The best German learners at A2 level (advanced beginners) are at home in the ASEAN states, according to the results of the International German Language Olympics (IDO), organized by the Goethe-Institut in Berlin in June, 2016.
Bangkok, 08.08.2016 – The best German learners at A2 level (advanced beginners) are at home in the ASEAN states, according to the results of the International German Language Olympics (IDO), organized by the Goethe-Institut in Berlin in June, 2016. 125 learners of German from all over the globe came to test their language proficiency in various disciplines. Third place at A2 level went to Pannika Soontornwata, a student at Triam-Udomsuksa School, almost matching Thailand’s gold medal award at the last Olympics in 2014. She was pipped to the post by silver medallist Alya Afifah Baktiar from Indonesia and gold medallist Ngoc My Nguyen from Vietnam.
During the two-week long competition, the participants worked together in international teams to produce a wall news-sheet and presentations. The main focus was on the use of language. At the prize-giving ceremony held at the Federal Foreign Office, Johannes Ebert, Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut, made this very clear; ”At the International German Language Olympics, the emphasis is on understanding. It is about working together in international teams to pursue and reach a common goal.“
The special thing about this year’s result is that the three best-placed participants come from ASEAN states. Dr. Hans-Dieter Dräxler, Head of the Language Department at the Goethe-Institut Thailand remarked that ”For many years the Goethe-Institut has encouraged and assisted German teachers of the ASEAN community to place communicative competence, i.e. the use of the language, at the focal point of their teaching practice. This fantastic result for the participants of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia reflects the quality of German teachers in these countries.“
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) defines A2 proficiency as a level at which language learners are able to express themselves in easy, day-to-day situations and communicate on topics which concern both themselves and their immediate environment.
