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Herr Levine's AP German Language Exam Tips
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by Adam Levine
T. C. Williams High School
Alexandria, Virginia
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I. Remember the Format
| Section IA: |
Listening (1-40) |
30 minutes |
20.0 percent |
| IB: |
Reading (41-70) |
50 minutes |
25.0 percent |
| Section IIA: |
Writing -- cloze passage |
10 minutes |
7.5 percent |
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Writing -- composition |
40 minutes |
22.5 percent |
| IIB: |
Speaking |
20 minutes |
25.0 percent |
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Six directed-response questions |
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Picture sequence |
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| Total: |
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150 minutes |
100 percent |
II. Listening Tips
- Pay attention and listen carefully!
- Understand the context.
- Just get the main idea. Don't worry about understanding every word.
III. Reading Tips
- Identify the context. (Any clues in the title? Questions?)
- Recognize cognates and word families, e.g., die Erklärung, erklärbar, erklären
- Skim the text once to get a general idea of what's going on. Identify nouns and verbs and try to keep the thread of the text going.
- Then go back for a second reading and take a closer look at the details.
- There are five reading passages: four short selections and one lengthier text.
- Pace yourself accordingly: seven to eight minutes for each short passage, 18 to 22 minutes for the long passage.
IV. Cloze Passage Tips (Grammar)
- Always read through the entire text first.
- Check your answers. The answer must fit semantically and syntactically.
- The most common mistakes are capitalization, umlauts, and verb or adjective endings.
V. Writing Tips: ABODE
- Use the ABODE acronym:
Analyze the writing task. (Answer the entire question with at least 150 words.)
Brainstorm by writing down all your ideas in German.
Organize your thoughts and ideas.
Develop a first draft with an introduction, two to three short paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Evaluate and proofread.
- Advice adapted from a poem by Beth Smith, a teacher at Plano Senior High School in Texas:
Check the endings, check the case.
Are all my words in proper place?
And the verbs -- do they agree? I'm not sure; go back and see.
Have I transitioned as I should? If I have, my Aufsatz's good!
- Avoid repetition! Avoid English!
VI. Other Writing Tips
- Use descriptive adjectives to add detail: ein schönes, neues Auto.
- Use some excellent grammar structures: Konjunktiv, Passiv, Relativsätze.
- Use some writing transitions:
| Meiner Meinung nach |
Ich bin der Meinung, dass |
| Ich finde, dass |
Es nervt mich, dass/wenn |
| Es ärgert mich, dass/wenn |
Als ich Kind war, musste ich |
| Erstens, zweitens, drittens |
Zuerst, dann, danach, zuletzt |
| Deshalb, deswegen |
Aus diesem Grund |
| Es wäre schön, wenn . . . |
Es wäre schön, wenn . . . |
VII. Speaking Tips -- Directed-Response Questions
- There will be six directed-response questions: 20 seconds for each one.
- The minimum response must be at least 15 words.
- Finish your sentence even if the timer beeps.
- Project right into the scene!
- Avoid English, speech fillers (ahhhs, ohhhs, eeeehhhs), and cursing.
- Answer the questions as best you can, even if you're not sure you understood it.
- Self-correction is good!
VIII. Speaking Tips -- Picture Sequence
- You have two minutes to look over the passage. Jot down some ideas.
- Identify the story line first! What's happening here?
- There are six pictures: about 20 seconds for each one. Total time is two minutes.
- Tell the story and describe all six pictures in as much detail as possible.
- Use some good transitions:
| Einmal gab es . . . |
Hier handelt es sich um . . . |
| Es gibt + AKK |
Zuerst, dann, danach, zuletzt |
| Am nächsten Tag/Abend/Morgen |
Zwei Wochen später |
| Am Nachtmittag/Am Abend |
Leider/Glücklicherweise |
IX. General Tips
- Practice German as much as possible a month before the exam.
- Watch German films, read German magazines, listen to German rock music.
- Visit these two Web sites:
Spiegel Online (news): www.spiegel.de
Austrian radio: www.orf.at
- Review grammar handouts; study your own problem areas in your grammar book.
- Review vocabulary handouts; study your own problem areas.
- The night before, get a good night's sleep. Then eat a good breakfast and relax!
- Check out your equipment to make sure everything works!
- Do your absolute best!
Adam Levine received a B.A. in German from State University of New York College at Oswego, and an M.S. in German from Georgetown University. In 1989 he was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, spending a year in Weilheim, Germany. Since 1996 he has been a fulltime German teacher at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, where he has also coordinated exchange programs with schools in both Germany and Austria. Levine received an outstanding teacher award from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in 2004. Since 2002 he has served as a Reader for German and in 2005 became part of the AP German Development Committee. In his free time, he is also an active member of a Bavarian dance group.
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