Approaching your assignments

When you are ready to complete an assignment, we would recommend that you have enough time to complete it in one sitting. Your assignments are designed to continue your learning and so you can refer to your coursebook and other sources in order to complete your assignments. Please handwrite your written assignments in black ink. There are no assignments in this course that need to be taken under test conditions.

For your German course there are also four speaking assignments, and in three of these you need to arrange a video call with your tutor. You will be reminded at the beginning of the module to arrange a date and time that suits both you and your tutor. Please give your tutor plenty of notice to allow a sufficient interval to arrange a mutually convenient time and let them know if you cannot attend as they will be waiting for you. The other speaking assignment requires you to record a presentation and submit it as an mp3 on Canvas.

Please treat turning up to these calls as a serious commitment. Make sure you check with your parent/observer that they haven’t arranged something else you need to do! If you fail to attend the call you have arranged, you will be given one more chance. If you fail to attend the second time you will receive 0 for your speaking assignment.

Assignment guidance

At the beginning of every assignment, we give you guidance on how to approach that particular assignment. We outline how to approach the assignment, how to submit it, what resources you will need and how long you should take.

Speaking Assignments

There are four speaking assignments in this course: 1S, 2S, 3S and 4S. 1S, 2S and 4S require you to arrange a video call with your tutor, who will ask you some questions in German - to which you will respond, in German! These calls will last no more than 30 minutes. Assignment 3S is a little different as here you work independently on a short presentation in German, which you then record as an mp3 file and upload on Canvas. You can find help on uploading audio files to Canvas here.

When preparing for speaking assignments, we would suggest that you prepare and practise your answers aloud, focusing on your pronunciation. This will help you feel more confident when either recording or speaking with your tutor.

Do use the structures and vocabulary that you have learnt in the module to help you answer the questions. Our assignments are linked closely to each module so you will find lots of help in your coursebook and coursework.

Make sure you check the number of marks allocated to each question before you start to prepare your speaking work. A five mark answer will require more than one sentence. And remember that marks will be awarded for pronunciation and intonation.

Although you won't use your notes in the call with your tutor, do have your preparation work to hand as your tutor may want to refer to it in the feedback section of the call.

The speaking assignments are not tests, so try to relax and enjoy the chance to have a conversation in the language you are learning. If you get stuck, then do have your notes with you so you can refer to them (especially in your first assignment).

Please do treat turning up to these calls as a serious commitment. If you fail to attend the call you have arranged, you will be given one more chance. If you fail to attend the second time you will receive 0 for your speaking assignment. 

Please note that as for welcome calls:

If you are 13 or under, then your parent/guardian must be present during the call

For children who are 14 and over, we strongly recommend that a parent/guardian is present during the call.

How long should I spend on my assignment?

We do not set prescribed times for the completion of assignments on Year 8 German as we want everyone to work to their own pace. To give you a rough guide, we find that the average time taken is around 1–2 hours, However, if you need to take longer, then please do so.

Uploading your assignment and receiving feedback

You should upload your written assignments to Canvas, ideally as a single file (this means scanning in all the pages and saving them as a single PDF).

For the Assignment Three S, you should submit a recording. Please see How to Submit Speaking Assignments.

Within 3 - 5 days, you will receive a notification to let you know that your assignment has been marked. When you look at your assignment feedback, make sure that you check the PDF (it may have been annotated by your tutor) as well as the general comments your tutor has given you (these may be written and/or an audio/video message).

Please do take time to reflect on your tutor’s feedback and take it on board in future assignments. This is a key part of the Wolsey Hall Oxford course as the feedback will be personal and tailored entirely to you. The feedback is designed to help you further both your knowledge and your skills in the subject.

Can I send in several assignments at the same time?

We ask that you do not submit multiple assignments at the same time. It is very important that you reflect on your tutor’s feedback before beginning each new assignment, so that you can incorporate their tips for improvement into each new piece of work.

Can I resubmit an assignment if I feel I didn’t do very well?

We encourage you to work carefully on each assignment and submit it when you are happy with your finished piece of work. Do ensure that you read the assignment guidance carefully and follow the instructions given. Once your tutor has marked an assignment and added your grade to Canvas, that module is complete. If there is something that you feel you could improve on, that’s positive and all part of learning. Rather than going back to a completed assignment, we suggest that you take on board that feedback and put it into practice in your future assignments.