aiMOOC

ABI - Relevante Informationen auswählen

QR-Code

ABI - Relevante Informationen auswählen

English first: In the Abitur, good reading, listening, mediation and writing do not mean using every detail. You select what your addressee needs for the purpose of the task. You then shorten, explain, connect or omit information without changing its meaning.

Mini rule: Audience + Purpose → Relevance → Selection → Clear output.

This aiMOOC trains exactly that process for Englisch in the Kursstufe in Baden-Württemberg. It is designed for a shared Basisfach / Leistungsfach course.

Einleitung

A source can contain ten facts while your task may require only three. Relevant information is information that helps you answer the exact task for the exact audience. A good response is therefore not the longest response, but the most accurate and purposeful one.

The communication model reminds you that information is always sent in a context. In an Abi task, you should therefore ask:

Addressee: Who will read or hear my response?
Purpose: What should my response achieve?
Context: What does the audience already know?
Relevance: Which source details are necessary?
Register: How formal, precise or explanatory should I be?

I-can goals

After this course, you can say:

I can identify addressee, purpose and task focus before selecting information.
I can distinguish essential, useful and irrelevant details.
I can reduce information without distorting the source.
I can explain unfamiliar ideas for a new audience instead of translating everything.
I can connect evidence from several materials.
I can justify why I selected or omitted information.
I can use a dictionary and contextual strategies before asking for German help.
I can adapt the same source differently for BF and LF tasks.

Current Baden-Württemberg Abi check

Checked: 03 October 2026. For the general Gymnasium, the Ministry of Education Baden-Württemberg lists the official Facherlass 2028. In English, the 2028 focus remains On the Move: Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters. The LF written exam includes listening and writing; within writing, an aspect-based summary, analysis and a personal or creative writing task are relevant formats. In BF, listening, reading, analysis, mediation and different writing tasks must be covered across the qualification phase.

For oral examination guidance, the official 2028 regulations place more emphasis on AFB II/III in LF and on AFB I/II in BF. The Bildungsplan also distinguishes BF and LF by text complexity, abstraction, breadth, depth and differentiation. Both aim at B2, partly C1 by the end of the course.

Important: Always check the official rules for your own exam year. This course teaches a transferable skill, not a replacement for the current Facherlass.

Official sources:

BF and LF in one course

Shared core	BF focus	LF extension
Select information for audience and purpose.	One clear source or a small material set.	Several sources, perspectives or formats.
Use context, evidence and appropriate register.	More structure aids and visible selection criteria.	More independent criteria and material linking.
Work mainly at B2 with C1 elements as learning orientation.	Manageable text density and exemplar depth.	Greater complexity, breadth, depth and abstraction.
Explain why information matters.	Stronger support for AFB I/II.	More sustained AFB II/III work.

No artificial difficulty: LF means deeper reasoning and more independent linking, not needlessly obscure vocabulary.

Vorwissen aktivieren

Quick start – 4 minutes. Imagine you receive a 500-word article and must write a 120-word briefing for an exchange student.

Write down three things you would look for before reading closely.
Decide what the exchange student probably already knows.
Predict which details you would omit.
Compare your criteria with a partner.

Key idea: Relevance is not a property of a sentence alone. It depends on the task.

The selection workflow

Use the A-P-R-C routine:

A – Addressee: Who needs the information?
P – Purpose: Inform, explain, compare, persuade, mediate or evaluate?
R – Relevance: Which details directly serve the purpose?
C – Compression: Keep, shorten, explain, combine or omit.

A useful three-level marking system is:

KEEP = essential for the task SHORTEN = useful, but too detailed OMIT = interesting, but not needed

A fictional practice source

Fictional data for practice only:

Riverton College plans a “Low-Waste Week”. Last year, the canteen sold 4,800 takeaway cups during one school week. A student survey of 240 learners found that 68% would use reusable cups if washing stations were easier to access. The school plans two new washing stations, a deposit-cup trial and a poster campaign. The principal also mentioned that the school garden will receive new benches in spring.

Task A: Write a 45-word announcement for students who want to know what will change next week.

A strong selection would keep the washing stations and deposit-cup trial, probably keep the main survey result if space allows, shorten the background number and omit the garden benches.

Why? The benches are true within the fictional source, but they do not serve the task purpose.

Listening and Viewing

BBC Learning English: How to listen and make notes in English.

Use the video as a listening strategy exercise, not as a transcript task.

Before viewing: predict five keywords connected with note-taking.
First viewing: write only the main idea of each section.
Second viewing: add examples only where they clarify the main idea.
After viewing: cross out any note that would not help you explain the strategy to another student.

