German Level 5 plus

Prerequisite for entry

Successful completion of German level 5 at UCL Centre for Languages & International Education or high A Level grade (or equivalent); an extended stay in a German speaking country in the recent past is recommended and/or a very good grasp of the language and the ability to conduct a conversation without difficulty.

Students will be familiar with these grammar and linguistic structures.

Term duration

10 x 2-hour classes.

Self-study

40 hours in total.

Progression

After 20 hours students may progress to level Proficiency

Aims and objectives

The course is designed for advanced level students requiring the language for vocational and professional purposes. The course comprises knowledge and understanding both of the structure of the German language and of the business, social, historical and political contexts in which German is currently used. It enables participants to use their language skills in a wide variety of situations. The course covers recent history, current affairs and the latest issues in German speaking countries as well as other related topics. Cultural awareness will be raised within a European/global context.
The course will enhance knowledge and use of complex structures (a variety of styles and registers from a range of authentic material).

Functions

• expressing complex ideas and opinions, critical topic-related comments
• debating, speculating
• suggesting, accepting, refusing
• describing and paraphrasing, defining, explaining
• composing written pieces of information for different purposes
• conducting short presentations on a variety of topics
• summarising complex/extensive authentic written and audio-visual material
• selecting and editing authentic material autonomously according to relevance and suitability for particular tasks

Course content

Main topics/themes to be covered (selection from the following):

• overview of the political and administrative structure of German speaking countries
• demographic developments, gender roles and family life
• the European Union and global affairs
• current affairs: German political, socio-economic and cultural developments
• arts (music, literature, film, art, cultural heritage)

Skills

Reading

• reading for gist (skimming), scanning for specific information
• in depth analysis of complex topics in major newspapers/magazines and specialised publications

Writing

• short essays
• analysis and review of articles
• summaries
• critical comments

Listening

• radio, TV, audio and video recordings, feature films
• directed listening for specific tasks
• presentations, summaries

Speaking

• formal and informal discussions, debates, round table
• presentations
• role-play

Linguistic structures

• analysing/comparing texts from various sources
• recognising and applying different linguistic registers in writing and in speaking
• preparing different types of oral contributions
• improving confidence in using German as a foreign language in a variety of situations
• consolidating and improving listening and reading skills by dealing with a variety of complex authentic materials
• consolidating and improving oral and written linguistic range as well as accuracy in a wide variety of contexts

Grammar (selection from the following):

• complex sentences and connectors
• verbs and prepositions
• passive and alternative forms
• subjunctive I and II
• revision of adjective declension
• the use of nouns with prepositions versus the use of clauses with a connector
• fixed noun-verb-connections and idiomatic expressions

Learning resources

Reference sections of the following books might be used:

• Mittelpunkt C1, Lehrbuch, Klett,  ISBN: 9783126766104
• em neu Abschlusskurs, Kursbuch, Hueber, ISBN 9783195016971
• studio d C1 Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Cornelsen, ISBN 9783060205240

Other resources

• Authentic written material from various sources such as Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, Die Wirtschaftswoche etc.
• Authentic audio and audio-visual material
• German films
• Variety of internet sources
• In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials for self-study in the Self-Access Centre. Also, there will be regularly updated information on cultural events connected with Germany, German language and culture.