How to Revise Communication strategies — AQA GCSE German
Communication strategies encompass the linguistic and cognitive techniques employed to bridge gaps between communicative intent and available resources in the target language. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to decode authentic input by identifying cognates, deducing meaning from context, and ignoring non-essential lexical items to extract core information. Productive competence requires the strategic use of circumlocution, paraphrasing, and fillers to maintain fluency and initiate spontaneous interaction despite lexical limitations.
Examiner Tips for Communication strategies
- Use layout, title, and pictures to predict content before reading or listening
- Ignore words that are not essential for understanding the main points
- Use grammatical clues (plural forms, verb endings, word order) to guess word categories
- If you forget a word, describe it, use a synonym, or paraphrase rather than giving up
- Use repair strategies (e.g., asking for clarification) to sustain communication in speaking tests
Common Mistakes in Communication strategies
- Over-reliance on 'false friends' (e.g., also, Gymnasium)
- Topic avoidance (ignoring or abandoning a topic due to lack of vocabulary)
- Over-use of word coinage (creating non-existent German words based on English)
- Failing to use repair strategies when communication breaks down
Key Marking Points
- Ability to infer meaning from context (visual, verbal, social, cultural)
- Use of grammatical markers to identify word categories
- Recognition of cognates and near-cognates
- Application of word formation patterns (prefixes/suffixes)
- Effective use of non-verbal strategies (mime, gesture, pointing)
- Effective use of verbal strategies (paraphrase, description, simplification)