German Syllabus

Preamble

A Common Syllabus Framework

The Leaving Certificate German syllabus is set out in the context of a common syllabus framework for the teaching and exarnining of French, German, Spanish and Italian. The syllabus content draws on the junior cycle syllabus and develops many aspects of its aims, objectives and content.

The syllabus is "communicative" in the sense that it is based on the purposes to which learners are likely to want, need or expect to put the knowledge and skiils they acquire in class, and in the sense that the objectives detailed in the syllabus are expressed in terms of language use. It is not, however, "communicative" in the narrow sense of confining itself to oral face-to-face communication. Nor does it presuppose a rejection of explicit teaching about the target language and culture; indeed, it presupposes quite the contrary.

Syllabus Structure

The two main components of the syllabus are its General Aims and a set of more specific Behavioural Obfectives. These Behavioural Objectives, which derive from the General Aims, are subdivided into three components: Basic Communicative Proficiency, Language Awareness, and Cultural Awareness. Finally, details of assessment are described under the heading Assessment. The syllabus layout is therefore as follows:

• General Aims
• Behavioural Objectives
• Basic Communicative Proficiency
• Language Awareness
• Cultural Awareness
• Assessment

The syllabus content is designed in units of General Activities/Themes. The Performance Targets are designed to help teachers and learners to work out schemes of work and to ensure that learners are clear about what is expected of them in relation to each General Theme/Activity. Assessment of students' performance will emphasise language andcommunication skills rather than the information content of any particular section of thesyllabus. Some of the communicative and linguistic skills, including the grammatical knowledge that students will need for the realisation of the Performance Targets, are elucidated in Section 1 as Linguistic Skills - Structures and Grammar. These exponents are, of course, distinctive to each language, and begin the process of translating the framework syllabus into the concrete practice of the classroom.

An integrated approach to the three broad components of the syllabus is recommended, i.e. classroom activities should, where possible, involve more than one of the three areas; for example the choice of certain authentic materials might provide the focus for working on certain aspects of any two or all three components. Many of the activities listed in the Language Awareness section will help learners to develop the more global skills necessary to perform activities outlined under Basic Communicative proficiency. Activities described under Cultural Awareness will allow learners to extend many topics listed under Basic Communicative Proficiency by drawing comparisons, giving examples, describing differences in the way of life of different communities etc.

Basic Communicative Proficiency

Some observations about the different sections of the Behavioural Objectives component and their relationship to each other are in order at this point. The first and largest section is labelled Basic Communicative Proficiency. This builds on the repertory of communicative targets established by the Junior Certificate programme, and indeed it is assumed that the communicative skills acquired in the junior cycle will be maintained and continually reactivated during the senior cycle. The objectives specified in Section 1 are for the most pan related in a very obvious way to practical challenges that might be faced by the learner when operating in the target language community. On the other hand, a fair proportion of the objectives in this section may also be seen as relevant to activities and discussion that are likely to take place through the target language in the classroom.

Language Awareness

The aims of the Junior Certificate syllabus make explicit reference to the development of learners' language awareness and cultural awareness. These aspects of the Junior Certificate syllabus are developed further in the syllabus for the Leaving Certificate. The objectives listed under Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness are highly relevant to the communicative challenges of the classroom and the 'real world" and are intended to have an important enabling role with regard to the attainment of a reasonable level of communicative proficiency. However, they also have a valuable contribution to make in connection with the wider language education and intercultural consciousness-raising functions of foreign language learning. The raising of the learner's awareness about the workings of the target language and about his or her own encounter with the language, which is the underlying purpose of the objectives set in Section 11 (Language Awareness), has direct relevance to the fostering of effective use of the language. Research has shown that developing this kind of awareness - within the context of a rich and interesting target language input accelerates progress towards grammatical and lexical accuracy and therefore towards communicative efficiency. Talking, reading and writing about the target language in the target language can promote both fluency and accuracy. As far as the language education dimension is concerned, the various objectives listed in the section are designed to develop awareness not only of a range of aspects of the target language but of relevant aspects of the mother tongue and other languages known to the learner and thus, at least to an extent, the functioning of language in general. Such awareness can be expected to improve the learner's ability to use the language for a wide range of purposes.

