German

    AQA
    GCSE

    Specification: 8662

    The AQA GCSE German specification covers 65 topics with 0 learning objectives (8662). Use the topic browser below to explore subtopics, exam tips, common mistakes, and key terminology for each area of the course.

    This subject will help you develop key knowledge and skills required for exam success.

    65

    Topics

    0

    Objectives

    270

    Exam Tips

    272

    Pitfalls

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    Study Guides

    8 revision guides for AQA GCSE German

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    Key Features

    • Master key concepts
    • Develop exam technique
    • Apply knowledge effectively

    About AQA GCSE German

    The AQA GCSE German course is designed to develop confident and independent linguists, focusing on practical communication skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will build a strong foundation in vocabulary and grammar while exploring the cultural richness of German-speaking countries. The specification is structured around three core themes: Identity and Culture, Local, National, International and Global Areas of Interest, and Current and Future Study and Employment, ensuring learners engage with relevant, real-world language.

    Throughout the course, students will tackle a variety of contemporary topics, from family and relationships to environmental issues and the world of work. Grammar is taught in context, covering all essential structures needed for effective communication, including tenses, cases and word order. The course encourages cultural awareness and provides transferable skills for further study, travel or employment.

    This linear qualification is assessed entirely through examinations at the end of Year 11, with a choice of Foundation or Higher tier to suit different ability ranges. The clear, topic-based structure makes revision manageable, and the wide range of official AQA resources, including past papers, mark schemes and digital textbooks, supports both classroom learning and independent study.

    Assessment Structure

    Assessment is 100% examination based, with four equally weighted papers taken at the end of the course: Listening (25%), Speaking (25%), Reading (25%) and Writing (25%). Each paper is available at either Foundation tier (grades 1–5) or Higher tier (grades 4–9), and the total qualification is out of 240 marks. The Listening and Reading papers involve comprehension tasks in English and the target language; the Speaking assessment is a recorded, untiered examination conducted by the teacher; and the Writing paper requires structured responses, including translation tasks.

    Why Choose AQA?

    • AQA is the most popular exam board for GCSE German in the UK, meaning there is a huge array of high-quality, tailored revision resources available from publishers and online platforms — giving students the widest possible support network.
    • The specification is clearly laid out with a logical theme-based structure, making it straightforward for students to track their progress and for teachers to plan coherent, engaging lessons that build skills incrementally.
    • AQA’s assessment style is recognised for its clarity and fairness: questions are designed to test genuine linguistic competence without unnecessary trickiness, and the speaking exam, in particular, is praised for allowing students to demonstrate natural conversation skills in a supportive environment.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Assessment Objectives

    AO1
    25%

    Listening: Understand and respond to different types of spoken language.

    AO2
    25%

    Speaking: Communicate and interact in speech.

    AO3
    25%

    Reading: Understand and respond to different types of written language.

    AO4
    25%

    Writing: Communicate in writing.

    What Gets Top Grades

    A*/Grade 9

    Knowledge & Understanding

    Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge

    • Uses correct subject-specific terminology
    • Shows detailed understanding of concepts
    • Makes accurate connections between topics
    • Demonstrates depth beyond surface-level knowledge

    Application

    Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts

    • Selects relevant knowledge for the question
    • Adapts understanding to unfamiliar scenarios
    • Uses examples appropriately
    • Shows awareness of context

    Analysis & Evaluation

    Develops sophisticated analytical arguments

    • Constructs logical chains of reasoning
    • Considers multiple perspectives
    • Weighs evidence to reach justified conclusions
    • Acknowledges limitations and nuances

    Key Command Words

    AQA
    State
    1 mark

    Give a single fact or term

    Identify
    1 mark

    Name, select, or recognise

    Outline
    2 marks

    Set out main features briefly

    Describe
    2-4 marks

    Give an account of what something is like or what happens

    Explain
    3-6 marks

    Give reasons with developed cause→effect chains

    Compare
    2-4 marks

    State similarities AND differences (both required)

    Analyse
    6-9 marks

    Examine in detail showing cause→effect→consequence chains

    Evaluate
    6-12 marks

    Weigh up BOTH sides, reach JUSTIFIED conclusion

    Assess
    6-12 marks

    Make judgments about importance with justification

    Calculate
    2-4 marks

    Show formula→substitution→calculation→answer with units

    Common Exam Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exams

    • •Topic avoidance in speaking or writing tasks
    • •Over-reliance on pre-learnt responses in speaking
    • •Failure to address all bullet points in writing tasks
    • •Inappropriate register or style for the task
    • •Misuse of 'false friends' (cognates with different meanings)
    • •Failure to use appropriate time frames (past, present, future)
    • •Over-reliance on pre-learnt responses in the speaking test.
    • •Ignoring or abandoning topics due to inability to deal with them (topic avoidance).

