German Upper Intermediate (full syllabus)

This year-long online course will train you to discuss and debate more complex topics in German at a more advanced level. You will read authentic resources, such as newspapers and biographies, and draw on elements of German culture, such as politics, education, film and food to have in-depth conversations with your tutor and peers.

Our class sizes are small, so we can tailor the topics around your areas of interest and there will be plenty of opportunities for one-to-one support.

By the end of the 30 weeks you will be communicating at a high CEFR B1 level of the Common European Framework Reference of language learning.

Who is it for?

Join us here if you have completed our lower intermediate syllabus or have studied formally elsewhere for 120 hours. You may have good or recent GCSE or a rusty A-level qualification or you can speak at CEFR A2/B1 level. See the eligibility section.

Timetable

The course includes 60 hours of learning and is taught across three terms, starting in October and finishing in July.

October – December (Part 1)

• One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Christmas Break

January – March (Part 2)

• One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Easter break

April/May – July (Part 3)

• One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Benefits

• Signing up for the full course has a number of benefits, not only will you’ll gain momentum and build a network of friends, but it is also cheaper to sign up to the full year instead of paying for each module separately
• Access to all the materials from home via our online learning platform
• You’ll learn from qualified tutors at a respected London university

By the end of this course you will be able to

• talk in more detail about political systems and parties
• talk about travelling and make travel arrangements
• read travel guides and discuss places of interests in German-speaking countries
• discuss environmental issues
• describe your media habits
• discuss social affairs and read articles on the topic
• compare places with each other
• express wishes
• talk about events that may/or not happen
• discuss advantages and disadvantages of certain sports and hobbies
• express yourself more politely
• give and receive advice
• discuss aspects of your work-life balance
• talk about advantages and disadvantages of different jobs
• invite people to events, parties
• make and change appointments
• discuss creative work
• express disagreement, intentions, disappointment
• narrate events using various past tenses and discuss future events
• explain aspects of the education system in German-speaking countries
• talk about food and exchange recipes
• describe processes
• watch, understand and discuss films and artists
• use argumentation: develop a critical point of view
• read biographical information and reviews
• describe people and items in detail.

Grammatical Structure

• revision of perfect tense and cases
• modal and reflexive verbs
• connectives
• indirect questions
• relative clauses
• the tense system
• the passive voice
• the subjunctive
• indirect speech
• prepositions
• the imperative
• negation
• verbs plus preposition
• The infinitive plus zu
• comparative and superlative
• pluperfect.

There is no formal assessment and you won’t receive a qualification, but you will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate on completion of the course. You must attend over 70 per cent of the classes to be eligible for the certificate.

Although there isn’t an exam, your tutor will assess your progress throughout the course. You will receive regular feedback on your participation in class, and any assignments you complete in your own time. This approach helps you to constantly improve and develop your skills.

Teaching

Teaching on the course involves a variety of styles. Some activities are led by the tutor, while others involve role-play, and pair and group work. Discussions and conversations are an important aspect of our approach to learning, helping you to practice and solidify your skills. In later parts of the course you will also have the chance to develop an argument, present it to the class and reason your point of view.

You will also need to do some independent research in your own time and bring this to the lesson.

Alongside classroom learning, you’ll have access to our e-learning platform, Moodle. This contains lesson content and additional study materials to keep you moving forward.

It is the right level if one of the following applies:

• you can communicate at CEFR A2/B1 level, according to the Common European Framework Reference of languages
• you have completed our full lower intermediate syllabus, or studied formally for 120 hours elsewhere
• You have a good or recent GCSE, or a rusty A-level.

You should already be able to:

• talk about free time and sports activities you enjoy
• use of conjunctions such as weil, dass and obwohl in sub-ordinate clauses
• understand some of the passive voice.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.