [Opinion.]

      Teacher/examiner: Gut! Danke fϋr das Gespräch.



    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 8 

      Conduct of the test

      The role play is conducted in an appropriate and efficient manner and is completed in approximately two and a half minutes, illustrating the optimum timing for a natural role play performance. The teacher/examiner makes some brief comments, reacting to the candidate’s responses as required. Question 3 is in two parts, with Pause indicating that they are to be treated separately. It is important that teacher/examiners follow this instruction, as happens here, and do not forget to ask the question Warum? thus denying the candidate one of the two available marks. When requested to repeat question 5 after Wie bitte?, she does so, without altering the scripted question in any way, as prescribed.


      Candidate response

      The candidate adds unnecessarily long detail to his responses to the first two questions. The danger here is that the main point of the answers may be obscured, and marks therefore lost, especially if any mistakes are made in the superfluous material. Fortunately, both main points are clear on this occasion and so two marks can be awarded each time. Both parts of question 3 are successfully dealt with, as mentioned above. For the fourth response the candidate is awarded one mark only, as a result of an incorrect verb tense. The response to question 5 may be awarded two marks, as the required information is reasonably clearly conveyed.

      Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 2 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 2 out of 2  

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 1 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 2 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 9 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations

      Topic 2: Selbst, Familie und Freunde

      Topic 7: Kommunikation und Technik 


      Conduct of the test

      In questions 1 and 2 of each topic conversation only one repetition of a question is allowed. The teacher/examiner must move on to the next question if the candidate cannot answer the repeated question. No re-phrasing is allowed, but unfortunately in the conversation on Topic 2 the teacher/examiner not only repeats question 2 more than once, but also re-phrases it. This is clearly not permissible. It is also not acceptable to feed vocabulary items or ideas to a candidate, as happens here in question 5 with the teacher/examiner’s suggestion of freundlich oder unfreundlich? In questions 3 to 5 an alternative question is provided for use when the repeated original question still cannot produce an answer. The teacher/examiner might profitably have used the alternative question 5 here, instead of attempting to prompt the candidate in the way indicated. In Topic conversation 7 the teacher/examiner again offers the candidate a vocabulary item: Stunden. This is not acceptable practice in this examination setting. There is however successful use of the alternative question 2, when the candidate fails to understand the original question, and of extension questions to draw out more from the candidate in his response to question 5. It is perfectly acceptable to create extension questions from information offered by the candidate, such as when the teacher/examiner prompts him here with Und dein Vater? Acceptable extension questions are not confined to the example questions provided for examiners in the booklet.


      Candidate response

      The candidate responds rather better in the second conversation about technology than in the first on the superficially easier topic of Familie. Overall, his mark for Communication was correctly perceived to be from the 'Satisfactory' level on the mark scheme. He responds satisfactorily to nearly all the questions, although some assistance and repetition is required from time to time. He has the tendency to give irrelevant extra detail, as in the role play, and the opinions he expresses are rather straightforward and undeveloped. As he was considered to be rather nearer to 'Weak' than 'Good', his mark was placed at the bottom of the range 7–9 in the 'Satisfactory' level.

      Mark awarded for Communication = 7 out of 15

      There is particularly poor use of tenses, although it should be noted that in the mark scheme there is no requirement to use various tenses correctly to obtain a certain mark. Many of the structures are incomplete or incorrect. There are gaps in his vocabulary range, but his pronunciation is mostly acceptable, and his intonation is really quite good. If the first conversation had been as good as the second, the candidate would undoubtedly have had a 'Satisfactory' mark, as was the case for Communication. His Quality of Language was however considered to be 'Weak', though it was at the top of the 4–6 range, as he could certainly not be marked as 'Poor' overall.

      Mark awarded for Quality of Language = 6 out of 15

       

      Total mark awarded = 22 out of 40


      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      With the exception of the errors in conducting the topic conversations mentioned above, the teacher/examiner conducted the whole test very efficiently and in a positive and friendly manner. The areas for improvement would therefore be to adhere more closely in future to the instructions regarding the repeating of questions and perhaps the use of the alternative questions provided.


