MATSEC SEC German study plan
MATSEC SEC German · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Listening & Speaking
Set up a daily 15-minute listening routine using short authentic German audio (news clips, podcasts, announcements) and log each session with date, length and main idea
Transcribe 3 short audio extracts (60-90 seconds each) verbatim, then compare against any available transcript or replay to mark every missed word
Record yourself answering 5 simple spoken questions about yourself (name, home, school/work, hobbies, family) and listen back to note hesitation points
Build a personal vocabulary list of 40 high-frequency words heard in the week's audio, with gender and plural where nouns
Practise pronouncing the German alphabet, umlauts and the ich/ach sounds aloud for 10 minutes on 3 separate days
Your checkpoint
A listening log covering 7 sessions plus one 2-minute self-recording introducing yourself, saved with a written note of 5 pronunciation issues to fix
Listening & Speaking
Complete 4 listening tasks on numbers, times, prices and dates (train announcements, shop dialogues) and write down every figure heard correctly
Answer 10 short-answer listening questions in writing after a single hearing, without pausing, to train first-listen comprehension
Hold a 3-minute spoken monologue on your daily routine using at least 8 time expressions and 6 separable verbs
Practise 5 role-play openings (asking for information, buying a ticket, ordering food) aloud, focusing on polite forms Sie and bitte/danke formulas
Note 10 listening traps (similar-sounding numbers, negation, contrast words wie aber, sondern) and describe how each misled you
Your checkpoint
A one-page numbers-and-dates dictation sheet with at least 30 items, checked and corrected, plus a 3-minute recorded monologue
Reading & Writing
Read 5 short authentic German texts (notices, adverts, short articles) and identify the main point of each in one sentence
Scan 3 texts for specific details (opening times, prices, conditions) within a 2-minute limit per text
Write 2 informal emails (60-80 words each) to a friend, one inviting and one apologising, using correct du-forms and greeting/closing conventions
Draft 1 formal email (80-100 words) to an institution using Sie-forms, a clear subject line and a standard opening and closing
Compile a list of 15 connective words and phrases (deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem, zuerst) and insert them into your own draft sentences
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of 3 written texts (2 informal, 1 formal) of the required lengths, each self-corrected against a checklist of verb position, capitalisation of nouns and formal/informal address
Listening & Reading
Do 3 timed listening papers or task sets under exam conditions (single hearing, no dictionary) and score them
Do 3 timed reading task sets under exam conditions and record raw scores per task type
Analyse every wrong answer from both skills and label the cause (unknown word, misheard sound, rushed reading, trap option)
Learn 30 words from your error log and test yourself on them in writing at the end of the week
Read one longer text (250-300 words) aloud with correct sentence stress and note unfamiliar structures
Your checkpoint
A scored error-analysis table for listening and reading with at least 20 entries and a written list of your three weakest task types
Speaking & Writing
Deliver 3 recorded 4-minute talks on prepared topics (my town, my plans, a recent trip), each using past tense and future expressions
Answer 10 unpredictable follow-up questions aloud in full sentences with a reason or detail added
Write 2 short guided texts (a message and a short description, 80-100 words each) within 25 minutes each, without a dictionary
Redraft your week-3 formal email applying at least 6 corrections and note what changed
Practise 5 picture-description openings aloud, structuring each as what you see, where, and what is happening
Your checkpoint
Three recorded monologues with a self-assessment sheet rating fluency, range of vocabulary, and accuracy, plus 2 timed written texts
Listening & Speaking & Reading & Writing
Run a full mock exam split across two sittings, respecting official timings for listening, reading and writing
Self-mark the mock against mark schemes or model answers and convert to a percentage per skill
Record a full simulated speaking test (monologue plus questions) and review it against a checklist of pronunciation, range and interaction
Identify the 3 lowest-scoring sub-skills and write a targeted 10-task action list for each
Re-test 25 previously logged vocabulary items and retire the ones you now know
Your checkpoint
A mock-exam results sheet with a percentage for each of the four skills and a prioritised remediation list of no more than 9 actions
Listening & Reading & Writing
Redo the weakest listening task type 4 times until you reach at least 80 percent accuracy
Redo the weakest reading task type 4 times with the same target of 80 percent
Write 2 full-length exam-style texts under strict time limits and self-correct using your personal error checklist
Memorise and rehearse 10 fixed phrases for written openings, closings, opinions and requests, and use at least 6 in your drafts
Review your error log and confirm that recurring mistakes (verb position, cases, spelling) have dropped in frequency
Your checkpoint
Two timed full-length written texts with corrected versions and a short written comparison showing which error types decreased
Listening & Speaking & Reading & Writing
Take a second full mock exam under strict timing and compare scores skill by skill with week 6
Rehearse the speaking test 3 times, twice with a different topic each time, focusing on keeping going when you lack a word
Practise 10 repair strategies aloud (circumlocution, asking for repetition, self-correction) so gaps do not stall you
Skim your whole vocabulary and error log, selecting 40 items for final review on the two days before the exam
Plan exam-day logistics: timings, materials, and a short warm-up routine for listening and speaking
Your checkpoint
A final mock-exam scorecard showing improvement against week 6, plus a one-page exam-day plan and a 40-item final review list
Milestones
Week 2: You can extract numbers, times, prices and dates from a single hearing with at least 80 percent accuracy and speak for 3 minutes on a familiar topic without switching to English.
Week 4: Timed listening and reading scores are recorded, and you can name your three weakest task types with evidence from the error-analysis table.
Week 6: A full mock exam has been completed and marked, with a percentage for each of the four skills and a remediation list of no more than nine actions.
Week 8: The second mock shows improvement in at least three of the four skills over week 6, and you have a written exam-day plan and a 40-item final review list.