It is clear that certain misunderstandings of the 'communicative approach' - in particular the opinion that grammatical understanding and accuracy are no Ionger relevant - have not been helpful to the learners, and this syllabus (in part through the enhanced role of 'language awareness') is designed to produce a more balanced spread of skills.

Learner Autonomy

Many of the Performance Targets in the Language Awareness section of the syllabus are also aimed at promoting learner autonomy and enhancing iearners' chances of success by equipptng them with the skitts to find their own way. While recognising that it is helpful for teachers and learners to have a defined-content syllabus, it is accepted also that it would be impossible to include in the syllabus all the words and structures that learners will meer when using the target language. Learners will therefore need to develop communication strategies to cope with words and structures they have not previously met. Effective language learning involves using a fange of strategies to deduce meaning sirn[[ar to those specified in the Performance Targets in this section, such as using not only linguistic knowledge but also context, background knowledge, etc. The Performance Targets exemplify what is understood as language awareness in the syllabus, and further elucidation as weil a.s specific ideas for implementation of this aspect of the course are contalned in the methodologicai guidelines.

Cultural Awareness

Section III of the Behavioural Objectives component Cultural Awareness is similarly versatile in its potential usefulness. Taking into account culturai differences is often absolutely essential for successful communication.

It will be clear too that unfamiliarity with the major cultural reference-points (social, political, historical, etc.) of the target language community on the part of a non-native speaker also can hamper communication. As in the case of the objectives in Section Il, a further element in the rationale for the objectives in Section III is their likely favourable impact in terms of encouraging "content-instruction" through the medium of the target language. The intention that the Section III objectives should contfibute to cultural and interculturai education generally is reflected in the fact that these objectives focus not only on the target language community but also on its relationship to Ireland and the Irish way of Iife, and in the fact that they refer not only to culture-specific issues but also to issues which go beyond cultural divisions. Teaching and learning strategies based on a comparative methodology are aiaborated in the teaching guidelines by way of suggestions for implementing this sectton of the syllabus.

Level Differentiation

Details relating to aspects of the examinations are described under the heading of Assessment. Rather than regarding etudents taking Ordinary Level as not able to perform all the tasks of the Higher Levai (and therefore identifying parts of the syllabus which are "not appropriate" to the Ordinary L evel), it is recognised that the needs at Ordinary Level to communicate successfully within the target language community are no less great than those at Higher Level, and that therefore there are no Behavioural Objectives which are not potentially important at Ordinary Level. The different approach to the two leve[s for assessment purposes is described untier the heading Differentiation. By keeping a common syllabus, however, the reality of the classroom is respected, as the timetable will not always facilitate the separation of the two groups for teaching.

Time AIIocation

A minimum period of 180 hours over two years is envisaged for teaching the syllabus content. Where timetabling flexibility allows, additional time should be allocated.

Conclusion

This syllabus aims to lead every pupil towards four basic outcomes as a result of the experience of modern language leaming in the classroom:

(a) a communicative competence in the target language
(b) awareness about language and communication
(c) an understanding of how to go about learning a foreign language
(d) a level of cultural awareness

Taken together, the General Aims and the Behavioural Objectives (expressed as General Activities/Themes and as Performance Targets) represent a broad consensus view of the ground which a senior cycle modern languages programme would appropriately cover and which a Leaving Certificate modern languages examination would appropriately assess.

GENERAL AIMS

The following general aims are proposed by this syllabus for the teaching and learning of modern languages in the senior cycle.

1. To foster in learners such communicative skills in the target language as will enable them to:
   1. take a full part in classroom activities conducted in the target language;
   2. participate in normal everyday transactions and interactions, both spoken and written, both at home and abroad;
   3. extract information and derive enjoyment from the mass media and the more accessible literature of the target language community;
   4. consider as a realistic option the possibility of pursuing leisure activities, further study and/or career opportunities through the medium of the target language.
2. To give pupils a critical awareness of how meaning is organised and conveyed by the structures and vocabulary of the target language, and thus to contribute to their understanding of the workings of human language in general.
3. To help learners develop strategies for effective language learning.
4. To equip learners with a broad acquaintance with the cultural, social and political complexion of countries in which the target language is a normal medium of communication and thus to help raise their awareness of cultural, social and political diversity generally.

BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVES

1. Basic Communicative Proficiency

1.1 General Activity/Theme:

Meeting and getting to know people and maintaining social relations.

Performance Targets

• Giving and seeking personal details, e.g. name, address, nationality, telephone number
• Asking what languages someone speaks
• Stating what languages you speak
• Discussing family and home
• Asking about and describing the general nature of the region or Iocality in which someone lives
• Enquiring about and describing studies or work
• Introducing a third party
• Asking after someone
• Wishing someone well
• Congratulating someone
• Making compliments
• Apologising
• Making excuses

Linguistic Skills

• Developing an awareness of appropriateness of register
• Developing correct usage of question forms and appropriate replies

Structures and Grammar

Formal and informal modes of address

Du/Sie
Du kannst ruhig mitkommen.
Ich lade dich ein.
Wie gefällt Ihnen unser Land?

Questions with inversion requiring yes/no answers: Waren Sie ....? Kommen Sie _.? Questions with interrogative pronouns: W-Fragen, z.B. Wer ....? Warum ..? Wann ...? Accusative and dative forms of interrogative Wen haben Sie gesehen? Bei wem bleiben Sie?

Awareness of the conditioning of Ist das Ihr Ernst? language by social context Spinnst du?

1.2 General Activity/Theme:

Making plans and discussing future action.

Performance Targets:

• Offering to do something
• Declaring intentions
• Making promises
• Making arrangements, for example for time to be spent with someone
• Cancelling and altering arrangements
• Asking about someone's plans for future studies and/or his or her career possibilities
• Describing your own plans for future studies and/or your career possibilities

Linguistic Skills

• Familiarity with concept of future
• Expressing and enquiring about intention
• Expressing degrees of willingness
• Expressing cause and reason

Structures and Grammar

Future Tense Use of present tense to indicate future Ich gehe morgen einkaufen. werden + infinitive; Ich werde nächstes Jahr nach Deutschland fahren. Adverbs which imply future: morgen übermorgen nachher nächstes Jahr spätestens morgen

Verb phrases expressing intent/anticipation: Ich schlage vor .... Er hat vor .... Wir freuen uns darauf ....

Conditional/Wenn-Sätze: Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich das machen Wenn ich Zeit habe, werde ich das machen

Subordinate clauses with:, weil .... damit .... um .. zu + inf.

1.3 General Activity/Theme:

Understanding, seeking and giving information about climate and weather

Performance Targets:

• Enquiring about and describing the general weather pattern in a particular country, region, or Iocality
• Using the media, telephone services and other sources to find out what the weather is going to be like during a particular period
• Passing on the main points of a weather forecast to a third party
• Enquiring whether particular activities (e.g. driving, skiing, sailing, travelling by air, hiking, swimming) are going to be possible under particular weather conditions

Linguistic Skills

• Mastery of a broad range of vocabulary relating to weather expressions
• Speaking in full sentences about the weather described in short form in weather forecasts
• Familiarity with simple geographical terms and regions
• Relaying content of weather forecast in indirect form

Structures and Grammar

Sturm/stürmisch Gewitter, Hagel, Donner, wolkig, neblig starker Wind starke Bewölkung wechselhaft, unbeständig ein Hoch, ein Tief

morgen Regen > Morgen soll es Regen geben > Es wird morgen regnen

im Süden/im Norden im Gebirge/am Alpenrand/in Alpennähe aus Südost/Südwest in höheren Lagen, im Bergland Länder, e.g. Nordrhein-Westfalen

Use of passive: Es wurde angegeben, daß .... Verbs of expression: sagen berichten angeben melden mitteilen Structures of comparison and comparative forms of adjectives: so kalt/..., wie .... kälter/..., als ....

