Religious Celebrations: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE German): Revision Note

Anna is talking about Christmas. Choose the correct answer and write the letter.

1. On Christmas Eve, Anna and her family first go to …

A. a restaurant
B. church
C. her grandmother's house

2. On Christmas Day, the children in Anna's family …

A. open presents in the morning
B. sing traditional songs
C. help to cook the meal

3. Anna says that Christmas is important because …

A. she receives a lot of gifts
B. it brings the whole family together
C. it is a national tradition

Answers:

1. B Zuerst gehen wir am Heiligen Abend in die Kirche
2. A Am ersten Weihnachtstag öffnen die Kinder morgens die Geschenke
3. B Weihnachten ist wichtig, weil die ganze Familie zusammenkommt

You hear four people talking about a religious celebration. What does each person do during this celebration? Write the correct letter in each box.

A. go to a place of worship
B. share a special meal with family
C. wear traditional clothing
D. give money to charity
E. receive gifts
F. decorate their home

• Sophie

• Lukas

• Mia

• Karim

Answers:

Sophie - F
Wir machen das Haus schön - überall Lichter, auch im Garten. Natürlich kaufen wir auch Geschenke für die Familie, aber das Haus schön machen macht mir am meisten Spaß.
Sophie mentions buying gifts (which points towards E), but what she says she enjoys most is making the house look beautiful. The key phrase is das Haus schön machen - decorating the home.

Lukas - D
Bei uns ist es Tradition, dass man einen Teil des Geldes, das man zu Weihnachten bekommt, armen Menschen gibt - Menschen, denen es nicht so gut geht.
Lukas mentions receiving money at Christmas (which could suggest E), but the focus is on giving it to others. The key phrase is armen Menschen gibt - gives to poor people.

Mia - C
Meine Großmutter möchte immer, dass wir zu Ostern unsere traditionelle Kleidung tragen. Ich finde es manchmal ein bisschen langweilig, aber es ist ihr sehr wichtig.
Mia does not say she enjoys wearing traditional clothes, but the key phrase is traditionelle Kleidung tragen - to wear traditional clothing. Don't be misled by her negative opinion.

Karim - A
An Eid stehen wir sehr früh auf. Zuerst gehen wir in die Moschee - danach verbringen wir den ganzen Tag mit der Familie.
Karim mentions spending time with family (which could suggest B), but the first thing he does is go to the mosque. The distractor is the family reference - the correct answer is confirmed by zuerst gehen wir in die Moschee - first we go to the mosque.

• In matching tasks, the speakers will often mention something that sounds like a different option - this is a deliberate distractor

• Don't choose your answer based on the first relevant word you hear

• Listen to the whole extract before deciding

• Notice how Sophie mentions Geschenke (gifts), which could suggest E, but her main focus is on decorating the house - always listen for the overall message, not just individual words

When your teacher asks you, read aloud the following text in German.

Ich finde Feste sehr wichtig.
Zu Weihnachten besuche ich immer meine Familie.
Es gibt viel zu essen und man bekommt tolle Geschenke.
Zu Ostern spielen wir im Garten.
Das macht uns alle sehr glücklich.

You will then be asked four questions in German related to the topic of customs, festivals and celebrations. Try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

Example questions and answers:

Was ist dein Lieblingsfest und warum?
Mein Lieblingsfest ist Weihnachten, weil man viel Zeit mit der Familie verbringt. My favourite celebration is Christmas, because you spend a lot of time with your family.

Was machst du in den Weihnachtsferien?
Ich bleibe zu Hause und esse viel.
I stay at home and eat a lot.

Wie findest du religiöse Feste?
Ich finde sie wichtig, weil man Traditionen feiern kann.
I think they are important because you can celebrate traditions.

Welche Musik hörst du gern auf Partys?
Ich höre gern Popmusik.
I like listening to pop music.

• Use your preparation time to write out the text and add notes on tricky pronunciations - for example, how to say the -ch in Weihnachten or the -sch in Geschenke

• For the follow-up questions, aim to give full answers and develop them with a reason using weil - the more you say, the better

When your teacher asks you, read aloud the following text in German.

Religiöse Feste sind sehr wichtig in Deutschland und in vielen anderen Kulturen.
Zu Weihnachten geht die Familie zuerst in die Kirche.
Danach essen wir zusammen, was mir sehr gut gefällt.
Meine ältere Schwester kocht immer traditionelle Gerichte.
Ich finde es schön, dass man durch Feste verschiedene Kulturen entdecken kann.

