HSC German Continuers study plan
HSC German Continuers · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Reading and responding & Writing in German
Read one 400-word German article on a personal-identity topic and annotate the 15 highest-frequency unfamiliar words with article, plural, and an original example sentence.
Draft a 250-word German personal description (family, routines, aspirations) using at least six subordinate clauses and three different past-tense forms.
Self-correct the draft against a checklist of case endings for nominative, accusative, and dative articles, logging every error type in a tally sheet.
Build a 30-item vocabulary deck tagged by domain (individual, communities, changing world) and review it on three separate days.
Your checkpoint
A corrected 250-word German text plus an error-tally sheet showing at least three error categories and their counts.
Reading and responding & Writing in German
Read two contrasting 350-word opinion texts on a German-speaking-community theme and write a 150-word German summary of each, capturing main claim and supporting reason.
Practise the HSC reading-response format by answering four comprehension questions in German with full sentences, each 20-40 words.
Compose a 300-word German formal letter (e.g. enquiry to a Goethe-Institut branch or a Jugendherberge) using correct salutation, register, and closing conventions.
Identify and correct five of your own recurring grammar faults by rewriting flawed sentences from week 1.
Your checkpoint
Two 150-word German summaries plus one 300-word formal letter, all revised after self-correction.
Reading and responding & Writing in German & The changing world
Read a 500-word German text on an environmental or technological change topic and extract the author's stance with three quoted justifications.
Write a 350-word German discursive text presenting two viewpoints and a reasoned conclusion, using connectors such as einerseits, dennoch, and folglich.
Convert ten informal German sentences into formal register and explain each change in a one-line note.
Time yourself reading an unseen 400-word German passage and answer five questions within 25 minutes.
Your checkpoint
A 350-word German discursive text with a marked-up reading passage showing underlining of the author's stance and justifications.
Listening and responding & Reading and responding
Listen to three 3-minute authentic German audio segments (podcast, news item, interview) and take structured notes in German under headings of who, what, when, and opinion.
Answer eight listening-style questions in German after each segment, then re-listen to verify and correct every response.
Transcribe 60 seconds of one segment verbatim and mark where you misheard sounds, vowels, or numbers.
Complete a full timed reading paper (unseen texts, all question types) in 60 minutes and score it against a marking rubric.
Your checkpoint
A listening log for three segments with corrected answers and a verbatim 60-second transcript, plus a scored timed reading paper with a percentage.
Listening and responding & Writing in German
Listen to five short 90-second German clips and write a 60-word German response to each, stating the speaker's main point and one supporting detail.
Draft a 400-word German imaginative or persuasive piece, planning it in a five-point outline before writing.
Record yourself reading your week 3 discursive text aloud and note three pronunciation or intonation issues to fix.
Practise number, date, and time comprehension by dictating twenty items from audio and checking accuracy.
Your checkpoint
Five 60-word German listening responses plus a planned 400-word German composition with its outline attached.
Writing in German & Speaking (school-assessed)
Write two 250-word German texts in 40 minutes each under exam conditions, one formal and one informal, without dictionaries.
Prepare and speak a 3-minute German monologue on a changing-world topic, recording it and noting fluency breaks.
Hold a 5-minute German conversation with a partner or language exchange, covering at least four question types, and log new expressions heard.
Revise your two timed texts and categorise every error as grammar, vocabulary, or register.
Your checkpoint
Two timed 250-word German texts with an error-category breakdown, plus one recorded 3-minute monologue with a self-assessment note.
The individual & The German-speaking communities & Speaking (school-assessed)
Speak for 4 minutes in German on an individual-domain topic and 4 minutes on a German-speaking-communities topic, each recorded and reviewed against a fluency and accuracy checklist.
Answer ten unpredictable German follow-up questions aloud, recording responses of 30-60 seconds each.
Write a 200-word German reflection on a cultural topic from the German-speaking world, citing two specific examples.
Review all vocabulary decks and retire mastered items, retaining only those missed twice or more.
Your checkpoint
Two recorded 4-minute German monologues plus ten recorded follow-up answers, with a written checklist scoring fluency, range, and accuracy out of five each.
Listening and responding & Reading and responding & Writing in German
Sit one full mock examination under timed conditions: listening, reading and responding, and writing in a single session.
Mark the mock against the official weighting and compute a percentage for each of the three skill areas.
Rewrite the weakest written response, targeting the two lowest-scoring criteria identified in marking.
Compile a one-page German error-and-phrase sheet for final review and read it aloud twice.
Your checkpoint
A completed timed mock with per-skill percentages, one rewritten response, and a one-page final review sheet.
Milestones
Week 2: Can read an unseen 350-word German text and produce a coherent 150-word German summary in under 25 minutes with no dictionary.
Week 4: Scores at least 60% on a timed unseen reading paper and correctly answers 6 of 8 listening questions after two hearings.
Week 6: Produces two 250-word German texts in 40 minutes each with fewer than eight errors total and speaks 3 minutes on a prepared topic with minimal hesitation.
Week 8: Achieves at least 70% overall on the timed mock, with no single skill area below 60%.