GCSE German tutors
15 UK tutors who teach German at GCSE. £17–£60/hr · median £45
German is offered at GCSE and A-level (AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas) but with declining take-up. Fewer schools staff it well, which makes tutoring more often a substitute for school teaching than a supplement. The case system (nominative/accusative/dative/genitive) and word order are the structural challenges; speaking-exam confidence and the A-level set works (often Der Vorleser, Das Leben der Anderen, Goodbye Lenin!) are where tutoring most often earns its keep. Native-speaker fluency matters at A-level, where examiners expect range and idiom. Look for tutors who've taught the specific spec.
GCSE German moved to a new course for students who started in September 2024, and summer 2026 was its first exam series. Vocabulary is now a published list of 1,200 words for Foundation and a further 500 for Higher, and at both AQA and Pearson Edexcel the four papers in listening, speaking, reading and writing are each worth 25 per cent. The German grammar list asks a lot from Foundation upward: the nominative, accusative and dative cases, verb-second word order and the word order of subordinate clauses. Higher adds the genitive, though only for recognition in listening and reading. The listening paper now includes dictation, with credit for accurate spelling. The speaking test is conducted and recorded by a teacher and marked by the board. The last Eduqas GCSE German exams were in summer 2025, leaving AQA and Pearson Edexcel.
GCSEs are sat in Year 11 (age 15-16), with most students taking 8-10 subjects. They're the main UK school qualification at 16: the 9-1 graded exams that drive sixth-form admission, apprenticeship eligibility, and (via maths and English at grade 4 or 5) university and many job prerequisites. Tutoring demand peaks here. The biggest grade gains tend to come from exam-paper technique rather than further content. Students often know more than they show. Boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, CIE) diverge on content and assessment, so tutor familiarity with the specific spec is meaningful in most subjects.
80.5% got grade 4 or above in 2026 across the UK (JCQ). Exam boards, dates and past papers
Jonathan S.
Qualified MFL teacher, native German speaker. Edexcel and AQA German and French, GCSE and A-level, plus adult beginners and 11+.
- German
- French
- 11+ prep
- +4 more
- SpLD
- Autism
- ADHD & EF
- +4 more
Eva K.
Experienced German/French/English/ESOL Tutor / qualified MFL teacher with 20+ years experience across Europe and UK
- German
- French
- English Language
About the GCSE German exam
Which exam board?
Your child's school will know which board they sit.
AQA · 8662
Exam dates, summer 2027
- Monday, 10 May 2027 Listening, afternoon
- Monday, 10 May 2027 Reading, afternoon
- Tuesday, 18 May 2027 Writing, afternoon
Grade boundaries, every series
Grade boundaries
| Series | Tier | Grade 4 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Higher | 98/200 49% | 144/200 72% |
| June 2026 | Foundation | 136/200 68% | Not on this tier |
The total marks needed across all the papers. From AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2026.
How students do
Share of UK entries who got grade 4 or above, and who got grade 7 or above, all boards.
- 2019 76%·24.7%
- 2020 87%·34.5%
- 2021 87.8%·38.6%
- 2022 83.8%·35.6%
- 2023 77.2%·28.2%
- 2024 77.8%·32.5%
- 2025 79.8%·34.4%
- 2026 80.5%·35.2%
2020 and 2021 were teacher-assessed grades, which is why they run higher. All ages, including students resitting. From GCSE (full course) results summer, all UK candidates.
Read up before you book
Plain-English guides
About GCSE
Year groups, exam timing, and how GCSE fits into the UK qualification ladder.
Exam boards
AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA, SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) and Cambridge International: what each is known for.
Parent guides
Cost benchmarks, online vs in-person, when to start, choosing a tutor, and knowing if it's working.
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