For both higher and ordinary levels, the exam consists of three components:
Guide
Everything you need to study Leaving Cert German
- 4 minute read
German, unlike many typical Leaving Certificate subjects, is hard to predict and doesn’t encourage rote learning. This is similar to spoken languages in real life, meaning the subject requires effort and dedication. Studyclix is here to make your German study easier.
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What's involved?
Oral examination
Written examination (reading comprehension and written production)
Aural examination (listening comprehension)
How you will be assessed
Here is a breakdown of what to expect:
Higher Level
The reading comprehension has a journalistic reading text, followed by questions testing comprehension, language awareness, applied grammar and your ability to give an opinion on the topic. The written section has a formal or informal letter or an essay-type response to a picture.
- The oral exam is worth 25%.
- The listening comprehension is worth 20%.
- The reading comprehension is worth 30%.
- The written production is worth 25%.
Ordinary Level
You do one literary and two journalistic comprehensions with similar exercises to higher level. Written exercises include letters, telling a story from a given series of pictures or writing dialogue.
- The oral exam is worth 20%.
- The listening comprehension is worth 25%
- The reading comprehension is worth 40%.
- The written production is worth 15%.
The reading comprehension has a journalistic reading text, followed by questions testing comprehension, language awareness, applied grammar and your ability to give an opinion on the topic. The written section has a formal or informal letter or an essay-type response to a picture.
- The oral exam is worth 25%.
- The listening comprehension is worth 20%.
- The reading comprehension is worth 30%.
- The written production is worth 25%.
More information
For more information about the German exam, check out:
How Studyclix can help you study German
Read our H1 Guide
In 2022, 15.8% of students got a H1 in the Leaving Cert German exam. If you'd also like to get a H1 in German, we have you covered. In this blog, top German student Gráinne, goes through her best tips and tricks on getting a H1 in this subject.
German notes
On Studyclix, we have collaborated with expert German teachers and top performing students to create the best notes. We have everything from sample sentences to reading comprehension guidelines to vocabulary lists. You can find them all on our German community page or you can check out some of the following samples:
Top tip
Stuck on a past exam paper question? Not sure about German grammar? Looking for some more notes? Try asking our community page for some tips and advice. There are plenty of students and teachers there who are more than willing to help you out.
Oral exam resources
The German oral exam can be tricky to study or practice for. That's why we created our own notes for the Picture Stories and Role Plays so that you can get ideas from them or use them for yourself.
To access these notes, head over to our 'German oral topic page', where you can choose from each Picture Story or Role Play.
For specific advice on the German oral exam, check out this guide by Eimear who was a top-performing student and went on to study German at university level.
If you would prefer to watch an advice video, we have you covered. Here, Gabrielle (who did 3 oral exams) goes through her top tips for the orals. Check it out:
Sample answers
If you are struggling with writing opinion pieces, diary entries or any of the written production German questions then we have the perfect resource for you.
On Studyclix, we offer German sample answers for past exam paper questions. Here is why reading sample answers is going to revolutionise your essay-writing ability:
You can get inspiration for what you can write in your exam.
You can discover new vocabulary and phrases.
You can learn how to structure your own answers.
There are loads of benefits to reading sample answers so don't hesitate to check them out. You can find them under relevant questions from our Questions by Topic page.
Aural Revision Tool
Studyclix makes revising listening comprehension questions much easier! You will find an audio player above every listening question.
Brand New: Studyclix Digital flashcards
Our flashcards have gone and got a whole new look! You can now use Studyclix Digital Flashcards to study for Leaving Cert German.
How do they work?
Click through all of the flashcards you need to know in each topic using the 'previous' and 'next' buttons on the flashcards.
Want to mix it up? Hit the shuffle button. Looking to test yourself again? Do it by hitting restart. You can also share, print or view the full deck. It's all at your fingertips.
Find all of the flashcards we have available below:
Have some ideas for more resources?
We are always looking for new ways to improve our site so we would love to hear your feedback. Get in touch by emailing info@studyclix.ie 😊