    Top Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for exam success

    • •Develop communication strategies (non-verbal and verbal) to cope with unknown words
    • •Use visual and verbal context to infer meaning
    • •Practice using grammatical markers to identify word categories
    • •Ensure all bullet points in writing tasks are covered
    • •Use repair strategies in speaking if communication breaks down
    • •Focus on accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar
    • •Use visual and verbal context clues to infer the meaning of unknown words.
    • •Develop repair strategies (e.g., rephrasing, asking for clarification) to sustain communication in speaking.

    Specification Topics

    65 topics

    Themes

    The specification covers three distinct themes: Identity and culture; Local, national, international and global areas of interest; and Current and future study and employment. These themes apply to all four question papers and require students to understand and provide information and opinions about these topics relating to their own experiences and those of others, including in German-speaking communities.

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    Theme 1: Identity and culture

    Theme 1: Identity and culture covers four key topics: Me, my family and friends; Technology in everyday life; Free-time activities; and Customs and festivals in German-speaking countries/communities. Students must understand and provide information and opinions about these topics relating to their own experiences and those of others.

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    Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

    Theme 2 covers local, national, international and global areas of interest, focusing on home, town, neighbourhood, region, social issues (charity, voluntary work, healthy/unhealthy living), global issues (environment, poverty, homelessness), and travel and tourism.

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    Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

    Theme 3 covers current and future study and employment, focusing on school life, post-16 education, and career ambitions.

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    Scope of study

    The Scope of Study defines the core competencies students must demonstrate across the four language skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) in the AQA GCSE German specification. It outlines the expectations for understanding, interacting, and producing language across specified themes, including the use of complex structures, tenses, and communication strategies.

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    Listening: understand and respond to spoken language

    Listening: understand and respond to spoken language. Students must demonstrate general and specific understanding of spoken German, follow standard speech, identify key information, opinions, and themes, and deduce meaning from various contexts including narratives and authentic material.

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    Speaking: communicate and interact in speech

    This topic focuses on the ability of students to communicate and interact effectively in spoken German across various contexts, including spontaneous dialogue, narrating events, and exchanging opinions using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

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    Reading: understand and respond to written language

    Students are expected to understand and respond to different types of written language, including general and specific details, overall messages, key points, and opinions. They must be able to deduce meaning from various contexts, including authentic sources and literary extracts, scan for information, draw inferences, and translate a short passage from German into English.

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    Writing: communicate in writing

    The Writing component assesses students' ability to communicate effectively in German for a variety of purposes across specified contexts. It requires the production of short messages, short passages, and extended writing, as well as translation from English into German, demonstrating accuracy in vocabulary, grammar, and coherence.

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    Grammar

    The grammar requirements for GCSE German are divided into Foundation and Higher Tiers. Students must apply their knowledge of verb conjugations, tenses, cases, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, word order, modal verbs, connectives, and the subjunctive mood, with Higher Tier students requiring additional, more complex structures.

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    Grammar: Foundation Tier

    The Foundation Tier grammar requirements for AQA GCSE German cover the essential structures and rules students must apply in their assessments, including the case system, nouns, articles, adjectives, adverbs, quantifiers, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, clause structures, conjunctions, and number/quantity/dates/time.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Nouns

    This topic covers the fundamental grammatical requirements for nouns at the Foundation Tier, specifically focusing on gender, number, and specific noun types.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Conjunctions

    This topic covers the foundational knowledge of conjunctions in German, specifically focusing on the distinction between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and their impact on sentence structure.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Number, quantity, dates and time

    This topic covers the grammatical requirements for Foundation Tier students regarding the use of numbers, quantities, dates, and time, including the specific usage of 'seit' with the present tense.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Articles

    This topic covers the fundamental use of articles in German, specifically focusing on definite and indefinite articles and the use of 'kein' for negation at the Foundation Tier.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Adjectives

    This topic covers the grammatical rules and usage of adjectives in German at the Foundation Tier, including their endings, comparative and superlative forms, and their use with various types of articles and quantifiers.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Adverbs

    This topic covers the grammatical requirements for adverbs at Foundation Tier, including their comparative and superlative forms, interrogative adverbs, and common adverbial phrases of time and place.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Quantifiers/intensifiers