      How the candidate performance could improve

      This was a perfectly satisfactory candidate performance, with plenty of successful communication, but which could nevertheless be improved upon with work on building up his vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. He could also profitably take note that in role plays successful communication can often be achieved through relatively short responses, especially to the first two questions. Giving information that is superfluous to the required response might be counter-productive if there are errors of vocabulary or structure perhaps obscuring the main point to be made.
    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • Role play 8 appeared to offer few difficulties for candidates, though not all are comfortable with using sollen to respond in a future time frame. Wir können, or perhaps wir werden, might have been alternatives here. Of course an infinitive phrase without an auxiliary verb at all would have been perfectly acceptable as a response to question 5, for example: Vielleicht in die Stadt gehen?
      • In Topic conversation 2, Wie sieht er/sie aus? was not always understood to refer to appearance, as the friend’s character was often mentioned instead.
      • In Topic conversation 7, there were no real misconceptions, as most candidates seemed very happy to discuss technological developments. Many were happier with the alternative question 4 though, as in der Zukunft was perhaps less confusing than in 20 Jahren, as in the original question.


      For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.

    • Low level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary

      Example candidate response transcript – low

      Role play 6 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Hallo! Wie findest du die Party?

      Candidate: Ja, ich wäre Geburtstagsparty im Ausland haben. Ja.

      Teacher/examiner: Ja, gut. [Encouraging candidate and keeping the role play going, despite completely inappropriate candidate response.] Und ..wie viele Leute kennst du denn hier?

      Candidate: Nein.

      Teacher/examiner: Wie hast du deinen letzten Geburtstag gefeiert? [To maintain the momentum, teacher/examiner prefers not to repeat these questions, despite having the opportunity to do so.] 

      Candidate: Meine Geburtstag ist neunzig um September.

      Teacher/examiner: Sind Partys hier in Österreich anders als bei dir zu Hause?

      Candidate: Ich liebe der Mountains. Ich liebe die Beruf. Und meine Lieblingland ist Österreich.

      Teacher/examiner: Warum? [Required as follow-up question, despite the answer to the main question being inappropriate.]

      Candidate: Ich liebe der View.

      Teacher/examiner: Aha. Was hast du morgen vor?

      Candidate: Entschuldigung?

      Teacher/examiner: Was hast du morgen vor? [Repeats question on request.]

      Candidate: Ah. Ich werde mit meine Frend ins Kino werden.

      Teacher/examiner: Das ist ein guter Plan. Diese Idee gefällt mir sehr. [Good, positive end to the conversation. This is reassuring for a candidate.]

      Wir sind am Ende des Rollenspiels.

       

      Topic conversation 3 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Jetzt werden wir ϋber zwei verschiedene Themen sprechen. Zuerst sprechen wir ϋber das Thema Reisen und Verkehrsmittel. [Good link between sections.]

      Wie oft fährst du in einem Auto? [Repeats this question and others, as required.]

      Candidate: Ich fahren Auto zwei, nein fϋnf am Woche, weil zu Hause ist sehr far away.

      Teacher/examiner: Wann willst du Autofahren lernen?

      Candidate: Meine Mutter fahre Auto mit …manchmal.

      Teacher/examiner: Was sind die Vor- und Nachteile vom Autofahren?

      Candidate: Entschuldigung?

      Teacher/examiner: Was sind die Vor- und Nachteile vom Autofahren?  [Repeats question.]

      Candidate: Ich weiß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Was ist gut oder schlecht an Autos? [Uses alternative question. These are provided in questions 3-5 in case they are needed.]

      Candidate: Gut, weil sehr quick und bequem [Unclear pronunciation of bequem], weil ich hasse walk, und ja, Auto ist sehr bequem.

      Teacher/examiner: Erz ä hl mir von einer Autofahrt, auf der es ein Problem gab.

      Candidate: Auto ist sehr expensive, weil der Gas.

