German Courses

German courses from level A1 – B1 are currently being held at the House of Hope. Level B2 is also planned. In addition, since spring ’22, an Alpha course has been held twice a week, in which people without school education, writing and reading skills can participate. This course is primarily intended for people whose family or spouse is staying in a German-speaking country and who plan to move there as well. Level A1 is required for this.

The designations of the levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 are taken from the so-called
„Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – CEFR“.
The letters A, B, C are translated as follows: 

A1 and A2: Elementary language use
B1 and B2: Independent use of language
C1 and C2: Competent language use

Depending on the intention and previous knowledge of the individual student, the different levels can be taken. For example, to be able to study in Germany you need C1, for an apprenticeship B1 or B2, for an unskilled job B1 or A2. You can find more information on this under „Counselling“.

Duration

A course at one level (A1 and A2) takes about 8-10 weeks. The B1 course, however, lasts twice as long. Three classrooms of different sizes are available for the students. At the moment there is an A1 course and a B1 course in the morning (9:00am – 1:00pm) and an A2 course (2:00pm – 6:00pm), as well as the Alpha course (2:00pm – 5:00pm) in the afternoon. The courses are mainly based on German textbooks. At the end of the course, the material is repeated to prepare for the subsequent exam.

Certficates

The exams are held in the style of the Goethe-Institut, testing listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. Upon passing the internal exam, students receive a House of Hope certificate.
This certificate is an internal examination result and is not recognised by the embassy as legitimate proof of German language proficiency.
The purpose of the exam is to test the student’s level of knowledge and to prepare him/her for the way exams are conducted at the Goethe-Institute Dakar.

To receive a recognised certificate, students must travel to Dakar and take an exam.
The modules listening, reading, speaking and writing are tested, but can be made up for individually if they are not passed. More information can be found on the website of the Goethe-Institut.

Costs

German lessons at the House of Hope are free of charge. The students would only have to pay for their travel to the training location, for copies of learning material and – if intended – for the trip to Dakar and the examination fees at the Goethe-Institut.

As this trip to Dakar means a lot of stress for the students we are trying to find a solution with the Goethe-Institut for Gambia so that the exams can take place locally in the future.

Address

SPONSORED BY

Alter Schlachthof 59, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany