A2 Exams in German as a Foreign Language

In the past week, the Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeiten 2 (Engl: international school comparative exams 2) of the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad at level A2 (CEFR) took place for the students of the IGS Orientation Stage (grades 5/6) who are studying German in their first year. They have been able to demonstrate their skills in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. During the oral exams on Friday, the German learners convinced with presentation topics on their areas of interest, e.g. Johann Sebastian Bach, chess, and golf. The Internationale schulischen Vergleichsarbeiten are subtitled “On the way to the DSD” and serve as preparation for the DSD level I and II (German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference), which the students will encounter later on in their school career, and are considered as proof of language proficiency for German preparatory colleges and universities. The IGS language concept stipulates that newcomers to the orientation stage must demonstrate a language proficiency level of A2 by the end of the sixth school year in order to move to the next higher class.

Franziska Barnickel
German as a Foreign Language Coordinator