Winner of the 2018 International German Language Olympiad Diana Panevska
Diana Panevska took first place three times in regional German language olympiads, and this year became a laureate of the all-Ukrainian competition and earned the right to participate in the final of the International German Language Olympiad (Internationale Deutscholympiade) in Freiburg, Germany. At the end of July, Diana Panevska won among those who have an advanced level of German (B2) and shared the secrets of her success with Deutsche Welle.
– What do you need to know to make it to the final of the International German Language Olympiad?
– To win the all-Ukrainian competition, which gives the right to participate in the final of the international olympiad, you need to be very good at writing, reading, speaking, and listening comprehension in German. But for the final stage, that is not enough. In Germany, the jury observed how we work in a team, find compromises, and how creative we are. They evaluated us not only as language experts but also as individuals.
– How did you prepare for the olympiad?
– At school, we had eight German lessons a week. That is enough to know the language well. But, of course, I also studied in my free time. I read magazines and books, listened to the news. I wrote essays, sent them to my teacher Romana Fisyuk, and talked with her at school after lessons – I practiced speaking.
– What tasks were there in the final stage?
– There were three tasks. The first was individual: to write a free-form essay about Freiburg and make a creative collage – something like a wall newspaper. I wrote my text in the form of a letter about student life in that city. For preparation, we were taken on excursions. I visited the local university to gather material.
The remaining tasks we did in groups of four. First, we prepared a presentation on the topic of sports and gave an oral report. My group did it in the form of a talk show. And then we had to collectively come up with a story in three minutes and tell it.
– Two out of three tasks were team-based, although in reality all participants were competing for themselves. In your opinion, were the evaluation criteria transparent?
– They explained to us at the beginning what the jury members pay attention to. They observed us from the very first session: how actively everyone works, how they communicate in the team, whether they are able to find common solutions. The jury gave 50 percent of the score for the written work, the rest for the group tasks. All participants had a very good command of German, but some failed to find compromises with the team, and some got confused during the presentation and couldn't string two words together. This affected the results. At first, the evaluation criteria seemed strange to me, but now, after analyzing everything, I consider them quite transparent.
– What was the most difficult?
– The daily routine (laughs). The competition itself seemed less stressful to me than our everyday life. We got up at 6:30 and often didn't have a free minute all day. We went to classes, lectures, discussions, excursions. At the same time, we had several days to prepare for each task. Unexpected, because at the stages of the olympiad in Ukraine, we do four types of tasks in one day.
– What was the atmosphere like? Did you feel intense competition?
– I expected competition, because winners from all over the world came to Freiburg. But when I got to know almost all 140 participants, I realized that no one was going to win at any cost. Everyone was friendly. We became friends and supported each other.
– What advantages does winning this olympiad give? Can you enter a German university without an exam or get a scholarship?
– There are no such advantages. But if you apply for a scholarship or to a German university, the admissions committee will notice the olympiad victory. By the way, right after the awards ceremony, a Bundestag deputy came up to me and offered me an internship in his office. I was very surprised and happy. I hope to do this internship when I become a student.
– Which country do you associate your future with – Ukraine or Germany?
– With Ukraine. I want to study political economy in Germany, but then I will gladly return. I believe that my country has great economic potential to someday be no worse than Germany.
– Your advice to those learning German.
– Use new words as often as possible right after you learn them. Because they are quickly forgotten. I do this: I learn and write an essay in which I use everything new I have learned. Also, use German media. Read, watch, listen to what interests you. When learning is interesting, there is motivation to do it constantly.
– What do you associate Germany with?
– With bicycles. In every German city, I am amazed by the number of cyclists. In Freiburg, there seem to be more of them than pedestrians. I was shocked that pedestrians there have to give way to cyclists. But after two weeks, I almost got used to it. Also, I consider Germans friendly. It's so nice when you walk down the street and even strangers smile at you. And, of course, punctuality. I felt that at the olympiad: the daily schedule was planned down to the minute.
• The International German Language Olympiad is held every two years by the Goethe-Institut together with the International Association of Teachers of German. It was first organized in 2008. The competition involves students who study German as a foreign language. They compete in three categories according to language proficiency level: A2, B1, B2.
The winners in each category receive gold, silver, and bronze medals. Additionally, a Fairnesspreis is awarded for social activity.
In 2018, more than 140 young people from 74 countries participated in the IDO final. They are all between 14 and 17 years old.