    This topic covers the use of quantifiers and intensifiers in German, specifically focusing on words used to modify adjectives and adverbs to indicate degree or quantity.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Pronouns

    This topic covers the use of personal pronouns in German, including the specific use of 'man' as an indefinite pronoun.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Verbs

    This topic covers the essential verb structures required for the Foundation Tier, including regular and irregular verbs, reflexive verbs, modes of address, impersonal verbs, separable/inseparable verbs, modal verbs, negative and interrogative forms, and specific tense requirements.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Prepositions

    The Foundation Tier grammar requirement for prepositions covers the use of prepositions that take a fixed case, those that are dual case (taking accusative and/or dative depending on the context), and a receptive knowledge of prepositions that take the genitive case.

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    Grammar (Foundation): Clause structures

    This topic covers the fundamental rules of German sentence construction at the Foundation Tier, specifically focusing on the word order of main clauses and the structure of subordinate clauses, including relative clauses.

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    Grammar: Higher Tier

    The Higher Tier grammar requirements build upon the Foundation Tier, requiring students to apply more complex structures, including advanced verb forms, specific pronoun usage, and sophisticated clause and prepositional structures.

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    Grammar (Higher): Nouns

    This topic covers the specific grammatical requirement for Higher Tier students regarding weak nouns in German.

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    Grammar (Higher): Adjectives

    This topic covers the specific grammatical requirement for Higher Tier students to understand and apply adjectival endings when adjectives are used after the indefinite quantifiers 'etwas', 'nichts', 'viel', 'wenig', and 'alles'.

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    Grammar (Higher): Pronouns

    This topic covers advanced pronoun usage required for the Higher Tier, specifically focusing on dative reflexive pronouns, relative pronouns (all cases and the use of 'was'), and interrogative pronouns (wen, wem).

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    Grammar (Higher): Verbs

    This topic covers advanced verb structures and tenses required for the Higher Tier GCSE German examination, building upon the Foundation Tier requirements.

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    Grammar (Higher): Prepositions

    This topic covers the advanced use of prepositions in German, specifically focusing on those that take the genitive case, which is a requirement for the Higher Tier.

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    Grammar (Higher): Conjunctions

    Higher Tier students must demonstrate mastery of both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, building upon the Foundation Tier requirements. This includes the ability to manipulate word order correctly in subordinate clauses and use a wider range of conjunctions to express complex relationships between ideas.

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    Grammar (Higher): Time

    The Higher Tier grammar requirement for 'Time' focuses on the specific usage of 'seit' with the imperfect tense to describe duration or ongoing actions that started in the past.

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    Communication strategies

    Communication strategies are essential tools for students to cope with unknown words and maintain communication when their linguistic knowledge is incomplete. These strategies are divided into those for understanding (reading and listening) and those for production (speaking and writing).

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    Communication strategies: Strategies for understanding

    Strategies for understanding are essential for students to cope with unknown words and linguistic elements in authentic German texts and speech. These strategies are divided into two main categories: those for reading and listening (understanding) and those for speaking and writing (production).

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    Communication strategies: Strategies for production

    Communication strategies for production focus on systematic verbal and non-verbal techniques students can use to convey meaning effectively when they have an imperfect command of the language, or when they wish to extend their communication beyond the basic requirements.

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    Vocabulary

    The vocabulary section provides core vocabulary lists intended as a guide for teachers to assist in planning schemes of work. It includes general vocabulary (comparisons, conjunctions, connectives, prepositions, negatives, numbers, money, question words, greetings, opinions, time, location, weights/measures, weather, access, correctness, materials, abbreviations) and theme-based vocabulary for both Foundation and Higher Tiers. It also outlines rubrics and instructions used in exams.

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    Vocabulary: Rubrics and instructions

    This topic provides a guide to the rubrics and instructions used in the Listening, Reading, and Writing exams, ensuring students understand the requirements of the tasks.

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    Vocabulary: General vocabulary

    General vocabulary covers essential linguistic building blocks that are not restricted to specific themes and are transferable across all topics in the specification, including comparisons, conjunctions, connectives, prepositions, negatives, numbers, time expressions, and common question words.

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    General vocabulary: Comparisons

    This topic covers the vocabulary and structures required to make comparisons between people, things, and concepts in German, including the use of comparative and superlative forms and specific comparative phrases.

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    General vocabulary: Question words

    This topic covers the essential German question words (interrogatives) used to initiate inquiries and gather information across various contexts.

