German or Spanish A Level

[Babachew]

Which one is generally considered more useful?
Or more attractive for UCAS?

Amy advice greatly appreciated.

Spanish is more widely spoken and probably more useful overall. However, for certain professions German may be more useful.

The A Level course is very different to GCSE so I would suggest looking at the spec and looking at which seems more interesting to your dc. A language A Level is hard so I would recommend going with their stronger subject if there is one. Whilst they will accept onto the course in some places with a 6, I would say you need a minimum of a 7 to not struggle. An 8 in an ideal world.

Unless they have a career or educational goal in mind that would favor one or the other they should prioritize the one they will excel at and enjoy more. I would encourage them to look through the specifics of each course at their school/college before deciding.

There's no general answer to which one is more useful - German probably has the edge for European business or engineering opportunities for example but Spanish is spoken by more people worldwide. Universities won't favor one or the other unless there's relevance to a specific course of study.

Predicted 8 or 9 in both, but no idea of career!

Then encourage them to look at the specific course content (including what literature is studied in each) and focus on the one that they're most excited about.

Depends what they hope to study but both good

He should just do the one he enjoys most! Both are wonderful languages.

Brilliant that your DC is taking two language GCSEs and with such high PGs - excellent!

As others say, Spanish is spoken by more people worldwide, but German is said to be more sought-after by industries (such as engineering).

German has the advantage of being much less common now and thus may have the appeal of rarity. But both are equally respected by unis.

I agree, look at the spec and ask at school which book and film will be studied. I love love Leben des Anderen and Goodbye Lenin! Those would be the likely choices for the film, along with Der Besuch (amazing play) or Der Vorleser (also good) for the book. Other options are available but be aware that those are the only ones with an indispensible revision guide. (I'm talking AQA here btw). (One book and one filme btw, not two!)

I don't know the Spanish spec (Germanist and French too here) but it will be more than possible to watch the films and check out the subjects and themes of the books.

Also they will have to do an individual research project on something relating to the language and be able to speak about it for up to 12 minutes - so is there anything in either language that catches their eye? I am thinking, are they a massive fan of Bayern München or biiiiig into Pedro Almodovar or Picasso?

You may also want to consider that in years gone by the grade boundaries for German have been considerably lower than those for French, and to a lesser degree, Spanish. As an example, an A grade at AQA A level Spanish last year required a mark of 307, while in German 292 was needed. The exams are identical in structure and form. The disparity is even greater for French (A was 320 in 2023).

HTH please ask anything else tho.

Which other A Levels is he/she really good at, really enjoying and considering taking at A Level?

@Babachew

These are the AQA specifications for German and Spanish; perusing them might help with the decision.

Have a look at the set texts which are listed.

https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/german/specifications/AQA-7662-SP-2016.PDF

https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/spanish/specifications/AQA-7692-SP-2016.PDF

Really appreciate everyone's comments - thank you.

Which culture does he prefer? My DS did both at uni but did year abroad in Germany and adored it. Easier to get into good uni for MFL than more popular subjects IMHO.

If you want to use a language in a career, it is 100% better to learn German. Spanish is more widely spoken globally but FAR less significant in terms of trade. I work in this area and the number of job vacancies I deal with is probably 4:1 in favour or German.
That said, any language learned is time well spent and makes it easier to learn another one later on!

@Babachew My DD did two MFLs for A level and continued to degree level for both. Best subjects and she liked language study.

She converted to law afterwards. So many careers are open to linguists. Doesn’t use them at work but you have to see MFL degrees as far more than learning languages. It’s about study of cultures, art and literature. Skills come from more than speaking a language! If he likes the idea of using MFLs for business, look at degrees at Bath for management. MFLs can be added in. Unis won’t mind which MFL and won’t mind both.

Plus Oxford interview around 85% of MFL applicants and take around 33%. So if he fancies doing MFL there it’s definitely easier to get a place than applying for law or PPE or management!