Grading Scheme for Oral Exams--German 102, 103, 221 & 231
Communication & Fluency: x 10
Able to express ideas fluently and effectively; able to comprehend clear speech on everyday topics; able to come up
with circumlocutions when necessary; able to ask for clarifications when necessary.
Able to express ideas effectively with occasional difficulties; able to comprehend clear speech on everyday topics with
occasional difficulties; sometimes able to come up with circumlocutions when necessary; sometimes able to ask for
clarifications.
Able to communicate ideas, but haltingly and with frequent difficulties; frequent difficulties comprehending clear
speech on everyday topics; occasionally able to come up with circumlocutions when necessary; sometimes able to ask
for clarifications.
Great difficulty communicating ideas and comprehending clear speech on everyday topics; requires very sympathetic
listening.
Little or no ability to communicate or comprehend.
Pronunciation: x 5
Excellent. Vowel sounds and umlaute, "ei" & "ie," "ch," "r," "w," and "l" almost all consistently pronounced correctly.
Very good. Vowel sounds and umlaute, "ei" & "ie," "ch," "r," and "w" generally pronounced correctly.
Reasonable pronunciation of most vowels and consonants, but systematic mistakes with challenging sounds such as
"ch," "r," and umlaute, and frequent confusion of "ie" and "ei." Pronouncing all "ch" sounds as "k"s is characteristic
of this level.
Words are recognizable, but few characteristic German sounds are correctly produced.
Little or no ability to pronounce German comprehensibly.
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
Accuracy & Vocabulary: x 5
 Very few mistakes with basic grammar (including tenses and subject verb agreement, but NOT verb position).
Some mastery of advanced grammar topics, such as cases, adjective endings, relative pronouns, subjunctive,
passive, comparative--especially after they have been covered in the course.
 Excellent vocabulary, including fairly good control of noun genders. Makes frequent use of vocabulary
learned this semester. Correctly uses prepositions beyond zu, mit, für, and in, and conjunctions beyond und,
oder, aber, weil, and dass.
 Says "Es geht mir gut/schlecht…" and not "Ich bin gut/schlecht…"
 Grammatical mistakes and vocabulary limitations rarely impede communication.
 Makes mistakes with basic grammar (including tenses and subject verb agreement, but NOT verb position),
but not very frequently. Occasionally demonstrates mastery of advanced grammar topics, such as cases,
adjective endings, relative pronouns, subjunctive, passive, comparative--especially after they have been
covered in the course.
 Good vocabulary, including some control of noun genders. Makes some use of vocabulary learned this
semester. Occasionally uses prepositions beyond zu, mit, für, and in, and conjunctions beyond und, oder, aber,
weil, and dass.
 Says "Es geht mir gut/schlecht…" and not "Ich bin gut/schlecht…"
 Grammatical mistakes and vocabulary limitations sometimes impede communication.
 Frequent mistakes with basic grammar (including tenses and subject verb agreement, but NOT verb position).
Little or no mastery of advanced grammar topics, such as cases, adjective endings, relative pronouns,
subjunctive, passive, comparative--especially after they have been covered in the course.
 Limited vocabulary, and unreliable control of noun genders. Makes little use of vocabulary learned this
semester. Never or very rarely uses prepositions beyond zu, mit, für, and in, and conjunctions beyond und,
oder, aber, weil, and dass.
 May say "Ich bin gut/schlecht…" instead of "Es geht mir gut/schlecht…"
 Very frequent grammar mistakes, and limited vocabulary. Grammatical mistakes and vocabulary limitations
make communication very difficult.
 Minimal vocabulary; essentially no mastery of grammar.
5
4
3
2
1