      Teacher/examiner: Du bist mit dem Auto gefahren und es gab ein Problem. Kannst du das beschreiben? [Uses alternative question again, as candidate’s answer shows that the original question was misunderstood.] 

      Candidate: Er ist kein Space fϋr Auto.

      Teacher/examiner: Wohin möchtest du in der Zukunft reisen und womit? 

      Candidate: Was? 

      Teacher/examiner: Wohin mö chtest du in der Zukunft reisen und womit? [Repeats, then uses first alternative question.] Welche L änder möchtest du in Zukunft besuchen?

      Candidate: Oh, ich werde France.

      Teacher/examiner: Wie willst du dorthin kommen? [Second part of alternative question.]

      Candidate: Ich komme aus Luxemburg.

      Teacher/examiner: Gibt es deutsche Städte, die du gerne besuchen möchtest? [Extension question, not scripted.] 

      Candidate: Ich wei ß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Gibt es noch deutsche St ä dte, die du gerne besuchen m ö chtest?  [Repeats extension question.]

      Candidate: Ich wei ß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Hast du Pl äne fϋr deine nächste Reise? [Further extension question.]

      Candidate: Ja. Nächste Woche during Easter holiday, ich werde zu Denmark.

      Teacher/examiner: Gut. Wir sprechen jetzt ϋber ein anderes Thema. [Clear conclusion to first topic conversation.]

       

      Topic conversation 6 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Wir werden ϋber das Thema Umgebung und Gebäude sprechen. Welche Gebäude sieht man oft in einer Stadt?

      Candidate: Ah, in meiner Stadt der Wurf [?] ist sehr gut und der Bildung ist sehr schön.

      Teacher/examiner: Was gibt es in deiner Stadt Interessantes fϋr junge Leute?

      Candidate: Ah, die Essen ist sehr interessant fϋr junge, weil sehr trendy und taste gut. [Attempts a justification.]

      Teacher/examiner: Kannst du die Einkaufsmöglichkeiten in einer Großstadt beschreiben?

      Candidate: Ja, ich lebe in Großstadt.

      Teacher/examiner: Kannst du die Einkaufsmöglichkeiten in einer Großstadt beschreiben? [Repeats question.]

      Candidate: Ah, ich weiß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Kann man in einer Großstadt gut einkaufen? [Uses alternative question.]

      Candidate: Ja.

      Teacher/examiner: Warum? [Uses second part of alternative question.]

      Candidate: Weil sehr bequem und fest. 

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir von einem Tag, als du in der Stadt warst.

      Candidate: Entschuldigung?

      Teacher/examiner: Erzähl mir von einem Tag, als du in der Stadt warst. [Repeats question.]

      Candidate: Ich wei ß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Was hast du neulich in der Stadt gemacht? [Uses alternative question.] Was hast du neulich in der Stadt gemacht? Mit wem warst du dort und wann? [Repeats question and adds second part.]

      Candidate: Und wann, weil es ist im everywhere, und ja, ist sehr bequem. 

      Teacher/examiner: Möchtest du in der Zukunft in einer Großstadt leben?

      Candidate: Ja.

      Teacher/examiner: Warum?

      Candidate: Weil… ich wohne im Großstadt und ich liebe das, also ..ich, ja. [Justification.]

      Teacher/examiner: Kannst du die Sportmöglichkeiten in einer Großstadt beschreiben? [Extension question, unscripted.]

      Candidate: Ja, ich .. weil..

      Teacher/examiner: Kann man in einer Groß stadt gut Sport machen?  [Extension question, alternative (easier) version.] 

      Candidate: Sport? Nein, weil…

      Teacher/examiner: Warum nicht?

      Candidate: Es ist sehr small und es ist sehr busy in Großstadt. [Justification attempted, but vocabulary insufficient.]

      Teacher/examiner: Was sind die Vorteile des Lebens auf dem Dorf? [An additional extension question, as conversation is still not of the required length.]

      Candidate: Dorf?

      Teacher/examiner: Ja. Was sind die Vorteile des Lebens auf dem Dorf? [Repeats additional extension question.]