1.4 General Activity/Theme:

Coping with travel and transport

Performance Targets:

• Asking for directions, optimal routes
• Giving directions
• Reserving and claiming seats, couchettes or cabins on trains, buses, ships, and planes
• Specifying particular kinds of seating (smoking, non-smoking, aisle, window)
• Re-confirming reservations
• Discussing and making decisions about itinerary details
• Enquiring about facilities (washroom amenities, refreshments)

Linguistic Skills

• Relaying concise information
• Summarising arrangements or itinerary
• Expressing preference

Structures and Grammar

Imperative Lassen Sie bitte ein Zimmer für mich reservieren Gehen Sie geradeaus. Adverbs of direction with hin und her hierhin dahin überallhin von daher von dorther

Adverbs of time Prepositions Bis/Ab neun Uhr .... Bis/Ab Hamburg Hauptbahnhof ....

Conditional Mir wäre es lieber, wenn .... Ich würde lieber .... Superlatives Am besten gehen Sie .... Sie gehen am schnellsten ....

1.5 General Activity/Theme:

Buying goods and services

Performance Targets:

• Using the media, telephone services and other sources to find out where particular goods and services are available
• Changing money or cheques in banks and change offices
• Enquiring about methods of payment, i.e. whether travellers' cheques, credit cards or Eurocheques are acceptable for purposes of payment
• Giving credit card details
• Ordering goods and services by telephone
• Negotiating purchase and hire
• Asking for a discount, refund and replacement
• Praising and/or complaining about the quality of goods and services

Linguistic Skills

• Coping with numbers, names and forms
• Discussing, comparing quality of goods and services
• Decoding abbreviated forms of language, e.g. in advertisements
• Recognising appropriateness of language forms for telephone

Structures and Grammar

Size: Welche Größe ....? Größe 40

Das sieht nicht schlecht aus. Das macht mir Sorgen. Das lasse ich mir nicht gefallen! Es gefällt mir. Mir gefällt an + dativ Ich finde nichts Schlimmes dabei .... Comparative and Superlative: schneller billiger weiter größer am günstigsten.

inkl. (inklusive) m2 (Quadratmeter) zu verk. (zu verkaufen) ca.2 Std.wö. (circa zwei Stunden wöchentlich).

Subjunctive of sein/geben: Wäre es möglich ....? Gäbe es die Möglichkeit ....?

1.6 General Activity/Theme:

Dealing with emergencies

Performance Targets:

• Seeking help from people in the vicinity
• Using the telephone to summon police, medical assistance, fite service or emergency breakdown service
• Giving an account of an accident, breakdown, theft or assault
• Requesting that you be put in touch with the Irish Embassy

Linguistic Skills

• Requesting help. Moving from short to full utterance
• Conveying degrees of urgency
• Giving account or description of event(s) in the past and sequencing events

Structures and Grammar

Hilfe! Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?

Adverbs of time and manner: jetzt gleich plötzlich sofort möglichst schnell schnellstens dringend Kommen Sie schnell/sofort! Beeilen Sie sich!

Perfect tense: Er ist abgestürzt Passive: Er wurde geschlagen. Es ist gestohlen worden. Use of: Nachdem + verb bevor, nach + noun während indem als danach nachher vorher etc.

1.7 General Activity/Theme:

Facilitating, encouraging or impeding a course of action

Performance Targets:

• Requesting permission to do something
• Making suggestions
• Offering advice
• Making demands
• Ordering or forbidding someone to do something.

Linguistic Skills

• Mastery of structures necessary to facilitate, encourage or impede a course of action
• Developing ability to relate action to third person, not just to self

Structures and Grammar

Modal verbs in all tenses and in questions Darf man hier rauchen? Dürfte ich vielleicht eine Frage stellen? Subjunctive of sein, werden, können: Wäre es möglich ....? Würde jemand etwas da gegen haben, wenn ....? Könntest du nicht ....?

Appropriate verb phrases: Er schlug eine Reise vor. Sie fing gleich an .... erlauben + dativ: Wer hat ihm erlaubt, meine Briefe zu öffnen? Use of prepositions: Trotz meines Verbotes hat er ....