You will then be asked four questions in German related to the topic of customs, festivals and celebrations. Try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

Example questions and answers:

Sag mir etwas über dein Lieblingsfest.
Mein Lieblingsfest ist Eid, weil es die ganze Familie verbindet und man traditionelle Gerichte isst.
My favourite celebration is Eid, because it connects the whole family and you eat traditional dishes.

Welche Traditionen sind dir am wichtigsten?
Mir sind Familientraditionen am wichtigsten, weil sie Menschen aus verschiedenen Kulturen verbinden.
Family traditions are most important to me, because they connect people from different cultures.

Wie wichtig ist es, nationale Feste zu feiern?
Ich finde es sehr wichtig, weil man so die Geschichte und Kultur des Landes besser verstehen kann.
I think it's very important, because you can better understand the history and culture of the country.

Was machst du, um andere Kulturen besser zu verstehen?
Ich lese viel darüber und spreche mit Freunden aus anderen Kulturen.
I read a lot about it / them and speak with friends from other cultures.

• The questions after the text can cover any topic within the theme - not just the content of the text itself

• This means you may be asked about something you haven't prepared

• Don't panic - use the language you know and aim to develop your answers with a reason or extra detail

• You can also use vocabulary from the text you've just read as a springboard for your answers

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Die Kirche ist ein wichtiges Gebäude in unserer Stadt.

2. Viele Menschen feiern Feste mit ihrer Familie.

3. Meine Freundin ist Jüdin und geht samstags in die Synagoge.

4. Wir haben Eid mit einem leckeren Essen gefeiert.

5. Man kann tanzen, singen und die ganze Nacht feiern.

Answers:

1. The church is an important building in our town/city.

2. A lot of people celebrate festivals with their family

3. My friend is Jewish and goes to the synagogue on Saturdays.

4. We celebrated Eid with a tasty meal.

5. You/People can dance, sing and celebrate all night.

• When translating into English, don't translate word for word - think about what the whole sentence means and write natural English

• Check your tenses carefully - haben gefeiert is perfect tense (we celebrated), not present tense

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Nationale Feste verbinden Menschen aus verschiedenen Kulturen miteinander.

2. Zu Ostern kochen wir traditionelle Gerichte und besuchen die Kirche.

3. Es ist schön, neue Traditionen zu entdecken und auch die eigene Kultur zu feiern.

4. Das Fest hat der ganzen Familie viel Freude gebracht.

5. Weihnachten wird international gefeiert, obwohl die Traditionen überall anders sind.

Answers:

1. National celebrations connect people from different cultures (with one another).

2. At Easter we cook traditional dishes and visit the church.

3. It is lovely to discover new traditions and also to celebrate your own culture.

4. The celebration brought the whole family a lot of joy.

5. Christmas is celebrated internationally, although the traditions are different everywhere.

Translate these sentences into German.

1. Christmas is my favourite celebration.

2. We go to church with the family.

3. At Eid, everyone wears new clothes and visits friends.

4. People eat traditional food and open presents.

5. I think that celebrations are important for the family.

Answers:

1. Weihnachten ist meine Lieblingsfeier / mein Lieblingsfest.

2. Wir gehen mit der Familie in die Kirche.

3. Zu Eid trägt jeder neue Kleidung und besucht Freunde.

4. Man isst traditionelles Essen und öffnet Geschenke.

5. Ich finde, dass Feste wichtig für die Familie sind.

• Pay close attention to word order - in German, the verb must be the second idea in a main clause

• In sentence 2, Wir gehen keeps the verb in second position

• Also watch out for cases: mit der Familie uses the dative because mit always takes the dative

• Small details like these can make the difference between full and partial marks

Translate these sentences into German.

1. My friend visits the synagogue because it is very important to her.

2. Last year we celebrated Eid and then ate a traditional meal together.

3. I would like to visit a temple to discover new traditions.

4. Although Christmas is a religious festival, many people in Germany celebrate it.

Answers:

1. Meine Freundin besucht die Synagoge, weil es ihr sehr wichtig ist.

2. Letztes Jahr haben wir Eid gefeiert und danach zusammen ein traditionelles Essen gegessen.

3. Ich möchte einen Tempel besuchen, um neue Traditionen zu entdecken.

4. Obwohl Weihnachten ein religiöses Fest ist, feiern es viele Menschen in Deutschland.

• In sentence 2, notice that the English says 'important to her' - this tells you the friend is female, so you must use Freundin (female friend), not Freund (male friend)

• In German, the gender of nouns affects other words in the sentence too: meine Freundin uses the feminine form of the possessive

• Always read the English carefully for clues about gender - small details like this are worth marks