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    General vocabulary: Greetings and exclamations

    This topic covers the essential general vocabulary for greetings and exclamations in German, which are used across various themes and contexts to facilitate social interaction.

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    General vocabulary: Opinions

    This topic covers the essential vocabulary required to express, justify, and discuss opinions, feelings, and attitudes in German, applicable across all themes.

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    General vocabulary: Expressions of time

    This topic covers the vocabulary required to express time, including seasons, months, telling the time, and various other temporal expressions used to describe when events occur.

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    General vocabulary: Location and distance

    General vocabulary related to location and distance, including prepositions of place, directional terms, and expressions of distance.

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    General vocabulary: Weights and measures

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to weights and measures, including units of measurement, physical properties, and quantities.

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    General vocabulary: Shape

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to basic geometric shapes, including circles, squares, and round objects.

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    General vocabulary: Weather

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to weather, including meteorological phenomena, conditions, and reporting.

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    General vocabulary: Access

    This topic covers essential vocabulary related to access, including terms for opening, closing, entry, exit, and the status of facilities or spaces.

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    General vocabulary: Correctness

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to correctness, including terms for mistakes, errors, and the concepts of being right or wrong, as well as the process of correcting and improving language.

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    General vocabulary: Conjunctions

    This topic covers the use of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions in German, which are essential for linking clauses and developing complex sentence structures.

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    General vocabulary: Materials

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to materials, including common substances used in manufacturing and construction, and the verb structure used to describe what items are made of.

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    General vocabulary: Common abbreviations

    This topic covers the recognition and understanding of common German abbreviations used in various contexts, including school, transport, and general communication.

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    General vocabulary: Connectives

    The topic covers a range of general connectives in German used to link ideas, structure arguments, and improve the flow of speech and writing across all themes.

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    General vocabulary: Prepositions

    This topic covers the use of German prepositions, including those that take a fixed case, those that take dual cases (accusative/dative), and those that take the genitive case.

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    General vocabulary: Negatives

    This topic covers the general vocabulary related to negatives in German, providing students with the necessary terms to express negation across various contexts and themes.

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    General vocabulary: Alphabet

    Students are expected to know the letters of the German alphabet, including the ß and umlauts, and the vocabulary related to spelling.

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    General vocabulary: Numbers

    This topic covers the knowledge and use of cardinal numbers from 0 to 1,000, the word for 1,000,000 (Million, die), and ordinal numbers from first to tenth.

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    General vocabulary: Other expressions

    This topic covers specific general vocabulary items related to quantities and numerical expressions that are not tied to a specific theme but are essential for general communication.

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    General vocabulary: Money

    This topic covers essential vocabulary related to money, including cash and specific denominations of Euro coins and notes.

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    Vocabulary: Theme-based vocabulary (Foundation Tier)

    This topic covers the core theme-based vocabulary required for the Foundation Tier, organized by the three main themes: Identity and culture; Local, national, international and global areas of interest; and Current and future study and employment.

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Foundation): Identity and culture

    This topic covers vocabulary related to 'Me, my family and friends' within the 'Identity and culture' theme for Foundation Tier students. It includes relationships, personal descriptions, family members, and life stages.

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Foundation): Local, national, international and global areas of interest

    This topic covers vocabulary related to the home, town, neighbourhood, and region, focusing on describing where one lives, local facilities, and the surrounding environment.

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Foundation): Current and future study and employment

    This topic covers vocabulary related to current and future study and employment, including school subjects, life at school/college, post-16 education, and jobs, career choices, and ambitions.

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    Vocabulary: Theme-based vocabulary (Higher Tier)

    This topic covers advanced, theme-based vocabulary specifically required for the Higher Tier GCSE German examination, building upon the foundation vocabulary to include more nuanced, abstract, and less common terms across all three themes (Identity and culture; Local, national, international and global areas of interest; Current and future study and employment).

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Higher): Identity and culture

    This topic covers advanced vocabulary related to Identity and Culture, specifically focusing on Me, my family and friends, Technology in everyday life, Free-time activities, and Customs and festivals in German-speaking countries/communities at a Higher Tier level.

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Higher): Local, national, international and global areas of interest

    This topic covers advanced vocabulary related to local, national, international, and global areas of interest, specifically designed for Higher Tier students. It builds upon Foundation Tier content by introducing more nuanced terminology for home, town, neighbourhood, region, social issues, global issues, and travel/tourism.

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    Theme-based vocabulary (Higher): Current and future study and employment

    This topic covers vocabulary related to current and future study and employment at a Higher Tier level, focusing on more complex terminology and specific professional or academic contexts.

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