1.8 General Activity/Theme:

Understanding and expressing feelings and attitudes

Performance Targets:

• Expressing hope
• Expressing pleasure
• Expressing a liking, dislike and preference
• Expressing satisfaction, dissatisfaction and indifference
• Expressing surpose and regret
• Expressing disappointment
• Expressing horror and embarrassment
• Expressing belief
• Expressing disbetief
• Expressing certainty
• Expressing uncertainty

Linguistic Skills

• Developing a choice of expressions appropriate to a variety of contexts
• Moving from first person accounts of feetings and attitudes

Structures and Grammar

Toll! Wie schade! Das darf nicht wahr sein! Das wundert mich (nicht)!

Es ,gefällt ihr. Es tut ihm leid. Verbs taking preposit[ons: Er ist davon überzeugt daß .... Sie hofft auf eine gute Note Sie hofft darauf, eine gute Note zu bekommen.

1.9 General Activity/Theme:

Managing a conversation

Pefformance Targets:

• Starting a conversation
• Asking for a repetition and/or clarification
• Confirming that something has been understood
• Expressing incomprehension
• Ending a conversation

Linguistic Skills

• Developing sensitivity to use of register
• Developing awareness of appropriateness of formulas to initiate and end conversations
• Developing use of question forms
• Qualifying degrees of comprehension

Structures and Grammar

Appropriate use of formal and informal personal pronouns and verb forms.

Modal verbs: Darf ich Sie einen Au genblick stören? Ich muß jetzt gehen. Bis zum nächsten Mal!

Inversion: Könnten Sie das bitte wiederholen/erklären?

Qualifying adverbs: Ich habe Sie nicht ganz verstanden. Er hat mich völlig mißverstanden.

1.10 General Activity/Theme:

Engaging in discussion

Performance Targets:

• Expressing something as an opinion
• Stating that something is true or untrue
• Confirming that something is true or untrue Insisting that something is true or untrue
• Denying
• Contradicting
• Taking sides in discussion
• Negotiating a compromise
• Ordering points in a discussion
• Concluding a discussion

Linguistic Skills

• Proposing a point of view
• Eliciting a response: acceptance, rejection, doubt
• Use of language nuances to express conciliation, scepticism
• Expressing reaction, conviction, justification
• Usage of forms of negation
• Using clauses of contrast

Structures and Grammar

Ich glaube, daß .... Meiner Meinung nach + verb .... Ich bin der Meinung/Ansicht ....

Na, was meinst denn du? Was meinen Sie dazu? Wie sehen Sie/siehst du das? Oder? Oder sehen Sie/siehst du das anders?

Das ist wohl möglich/eine Mö.glichkeit, aber .... Ja, meinen Sie? Und doch ....

Appropriate verb phrases introducing daß-clauses: Ich bin darüber erstaunt, daß .... Es freut uns, daß .... Ich finde es merkwürdig, daß .... Ich bin davon überzeugt, daß ....

Negation with nicht and use of other negative particles and conjunctions~. Ich will nicht damit sagen, daß .... Sowas habe ich nie ,behauptet, weder , noch . !

einerseits andererseits auf der einen Seite auf der anderen Seite

Linguistic Skills

• Summarising content of utterancesof self and others

Structures and Grammar

Reported speech: Er behauptet, daß das eine Lüge sei, Er behauptet, den Brief schon geschickt zu haben. Verbs of speaking and expression: sagen bejahen verneinen zugeben behaupten Iügen unterbrechen mitteilen

1.11 General Activity/Theme:

Passing on messages

Performance Targets:

• Offering to take a message
• Giving someone a message
• lndicating from whom a message originated
• Indicating the degree of importance or urgency of a message
• Dealing with messages on an answering machine

Linguistic Skills

• Relaying contents of message
• Communicating degrees of urgency

Structures and Grammar

Reported speech with Konj.1: Frau Schmidt hat gesagt, daß sie um 18. Uhr ankomme. Reported speech without Koni.1 Sie sagt, daß der Zu g spät ankommt. Sie sagt, der Zug kommt spät an.

Adverbs of time and urgency: wichtig umgehend dringend etc.

