Tipps für die Vorgehensweise im Englisch ABI
aber auch für andere Bundesländer nutzlich)
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difficulty of the text itself
should not be the main criterion. With the help of your ALD/DCE you
should normally be able to understand every text. However it can of course
be a good idea to choose a text because you know something about its subject
(e.g. because we dealt in class with it). Likewise it can be recommendable
not to take a text when, even after the second reading, you do not
task: Even if you do
not like literature in general you should at least take a look at the
literary task. As a rule of thumb one can say that nonfictional texts are
mostly more difficult but their questions (especially their reference to
certain paragraphs) are often rather easy, whereas with literary tasks it is
often the other way round. The text itself is often relatively easy but the
questions (e.g. characterization, interpretation, stylistic devices etc.)
are more difficult, because they do not refer only to one or two paragraphs.
criterion are the
questions on the text. Keep in mind that you get 50% of all points for them.
Ask yourself e.g. the following questions: How clear is the reference of the
questions, i.e. which passage(s) does a question refer to? How clearly do I
understand what the question/task wants me to do (and what I am not
supposed to do)? Do questions overlap? You can answer those questions of
course only when you have analysed all of them carefully.
second most important criterion
are the topics for the
composition (25% of points). Ask yourself the following questions: How much
do I know about this topic? Can I give convincing arguments and support them
with concrete details/facts or can I only waffle? Can I think of an
interesting title, introduction and/or conclusion?
criterion should be
the difficulty of the translation. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to
evaluate a translation quickly. Only when one has actually started
translating one realizes that passages that seemed quite easy at first
glance turn out to be very hard to translate into idiomatic German.
tasks: Although the
translation comes last on the Angabe you should not do it as
the last task. Experience shows that translations are often the weakest part
of the Abitur, especially when students are tired and/or have little time
left. You can lose a lot of points when you run out of time and do not
translate complete sentences. On the other hand it is much easier to write
an acceptable composition in a hurry. So the recommended order of tasks is:
Questions on the text – Translation – Composition.
Questions on the Text – Technique
During the first reading you
should try to get an overview of the text and its (argumentative) structure.
You should ask yourself questions like: What is all that about? What is the
writer’s attitude towards his topic? What are his main arguments? It often
helps to mentally summarize each paragraph in your own words. When you deal
with a literary text you should find out who does what for which reasons.
During the first reading you should look up only words that are absolutely
necessary for understanding the whole text. Ignore all other words like e.g.
descriptive (beschreibend) adjectives.
During the second reading you
should try to understand also parts/passages/details that you did not really
grasp (erfassen) the first time. In addition you should look up
all the words you do not know or where you are not absolutely sure what
they mean in the given context.
The next step is to read all
the questions at least twice. Then you examine which paragraph(s)
or passage(s) each question/task refers to. Analyse all the questions
first before you start answering any of them. It is highly recommendable to
answer the questions in the given order, however if you like you need not
keep the order. If necessary you have to look up again certain words
(especially adjectives) to make sure that you understand also details which
may be important e.g. for a characterization task.
Normally you can assume (davon
ausgehen) that question are asked in chronological order, i.e.
the first question refers to the first (and second) paragraph, the second
question to the following paragraph(s) etc. That is why it would be highly
unusual that the third question refers to the first two paragraphs, whereas
the first question refers to the third and fourth paragraph. Look out
especially for keywords in the first (= topic) sentence of a paragraph
(Question: What is the writer's attitude towards the growing Latino
underclass? Text: In the search for solutions to America’s growing Latino
Questions normally do not overlap (sich überschneiden). Look
and think again carefully when you have come to the conclusion that you are
supposed to write the same in two different answers. It may happen that two
questions refer to the same passage(s) but almost always they drive at (abzielen
auf) different aspects.
You can note your results either
on extra notepaper or you use e.g. a wavy line in the margin together with
the corresponding number of the question/task. Take care to leave enough
space on your notepaper so that you can easily add/insert something later
“Use your own words”:
Keep in mind that you are
supposed to paraphrase “as far as is appropriate” (angemessen),
and not “as far as possible”. That means that you may, and sometimes
even should quote key words and/or passages. Moreover you should quote when
your paraphrase would be much longer and/or complicated than the original
passage. Do not forget that your ALD/DCE offers perfect synonyms and/or
paraphrases. Try to find German synonyms or paraphrases and see
whether you can translate them into English.
Keep in mind that you cannot undo
(rückgängig machen) wrong highlighting. Highlight only key words
and/or passages, do not waste precious time by highlighting complete
Before you start answering a
question in complete sentences you should make a quick mental revision of
the rules on the handouts Questions on the Text and Quoting and
In the given order:
It is strongly
recommended to answer the questions “in the given order”. Normally there are
some relatively easy questions/tasks at the beginning which you can answer
pretty quickly and easily.
Typically a task asks you to find
three “relevant” stylistic devices and “explain how they work”. Look through
the whole text and note your results grouped according to the
different devices on your notepaper (of course with linenumbers). The four
most common devices are simile, metaphor, personification and alliteration.
Go through your list and choose the three best devices. When you have found
e.g. several metaphors you again choose the best one. Stylistic devices are
“relevant” or “good” when they occur (vorkommen) not just once
in a text and when it is clear that the author has deliberately (absichtlich)
used them, i.e. for instance when an alliteration is not just accidental
Questions on the Text – Technique
content, overall structure
all questions: Which passage(s) does the question refer to?
closer analysis when questions overlap
content: What are key words/phrases in the passage(s)? Should I quote them
or can I paraphrase?
