Debate contribution: German at GCSE and A Level

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 6 October 2026.

MLA: Mr Paul Givan
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 6 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: German at GCSE and A Level
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5776952

Text

There has been correspondence, and various interested parties have made representations on the issue. We have responded to that. Ultimately, CCEA took this decision about what qualifications to make available. Few pupils take German through CCEA, which means that, when it comes to marking and grading, there is a small pool from which to grade As, Bs, Cs and Ds. That has a detrimental impact on pupils. If they will be competing against a much bigger pool of applicants using a different awarding body, schools will want to change. Those who understand how awarding takes place will know that there is a certain percentage of pupils who get an A, a B, a C, a D and so on. When that system is applied to a very small cohort — in this particular subject, they are often young people who perform very well — there is little margin to appreciate where they can fall within that banding system. Young people who get, for talk's sake, a C grade would get a higher grade from a different awarding body. People should therefore think carefully, once they understand how the awarding system works, about what is actually to the betterment or the detriment of pupils in Northern Ireland when it comes to this issue.

212 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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