2. Language Awareness

2.1 General Activity/'Theme:

Learning about language from target language material

Performance Targets

• Understanding the main elements of target language material (newspaper, magazine articles, etc.) dealing with language-related topics such as:
  • language as a social, regional and educational issue
  • changes in language and language use (new words, spelling changes, foreign influences, etc.)
• Exploring target language literary texts as sources of linguistic information and illustration

2.2 General Activity/Theme:

Exploring meaning

Performance Targets:

• Abstracting the main points from a spoken and written target language text
• Working out the implicit inferences of statements made in a spoken or written target language text
• Guessing intelligently at the meaning of target language forms on the basis of related forms in the target language and/of other languages (e.g. arriving at the meaning of a noun from that of a related verb)
• Exploring the workings of the target language through such activities as:
  • Making meaningful target language sentences out of jumbled target language words, phrases or clauses
  • Making short pieces of meaningful and coherent target language text out of jumbled or gapped target language sentences

2.3 General Activity/Theme:

Relating language to attitude

Performance Targets:

• Recognising the general "tone" (ironic, angry, flippant, etc.) of a spoken or written target language text on the basis of its lexis, grammar and intonation, and punctuation
• ldentifying attitudes (e.g. critical, supportive, approving, disapproving) on the basis of a speaker's or writer's use of language.

2.4 General Activity/Theme:

Talking and writing about your experience of the target language

Performance Targets:

• Discussing aspects of your experience of the target language, such as:
  how Iong you have been learning it
  where you have been learning it
  the advantages of learning it in terms of its use in Europe and in the world
  what you find easy and difficult about it
  what you like and dislike about the way you have been learning it
• Describing and commenting on any ways in which you have made your own personal contribution to the process of leaming the target language
• Describing any ways in which learning the target language has affected your present life (e.g. friendships, enjoyment of books, films, music, etc., attitude towards other culture) and/of future prospects (e.g. travel, career possibilities, further language learning)

2.5 General Activity/Theme:

Consulting reference materials (e.g. dictionaries and grammars) relating to the vocabulary andgrammar of the target language

Performance Tar gets:

• Using vocabulary correctly and appropriately with the help of dictionaries.
• Learning to cope with simple grammatical terminology relating to the target language.
• Using target language forms correctly on the basis of explanations in grammars relating to the target language written in English or Irish or in the target language.

3. Cultural Awareness

3.1 General Activity/Theme:

Learning in the target language about the present-day culture associated with the language

Performance Targets:

• Understanding the main elements of target language material (notably newspaper and magazine articles, listening material and literary texts) on contemporary aspects of target language community life such as the following:
  • everyday activities (shopping, getting to work, eating and drinking, etc.)
  • customs and traditions
  • the arts and entertainment
  • the range and role of the mass media

3.2 General Activity/Theme:

Reading modern literary texts (notably novels, short stories, poems and plays, or extracts from these) in the target language.

Performance Targets:

• Understanding the main elements of the surface meaning of a modern literary text in the target language
• Identifying meaning present but not overtly expressed in such a text
• Appreciating the "tone" of such a text.

3.3 General Activity/Theme:

Describing and discussing everyday life in the target language community

Performance Targets:

• Describing the similarities and contrasts between normal everyday life in Ireland and normal everyday life in one of the communities associated with the target language, with particular reference to, for example:
  where people live
  how people are educated
  what people work at
  how much people earn in various jobs
  how much holiday time people have and how they use it
  how people spend their leisure hours generally
  what transport facilities are available
  what kinds of amenities people expect to have provided in their cities, towns and villages
  what people eat and drink, where and at what times'
  what kinds of shops are available
  what kinds of public services are available (e.g. schools, hospitals, swimming pools)
  what aspects of the natural environment are prominently referred to in conversation and/or involved in work and leisure activities
• Discussing the relative advantages and disadvantages of the Irish way of life and that of the target language community in respect of the above areas of experience
• Identifying differences between Irish and target language community behaviour in everyday circumstances with the potential to occasion misunderstanding, embarrassment or offence
• Critically examining national stereotypes

3.4 General Activity/Theme:

Understanding, describing and discussing aspects of the relations between the targetlanguage community and Ireland