      Candidate: Ah, ich weiß nicht.

      Teacher/examiner: Gut.



    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 6 

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner offers positive comments and reactions throughout and keeps the role play moving at a good pace, despite the fact that many of the candidate’s responses are inappropriate or incorrect. This is good practice: weaker candidates should still have a positive experience in performing a role play, and there is no mechanism anyway by which a teacher/examiner may legitimately help them. It might have been possible, and certainly acceptable, to repeat the questions that the candidate had not answered correctly, but this teacher/examiner is clearly aware of the candidate’s abilities and feels it would be counter-productive to do so. Question 4 should really have been repeated though, as the candidate has clearly not heard the word Party, which would have been easy to emphasise when repeating the question.


      Candidate response

      As mentioned above, most of the responses are totally inappropriate, as the candidate clearly lacks the vocabulary to understand the questions, so the tecaher/examiner does not repeat them. For example, the candidate gives her own birthdate in response to the question as to how she celebrated her birthday last time. The potentially hardest question, number 5, is answered sufficiently well to achieve one of the two marks. The infinitive is incorrect, as is the pronunciation of Freund, but a future tense is offered with a correct use of ich werde.

      Mark awarded for task 1 = 0 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 0 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 0 out of 2  

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 0 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 1 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 1 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations

      Topic 3: Reisen und Verkehrsmittel

      Topic 6: Umgebung und Gebäude


      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner conducts this part of the examination very patiently and efficiently. It becomes clear that the candidate does not understand the main thrust of any of the questions, so the teacher/examiner repeats each question once, as required, and uses the alternative questions provided for questions 3–5, for use when the original question proves too difficult. She also provides additional questions to ensure that the conversations last the full four minutes. This cannot quite be achieved for the second conversation, however. The important thing is that the conversations both proceed at a good pace and the candidate appears to be enjoying a positive experience and to be participating to the best of her ability.


      Candidate response

      The candidate lacks the vocabulary to understand or respond to relatively straightforward questions at this level. She frequently has to resort to English, and most of her responses are therefore not valid. Even with a patient teacher/examiner giving her every chance to respond, as detailed above, not many marks can be awarded, either for Communication or Quality of Language. Her most successful response is to the fifth question of Topic 6, concerning her possible future life in a big city, where some credit is clearly due. As far as the mark scheme goes, both her marks should come from the level labelled 'Poor', although her willingness to communicate puts that mark slightly higher than that for Quality of Language, and indeed almost into the box above, as she always attempts an answer, even if it is not often appropriate.

      Mark awarded for Communication = 3 out of 15

      Mark awarded for Quality of Language = 2 out of 15


      Total mark awarded = 6 out of 40


      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      This performance is a model of how to conduct a speaking test with a weaker candidate, due to the points already made, but especially to the teacher/examiner’s positivity and patience throughout. This performance cannot really be improved upon. It is noteworthy how this teacher/examiner follows the requirements of the test, especially in regard to the instructions as to repeating questions or using alternative questions and the timings required for the various sections of the test.


      How the candidate performance could improve

      Clearly, although quite weak at this level, the candidate is willing to participate actively in a foreign language discussion, as there are no pauses, silences or refusal to respond. This is commendable and should continue into the future. As far as the German language is concerned, improvement needs to be made on vocabulary and grammar and on listening carefully to questions. The use of English to cover gaps in vocabulary is not to be recommended, even though superficially it may help to keep some conversations moving.


    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • In Role play 6, many candidates failed to understand the question Was hast du morgen vor? This phrasing should be expected, alongside others, such as Welche Pläne hast du?, which are designed to trigger a response in a future time frame.
      • In Topic conversation 3, it should be noted that question 4, requiring the story to be told of a problem on a car journey, could be responded to as a form of role play. Not all candidates have experienced in real life some of the situations they are required to deal with in this syllabus, so responses to similar questions most certainly do not have to be true.
      • In Topic conversation 6, the vocabulary item Gebäude caused surprising difficulty, as did the more difficult Einkaufsmöglichkeiten.


      For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.