The international world
Discuss countries, languages, customs and celebrations with curiosity and careful comparisons.
Section E · The international world
Exam scope and assessment notes
All German texts, listening scripts, prompts, model responses, examples and exercises here are original StudyForA practice, not Cambridge assessment material. The map covers the five broad topic areas, the published grammar categories and the paper formats for both syllabus cycles; Cambridge describes its topic sub-lists as examples rather than an exhaustive vocabulary boundary. The separate 2028 vocabulary spreadsheet is linked but has not been reconciled word by word. German-language specialist review, comprehensive vocabulary auditing and full timed paper simulations remain outstanding. Browser speech synthesis is not Cambridge audio and cannot guarantee accent or pronunciation. Speaking checklists and writing review are practice aids, not an examiner mark or Cambridge moderation. This is not a complete 130-hour course. Confirm exam year, series, zone and entry with your school and Cambridge. Use the paper lesson that matches your examination year; speaking and writing practice does not award official marks.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which sentence avoids claiming that everyone shares one custom?
What you will learn
- Name countries, nationalities and languages in context.
- Describe cultural practices and celebrations without generalising about all people.
- Compare experiences and explain a personal viewpoint.
- Understand practical information about international visits and exchanges.
Use country and language names carefully
Learn the article and preposition with a country: «in Deutschland», «in der Schweiz», «in den Niederlanden». Nationality adjectives are usually lower-case: «deutsch», while language names used as nouns are capitalised: «Ich spreche Deutsch».
A person's language, nationality and residence are different facts. Do not infer one from another. Ask rather than assume when the information is not given.
Compare cultural events respectfully
Describe a specific event, date, activity or food and say whose experience is being described. Communities are diverse; a custom does not apply to every person in a country or faith.
Useful comparison phrases include «bei uns», «in meiner Familie», «anders als» and «ähnlich». Mark a personal account as personal instead of presenting it as universal.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
A passage says «Viele Jugendliche sprechen zu Hause zwei Sprachen». What does it establish?
Worked example
Read: «An meiner Schule feiern einige Familien das Lichterfest. Meine Freundin besucht ihre Großeltern, während ich mit meiner Familie ein Konzert sehe. Viele Schülerinnen und Schüler nehmen nicht teil.» What can you conclude about participation?
Show the worked solution
- Track the different families' activities.
- Notice the word «einige» and the final sentence.
- Avoid turning a local example into a national rule.
Answer Some families celebrate the festival; the friend visits grandparents, the writer attends a concert, and many students do not participate. The passage shows varied experiences, not a custom followed by everyone.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Write a short introduction for an exchange partner: say where you live, which languages you speak and one question about their school.
Give me a hint
Keep residence, languages and questions as separate pieces of information.
Compare my reasoning
- State your town or country.
- Say which languages you speak.
- Ask one open question about school life.
Example: «Ich wohne in Da Nang und spreche Vietnamesisch, Englisch und ein wenig Deutsch. Wie sieht ein normaler Schultag bei dir aus?»
Look for these in your work
- Gives a location
- Names languages separately
- Asks a relevant open question
Read two messages: A: «In meiner Familie essen wir an Feiertagen zusammen.» B: «Bei uns ist das nicht immer möglich, weil viele Verwandte weit weg wohnen.» What is shared and what differs?
Give me a hint
Compare the actual family experiences without making a country-wide claim.
Compare my reasoning
- Find the shared holiday context.
- Identify each family's different practice.
- State what the messages cannot prove about a whole culture.
Both messages describe family life around holidays. Family A often eats together; family B cannot always do so because relatives live far away. They do not prove that all families in either place behave the same way.
Look for these in your work
- Compares both accounts
- Uses the stated reason
- Avoids generalisation
Plan a respectful question for an international classmate about one celebration they choose to discuss. Explain how you would avoid assuming that they observe it.
Give me a hint
Invite the person to share only if they wish; make participation optional.
Compare my reasoning
- Ask an open, non-leading question.
- Use «wenn du möchtest» or similar wording.
- Avoid attributing a belief or practice to them.
Example: «Wenn du möchtest, erzähl mir von einem Fest, das dir wichtig ist. Feierst du es selbst, oder kennst du es eher aus deiner Familie?» This leaves room for different personal experiences.
Look for these in your work
- Keeps participation optional
- Does not presume observance
- Allows more than one valid experience
Common mistakes
- Treating a nationality as proof of someone's language or beliefs
- Generalising from one family or event to a whole country
- Mixing a personal viewpoint with a reported fact
What can you explain now?
What does «einige Familien» mean?
Compare with the explanation
Some families
It deliberately does not mean every family.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving the international world, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one point to practise again.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.