Consider ALD/DCE and German alternatives
answers “in the given order”
Composition – Technique
Choosing a topic:
Have a look at all the topics and ask
yourself the following questions: How much do I know about this subject? Can
I give concrete and convincing arguments/facts/details or can I only waffle
Once you have chosen a topic you should make a
brainstorming before you actually start writing. Note all the possible
aspects/arguments/facts that come to your mind on notepaper. Leave enough
space so that you can make additions later on. You may also note ideas for
the title, the introduction and the conclusion.
Keep in mind that you are supposed to write an
argumentative and rational text, not an emotional one with a lot of
rhetorical questions and exclamation marks.
You can create interesting titles with the help of alliterations, puns and
allusions to wellknown proverbs/sayings and titles of famous books, songs or
films. It is recommendable to write the title at the very end of the
composition because you may have good ideas in the course of writing and you
can make sure that your title fits your composition.
Structure of the composition:
Your composition must consist of three,
clearly distinguishable parts: introduction, main part and conclusion.
The introduction must lead to your topic. In composition
where you are asked to give your opinion, it is recommendable to express
your own opinion already at the end of the introduction. Typical elements of
good introductions are references to current events, quotes of famous
people, (alarming) statistics and personal experiences.
The main part must consist of three separate
paragraphs. Arrange your arguments in climactic
order, i.e. start with the weakest one and end
with the best and most convincing one. Take care to use suitable connectives
to create a coherent text. Example: Introduction: “I was amazed when I
recently read … “Main part: “First … Second … Finally …” Conclusion: “All in
means that you must present and weigh the pros and
cons of an issue. In this case the main part consists of two paragraphs: one
for the pros (“On the one hand ...”), the other for the cons (“On the other
hand ...”). Each paragraph presents only two arguments with examples. Again
arrange your material so that the better arguments come last.
Structure of a paragraph:
The first sentence, the socalled topic
sentence, presents a statement/claim (Behauptung), idea or
thesis (These). The following sentences must refer to and support the
topic sentence with the help of concrete examples. Each paragraph should
consist of ca. four sentences.
Indent the first line of each paragraph (except the first
one) by circa two centimetres in order to visualize the beginning of a new
paragraph. This indent is especially important when the last line of the
paragraph goes to the very righthand margin; otherwise the reader does not
know/see that a new paragraph begins.
Take care that your final paragraph is not just a mere
repetition of what you have already said/written. Do not introduce
new/additional arguments and/or examples in your conclusion.
Number of words:
Do not count all your words in order to find out
how many words you have already written. Choose a typical line, count the
words in this line and multiply with the number of lines you have already
Your monolingual dictionary offers valuable help for your
composition. Check all words/collocations/expressions when you are not sure
how to use them. Pay attention to meaning, grammatical usage and labels such
as formal, poetic, slang, spoken etc. When you
still have time, proofread (Korrektur lesen) carefully and
revise your text with the help of your ALD/DCE. Avoid for instance the
repetitive use of good and bad.
Translation - Tipps
Reihenfolge der Aufgaben: Die Übersetzung solltest du vor dem
Aufsatz bearbeiten, da man bei Zeitnot erfahrungsgemäß besonders viele
Fehler macht, bzw. im schlimmsten Fall ganze Satzteile bzw. Sätze auslässt.
Beginn steht, wie bei Questions on the text, wieder das
mindestens zweimalige sorgfältige Durchlesen des Textes. Beim ersten
Durchgang ist die Leitfrage wieder „Worum geht es?“, beim zweiten Durchgang
gilt es den gedanklichen/argumentativen Aufbau des Textes und die
Einstellung des Autors zu erfassen. Aus Zeitgründen solltest du
grundsätzlich keine Rohfassung erstellen. Für spätere
Korrekturen/Ergänzungen ist es nützlich nach jeder Zeile eine Leerzeile zu
lassen. Falls der englische Originaltext aus zwei oder mehr Absätzen
besteht, musst du seine Absatzeinteilung übernehmen.
es gerade bei verschachtelten Sätzen sinnvoll, beim Hauptsatz beginnend sich
„von oben nach unten“ durch den Satz hindurchzuarbeiten. Bei unklaren
Passagen solltest du ausreichend große Lücken lassen, die du nachträglich,
notfalls mit Hilfe des intelligent guessing (immer unter Beachtung
der allgemeinen Textaussage) füllst.
keinen Fall darfst du irgendwo in deiner Übersetzung offensichtlichen
Unsinn akzeptieren (Gefahr von Doppelfehlern!).
dich stets für eine Fassung entscheiden und darfst keine Alternativen
oder eingeklammerten Bemerkungen (wie „wörtlich eigentlich ...“)
Fremdwörtern gilt prinzipiell, dass – falls vorhanden – ein mindestens
gleichwertiges deutsches Wort vorzuziehen ist. Grundsätzlich solltest du „so
wörtlich wie möglich und so frei wie nötig“ übersetzen.
Überarbeitung: Als letzten Arbeitsschritt solltest du nach einer Pause
von ca. zwei Minuten, in der du „auf Distanz“ zu deinem Text gehst, deine
Übersetzung nochmals „unvoreingenommen“ auf sprachliche Korrektheit und
Flüssigkeit hin durchlesen und falls nötig Passagen mit Hilfe des ALD/DCE
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