Uberblick

This set of two cassette packs accompanies the second stage of a two-part advanced German course which is intended to bridge the gap between GCSE and A level, catering for pupils who have achieved Grade C (or National Curriculum levels 6-7) at GCSE or General Level at Standard Grade and who are continuing with German to AS or A level, or to Higher Grade. The whole course consists of two students' books, two accompanying teachers' books and two cassette packs (with two C60 cassettes in each pack). The first part of the course - "Durchblick" - provides sufficient grounding and practice to serve as a complete coursebook for AS level and covers all the requirements of the Revised Higher. The activities are graded so as to take the student through from Grade C GCSE (levels 6/7 of the National Curriculum) or General Level at Standard Grade to the point at which they can tackle work of A level standard, or the Higher Grade examination. It covers all the basic grammar points required for Higher Grade and A level, introducing them gradually and in a realistic context.
The teacher's books include further study activities on photocopiable sheets, which help consolidate themes and language points; coursework suggestions; extra listening practice, based on authentic German radio extracts; cassette transcripts; revision/assessment materials; matrices showing the distribution of grammar coverage and exercise types in the students' books; notes on the sources of authentic materials; and keys to the exercises. The second part of the course - "Uberblick" - offers consolidation of the skills built up with "Durchblick". It also looks in more depth at using the language to investigate and discuss topical issues, thus providing a detailed preparation for the A level examination. The course as a whole offers the broad scope required for A level while aiming to keep to a manageable length. The course uses the type of activities with which students are familiar, so as to build confidence and motivation. The passages are short to medium length. Regular grammar practice exercises are included, which are within the context of the reading and listening texts.
There are also regular unit-end revision and assessment materials to help both students and teachers to monitor progress. The two cassette packs provide authentic, unscripted listening materials to complement both linguistically and culturally the written texts and to build up listening and speaking competence.