My Local Area: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE German): Revision Note

Three young people are talking about their local area. Complete the sentences in English. Write one word in each space.

1. Anna thinks her town is great because there are lots of __________________.

2. Felix says there is no __________________ in his village, so he has to travel by __________________.

3. Sophie finds her area __________________, but says the __________________ is very beautiful.

Answers:

1. shops

2. railway station; bus

3. quiet; landscape / countryside

• Use the gap itself as a clue - if the sentence says 'there are lots of', you know you are listening for a plural noun

• For 'she finds her area', you are listening for an adjective

• Knowing what type of word to expect helps you catch it in the recording

Jonas is talking about the town where he grew up.
Complete the sentences in English. You may use more than one word.

1. Jonas's favourite thing about his home town is __________________.

2. The problem with transport is that __________________.

3. Jonas wants to move because __________________.

Answers:

1. the proximity / being close to the sea

2. there is no direct train connection to the nearest city / people have to drive

3. he wants more opportunities

• In the Higher listening paper, gaps often require a short phrase rather than a single word, so listen out for detail rather than just key nouns

• Read each gapped sentence carefully before the recording plays - knowing what type of information you need (a place, a reason, a problem) will help you focus on the right part of what you hear

You are talking to your Austrian friend about where you live.
Your teacher will play the part of your friend and will speak first.
You should address your friend as du.

1. Say where you live. (Give one detail.)

2. Give one opinion about your local area.

3. Say what the weather is like where you live. (Give one detail.)

4. Say one thing you did recently in your local area.

5. ? Ask your friend a question about transport.

Example responses:

1. Ich wohne in einem kleinen Dorf auf dem Land.

2. Ich finde meine Gegend sehr ruhig.

3. Das Wetter ist oft kalt und windig.

4. Gestern bin ich in die Stadt gefahren.

5. Gibt es einen Bahnhof in deiner Stadt?

• The ? prompt always requires a question with a verb - a noun or phrase alone will not score full marks

• For transport, simple questions work well: Gibt es einen Bahnhof? or Fährst du gern mit dem Bus? are both perfectly acceptable

You are talking to your German friend about your local area.
Your teacher will play the part of your friend and will speak first.
You should address your friend as du.

1. Describe where you live. (Give two details.)

2. Say two things visitors can do in your local area.

3. Say one advantage and one disadvantage of living where you do.

4. Say where you would like to live in the future and why. (Give one reason.)

5. ? Ask your friend a question about their local area.

Example responses:

1. Ich wohne in einer berühmten Stadt. Es gibt viele Läden und ein historisches Zentrum.

2. Besucher können das Schloss besichtigen und am Strand spazieren gehen.

3. Ein Vorteil ist die Nähe zum Strand und dass die Stadt sehr bekannt ist. Aber der Verkehr ist leider ein großes Problem.

4. In der Zukunft möchte ich im Ausland wohnen, weil ich andere Kulturen kennenlernen möchte.

5. Wie findest du deine Gegend?

• At Higher, prompts that ask for two details require two clearly separate pieces of information - make sure both are in your response

• A single sentence that only covers one point will not score full marks for that task

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Ich wohne in einem kleinen Dorf auf dem Land.

2. Es gibt kein Krankenhaus in meiner Stadt.

3. Der Park ist sehr bekannt und immer geöffnet.

4. Letztes Jahr bin ich mit meiner Familie an die Küste gefahren.

5. In der Nähe gibt es ein historisches Schloss und ein Museum.

Answers:

1. I live in a small village in the countryside.

2. There is no hospital in my town.

3. The park is very well-known and always open.

4. Last year I went with my family to the coast.

5. Nearby there is a historic castle and a museum.

• You do not need to translate word for word - what matters is that the overall meaning of each sentence is clear

• For example, Letztes Jahr bin ich … gefahren can be translated as 'I went' or 'I travelled' - both are correct

• Each sentence is worth two marks, so make sure you tackle all five even if you are not completely sure - a partial answer can still score

Translate these sentences into English.

1. Obwohl ich in einer ruhigen Gegend wohne, gibt es hier viel zu tun.

2. Letzten Sommer habe ich mit meinen Großeltern einen Markt in der Stadt besucht.

3. In der Zukunft möchte ich in eine größere Stadt umziehen.

4. Das Stadtzentrum hat sich sehr verändert und ich finde das positiv.

Answers:

1. Although I live in a quiet area, there is a lot to do here.

2. Last summer I visited a market in the city with my grandparents.

3. In future, I would like to move to a bigger city.

4. The town centre has changed a lot and I find that positive.

• Look carefully at the structure of each sentence before you start writing

• Sentences 1 and 4 both contain subordinate clauses — obwohl sends the verb to the end

Translate these sentences into German.

1. I live in a village in the countryside.

2. There is no cinema in my area.

3. The market is open every Saturday.

4. My parents work in an old building.

5. Last year we visited a very famous castle.

Answers:

1. Ich wohne in einem Dorf auf dem Land.

2. Es gibt kein Kino in meiner Gegend.

3. Der Markt ist jeden Samstag geöffnet.

4. Meine Eltern arbeiten in einem alten Gebäude.

5. Letztes Jahr haben wir ein sehr bekanntes Schloss besucht.

• Remember that es gibt is followed by the accusative case

• For negative sentences, the article changes depending on the gender of the noun: es gibt keinen Park (m), es gibt keine Kirche (f), es gibt kein Kino (nt)

• Getting this right will help you pick up marks for accuracy

Translate these sentences into German.

1. The region is known for its beautiful landscape.

2. My parents have lived in this area for twenty years.

3. Many people prefer to travel by tram because it is cheaper.

4. My sister has found a job near the airport.

Answers:

1. Die Region ist für ihre schöne Landschaft bekannt.

2. Meine Eltern wohnen seit zwanzig Jahren in dieser Gegend.

3. Viele Leute fahren lieber mit der Straßenbahn, weil es billiger ist.

4. Meine Schwester hat einen Job in der Nähe des Flughafens gefunden.