DCF Cymru Digital competence for Wales

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GCSE German

GCSE German makes few direct digital demands. The oracy NEA is audio recorded by the teacher, and the exams use texts in digital formats such as podcasts, e-mails and web pages, but dictionaries and reference materials are banned in every unit. The biggest thing KS3 can build is confident, regular recording and self-review of spoken German.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2025
Amount of digital work
Low
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Oracy: Non-examination assessment, speaking test 7 to 10 minutes plus 10 minutes preparation, 30%
  • Unit 2: Reading and Writing: Non-examination assessment 1 hour, 15%
  • Unit 3: Listening: Examination 45 minutes, 20%
  • Unit 4: Reading and Writing: Examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 35%

Skills that use Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

  1. Preparing, recording and improving spoken German

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    The Unit 1 oracy NEA (read aloud and role play, a presentation on the learner's own interest, and a conversation) is audio recorded by the teacher and marked externally from the recording. Learners prepare the presentation in advance, so regular practice at planning, recording and self-reviewing spoken German builds confidence in front of a recorder.

    DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils record a 30-second self-introduction in German on an iPad, listen back, and re-record after fixing two pronunciation points a partner has flagged.
    Year 8
    Pupils record a café role play in pairs in Audacity, trim the start and end, and upload it to a Teams assignment for peer comments.
    Year 9
    Pupils plan a one-minute presentation on a personal interest in OneNote, record it, then use the teacher's audio feedback to make a second, improved recording.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1 Oracy, Section 3.2 Overview for arrangements for NEA, page 22

    “The assessment will be carried out by teachers at the centre, audio recorded and marked by external examiners.”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
      • presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.

    • I can invite feedback/responses from others, e.g. use 'comment' in online platforms, asking questions or adding suggestions.

    • I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.

    Progression step 4

    • I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
      • presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.

    • I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.

    • I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.

    Progression step 5

    • I can use a variety of software, tools and techniques to create a professional, individual or collaborative project outcome incorporating a range of multimedia components.

    • I can make detailed and specific changes to my digital work, based upon feedback and self-evaluation, as relevant.

    • I can plan my digital work effectively and with increasing complexity.

  2. Understanding recorded and online audio in German, such as podcasts, adverts and messages

    Assessed: In the exam

    The Unit 3 listening examination uses recorded extracts in digital formats, including podcasts, adverts and messages. Learners must identify messages and draw conclusions, which is easier for pupils who regularly find and listen to authentic online audio and notice how format, purpose and audience shape the language.

    DCF: Communication, Health and well-being, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils listen to a short German radio or online advert and note the product, the price and the tricks used to grab attention.
    Year 8
    Pupils bookmark a teacher-approved German podcast or video channel for young people and log three key points from an episode each fortnight.
    Year 9
    Pupils compare a podcast extract with a recorded phone message on the same topic, note how format and audience change the language, then answer GCSE-style questions in English or Welsh.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 3 Listening, Areas of content, page 17

    “listen to extracts including the following formats: adverts, messages, podcasts, announcements, conversations and interviews”
    Progression step 3

    • I can show an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of communication and when it is appropriate to use each, e.g. explain when video conferencing may be more appropriate than e-mail, and vice versa; explain the pros and cons of using instant messaging in social contexts; talk about purpose and audience.

    • I can identify marketing elements designed to draw my attention.

    • I can store search results for future use, e.g. bookmark, add to favourites.

    Progression step 4

    • I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.

    • I can identify stereotypes and their impact in a range of media.

    Progression step 5

    • I can search efficiently for information for my digital work and evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justifying opinions and reasons for choices, and I can reference work using appropriate methods.

    • I can make use of and reflect on available online communication services for specific purposes, justifying selections made based on their appropriateness for delivery of information.

  3. Using online dictionaries and translation tools critically

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    The spec lists the use of dictionaries as a language learning skill to develop, but dictionaries are banned in every assessed unit. Pupils therefore need to use online dictionaries and translators well, judge their limits, and never pass off machine-translated work as their own.

    DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Digital rights, licensing and ownership

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils look up five new words in an online bilingual dictionary such as WordReference, checking the gender and picking the right meaning from the list.
    Year 8
    Pupils put a short English paragraph through an online translator, then find and correct its German errors using the grammar they have been taught.
    Year 9
    Pupils discuss why handing in machine-translated or AI-written German counts as malpractice, then write a paragraph from memory and check it without a dictionary, as in the NEA.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Section 2, Opportunities for integration of learning experiences, page 20

    “demonstrate language strategies and language learning skills, including the use of dictionaries”
    Progression step 3

    • I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.

    • I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.

    Progression step 4

    • I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.

    • I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.

    Progression step 5

    • I can consider the benefits and limitations of digital tools and information sources and of the results I produce and use these results to inform future judgements about the quality of my digital work.

    • I can understand and reflect on the differences between taking inspiration from the creative work of others and appropriating that work without permission.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

WJEC's Appendix C (page 93) ticks Digital Competence Citizenship and Producing for Unit 2, Producing for Unit 4, Interacting and Collaborating for all four units, and nothing for Data and Computational Thinking. Unlike French and Spanish, German also ticks Interacting and Collaborating for Unit 2. Translation into Cymraeg or English overlaps with Welsh and English departments.

Source: WJEC GCSE German specification, Teaching from 2025, For award from 2027, Version 2, February 2025.