German is simultaneously the language of many of history’s greatest cultural icons and of a prosperous, modern European society underpinned by a world-leading powerhouse economy.
Spoken as a native tongue by more people than any other European language, German continues to play an important role in many academic fields, and figures from German society have long been significant in both the arts and the sciences.
Twenty-two Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry and 25 in Medicine have been awarded to scientists from German-speaking countries. And German was spoken by such luminaries as Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, Kafka, Mann, Brecht, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner and Mahler – to name just a few.
The German economy is easily the largest in Europe and Germany is the world’s second-largest exporter, with an enviable reputation both for innovation and for excellence in engineering and other fields.
At QE, we place great emphasis on the skills of listening, reading, writing and translation in order that boys can quickly come to appreciate the language and culture of Germany and German-speaking countries. All lessons are conducted in German, with particular attention paid to the spoken language so that boys learn to communicate well with native speakers. German language assistants support lessons at GCSE and A-level.
Trips and visits available for the boys include: the Year 9 German exchange; work experience in Aachen for A-level German students, and German theatre visits in Year 9.
