This week I have to memorise a German passage for my exam next week. Whilst I was attempting to understand and memorise this very complicated language a thought came to me; It's not really a German exam is it? It's a memory test. We have to write the passage beforehand then our teacher is aloud to mark it so it's perfect German, then we have to memorise it. In the exam they even give you a dictionary! What is the point? If it was a real German test you would have to write the passage in the exam without a dictionary.
Obviously, I am not complaining, the easier the test is the better, I just think that the exam boards should stop and think what they are actually gaining from this part of the exam. Soon enough the colleges and sixth forms will catch on and a GCSE in German will be thought of as a GCSE in memorising.
While we are on the subject of GCSE's I think it's really wrong how my school (and most schools) force us to do a GCSE in a language. Don't get me wrong, I can see the benefits; it makes you a more rounded person, you have more career options and you will be able to travel more. Maybe I would have taken one out of choice. However, I think forcing you to do one isn't right, if I don't want a GCSE in German then why should I spend hours studying for one? I am never going to go to Germany, I have no wish to work in Germany, and I don't want to be a German teacher.
I'm defiantly not against Germany though, it's a very nice county with some lovely and talented people in, it's just not somewhere I want to be.
So in the space of two minutes we have gone from a GCSE in memorising to how talented the German people are. Welcome to my life.
**Note the same applies to GCSE's in French, Spanish and every other language. I'm not against the county, just the exam. **
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