German A subject report · May 2012

May 2012 extended essay reports Page 1 GERMAN A1 Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 General Comments Generally, most supervisors commented on the work of their respective candidate(s) in an informative manner. There were, though , still some who did not write any comment s at all, simply signing the EE cover. Supervisors also need to make sure that they do not spend an excessive number of hours with an individual candidate – five hours is the recommended maximum. The range and suitability of the work submitted The range of literary works and research questions was on the whole interesting and varied although the usual suspects (Fontane, Frisch etc.) appeared. Most topics and research questions were suitable, but Wilhelm Busch and der „Struwwelpeter“ found avid takers...again. Some extended essays discussed poetry which is usually hardly ever chosen – and they did very well, too. There was an interesting mix of trusted conventional literature and a few unusual works which only very good students could manage well. Apart from this, many candidates chose to write about a relatively small number of 20th century works. These works are, of course, of literary merit and candidates were able to write good essays. Nevertheless, these topics are sometimes well worn and unimaginative. Supervisors need to advise candidates against using only literary works that were part of their DP reading list. Works such as “Andorra” and “Biedermann und die Brandstifter” are not necessarily a good choice. Some candidates based their EE entirely on works that had been translated into German. Although it is permitted to use one work or works in translation for a category 2 essay, the essay must be a comparison of at least one literary work originally written in German. Candidates need to be dissuaded from writing