German Dept

German at St Columb's College...

.Our aim in St. Columb’s College is to make learning German easy and fun in junior classes, giving pupils confidence in their ability to acquire a new language. Modern textbooks, workbooks, ICT packages, CDs and films give lessons variety and breadth..

At GCSE – Level the focus is on developing the knowledge and skills acquired at KS3 and preparing for external examinations. For GCSE we follow the AQA specification 3661A. During their studies at GCSE and at A-Level, pupils work with our German assistant, who takes small groups for conversation classes in preparation for the speaking tests. A relatively high proportion of pupils choose to continue their study of the subject at AS and A-Level, following the CCEA specification, where they tend to achieve very good grades.

Examination results in German both at GCSE and at AS and A-Level are consistently above average.

The German department is well known for its many study trips and exchanges throughout the years. Year 9 pupils have the opportunity to visit Koblenz and the Rhineland region every year, while KS4 pupils go to Munich and A-Level students to Berlin. Trips for the older students include an exchange element, whereby we visit our German partner schools and organise joint activities with their students. Other events and activities include competitions and debates, e-mail links to German schools as well as visits to study days in Belfast or Coleraine.

Studying languages gives our students the skills that are necessary to compete in the global market. There are over 100 million native speakers of German in Europe, about 25% of the EU. Germany offers many opportunities for study and work with a range of scholarship programmes. Pupils studying German in combination with a degree in Science/ I.C.T./Law/Business Studies/Arts enhance their employability. Increasingly, employers prefer linguists because of their transferable qualities, i.e. their communication/personal skills.