Performance Targets:

• Outlining in broad terms the principal links between the target language community and Ireland (e.g. co-membership of the EU, literary connections, tourism, sport, etc.)
• Stating and defending personal opinions about the desirability of maintaining, developing or changing Ireland's links with the community in question

3.5 General Activity/Theme:

Understanding, describing and discussing in general terms issues that transcend culturaldivisions

Performance Targets:

• Discussing issues such as
  teenager culture
  the generation gap
  "entertainment"
  environment and ecology
  sexual and racial equality
  ethnic minorities
  health and lifestyle
  changing perspectives regarding human relationships (marriage, the family, etc.)
  the European dimension
  the Third World
• Describing how such issues present themselves in Ireland and in the target language community
• Stating and defending personal opinions in respect of such issues

ASSESSMENT

Examination tasks will always be based on the syllabus content.

In any given year examiners will choose a broadly representative range of elements from the syllabus.

1. General Principles

Candidates should be prepared to meet, in various combinations, situations and tasks from the whole syllabus content.

1.2 The tasks encountered in the examination in the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing will have "real life" validity or will be preparatory for real tasks.

1.3 The language encountered in listening and reading tasks will be authentic where possible and of real use to learners.

1.4 Assessment in the four skills will be concerned primarily with thereceipt and transmission of meaning.

2. Core Objectives

All candidates will be assessed on their ability to

(a) demonstrate an understanding of the spoken target language in brief and more extended forms in a variety of registers and situations
(b) demonstrate an understanding of the written target language in brief and more extended forms in a variety of registers
(c) express themselves with relative fluency and correctness in the target language both in speech and in writing in order to describe, obtain and convey information, offer explanations, and express ideas, opinions and feelings.

3. Differentiation

The syllabus aims to cater for a wide range of pupil ability. Assessment will be at Ordinary and Higher levels. While the syllabus is the same for both levels, the performance targets will involve language use of varying degrees of complexity.

Differentiation will be effected by means of

(a) Mark AIIocation/Weighting of Skills

In the ongoing language acquisition process, receptive skills (listening and reading) develop earlier and to a greater degree than do productive skills (speaking and writing). In differentiating between Ordinary and Higher Level assessment, the receptive skills will, taken together at Ordinary Level, be accorded a greater emphasis in terms of total available marks than will the corresponding skills at Higher Level. As a result, more marks will be allocated to productive skills at Higher Level than at Ordinary Level.

(b) Assessment Criteria

These will take account of:

(i) ability to transfer meaning and

(ii) degrees of accuracy and appropriateness of language, in cluding the range of vocabulary and structures used.

4. Format

The examination will aesess a candidate's ability to:

(a) understand the spoken language
(b) understand the written language
(c) communicate in the spoken language
(d) communicate in the written language.

Within each of these Assessment Objectives the language and examination tasks will arise from the subject content.

Oral Assessment

The oral component of assessment will consist of

(a) general conversation, based on the syllabus content; candidates may avail of the option of discussing a literary work

(b) one of these options:

(i) Proiect: discussing a project the candidate has worked on which is relevant to the syllabus content

(ii) Picture Sequence: story narration and brief discussion of issues arising from story

(c) a role-play situation.

Fiffeen minutes will be allotted per candidate.

Listening Comprehension

Candidates will be required to listen to a tape recording and to answer questions in English or Irish on what they have heard. They will be required to demonstrate an understanding of general information and specific details on a variety of aural stimuli arising from the subject content of the syllabus, including conversations overheard, public announcements, and extracts from radio and other sources.

Reading Comprehension

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of, and extract relevant specific information from, such texts as public signs, menus, timetables, brochures, guides, letters, newspaper or magazine articles and works of literature. Material at the Higher Level will place greater demands on the candidates. It will require the candidate to explore various levels of meaning within a text and demonstrate awareness of some stylistic aspects of literary texts.

Written Production

The tasks set will primarily require the candidate to use the target language for purposes of communication, such as expressing feelings and attitudes, giving and obtaining information, describing, relating, offering explanations, summarising, elaborating, etc.