LF extension: Compare the speaker’s advice with your own note-taking routine and evaluate which strategy is most useful under time pressure.

Listening filter

During listening, separate:

signal — thesis, reasons, examples, contrast, conclusion noise for your task — repetition, anecdotes without task relevance, decorative detail

Listen for verbal signposts such as however, therefore, for example, the main point is, in contrast, as a result.

Reading

British Council: Reading workshop – skimming and scanning.

Skim first, select second. Do not highlight half the page.

Skim title, first sentences and paragraph endings.
Scan for task keywords and synonyms.
Mark only evidence connected with the operator.
Re-read selected passages closely.
Check whether your selection answers the task, not merely the text.

BF scaffold: Use three columns: task word – source evidence – why relevant. LF extension: Add relationship to another source and limitation or perspective.

Context vocabulary

A word is useful when you can use it in context, not when you only know a German equivalent.

Word	English explanation	Word family / useful phrase
relevant	directly connected with what is needed	relevance, irrelevant, highly relevant
concise	brief but still complete enough	concisely, concise summary
omit	leave something out intentionally	omission, omit a detail
retain	keep something because it remains useful	retention, retain evidence
clarify	make an idea easier to understand	clarification, clarify a point
distort	change meaning in a misleading way	distortion, distort the source
infer	reach a conclusion from evidence	inference, infer from context
qualify	make a statement more precise or less absolute	qualification, qualify a claim

Help ladder: English before German

When a word blocks your understanding, use this order:

Context: What meaning would fit the sentence?
Word formation: Prefix, suffix, root, word family?
Visualisation: Can you picture or sketch it?
English explanation: Can you paraphrase it with simpler words?
Monolingual dictionary: Check meaning, collocation and example.
German help: Use only if the earlier steps are not enough.

This order keeps you thinking in English and reduces false one-to-one translations.

Analysis: relevance is also a text feature

When analysing non-literary material, selecting information means noticing how the text guides the audience.

Ask:

Which claims are central?
Which examples support them?
Which statistics are evidence and which are decoration?
Which forms of address target the audience?
Is the presentation balanced or one-sided?
Which structural choices strengthen the purpose?

For literary texts, relevance may instead depend on point of view, characterization, setting, narrative structure, tone or lexical fields.

Do not list devices. Select only those that help explain the effect connected with the task.

Speaking

30-second relevance drill: One learner receives a fictional source card. The partner asks: What does our audience need to know? The speaker has 30 seconds to give only the three most relevant points.

Then switch roles.

Useful phrases:

For this audience, the key point is …
This detail matters because …
I would leave out … because …
The source suggests …, but it does not prove …
A clearer way to explain this is …

LF extension: Add one qualification, counterpoint or link to a second source.

Writing

BBC Learning English: Writing well in English.

Before writing, build a content budget:

Must include → directly answers the task Could include → clarifies or supports Do not include → interesting but unnecessary

A paragraph should normally have one clear function. If a detail does not support that function, remove or relocate it.

Micro-writing practice

Use the fictional Riverton source above.

BF: Write 70–90 words for a school newsletter explaining the two main changes and one reason for them.

LF: Write 120–150 words for a student council briefing that combines the planned measures with the survey evidence and comments on one limitation of the available data.

Do not invent additional facts.

Mediation

Mediation is not full translation. You transfer the meaning that the addressee needs, in a culturally and situationally appropriate way.

Example:

A German source says that a fictional youth centre changes its registration procedure, extends Friday opening hours and also reports the colour of its newly painted entrance hall.

Task: Explain the changes in English to an exchange student who wants to attend an event.

You would normally explain the registration procedure and opening hours. The wall colour is irrelevant unless it affects orientation or access.

Mediation checklist:

Who needs the information?
What can they not understand from the original language or context?
Which terms need explanation rather than literal translation?
What can be shortened?
What must remain exact?

Visual information

Charts, posters, diagrams and images can contain relevant evidence too.

When selecting from visual material, ask:

What is the main trend, contrast or message?
Which labels or captions are necessary?
Which number is representative?
Does scale or perspective influence the impression?
Does the visual support, complicate or contradict the written source?

Rule: Do not describe everything you can see. Select what answers the task.

Feedback

Use R-A-C-E for peer feedback:

R – Relevance: Does every main point serve the task?
A – Accuracy: Is the source meaning preserved?
C – Clarity: Is difficult information explained appropriately?
E – Economy: Can anything be shortened without losing meaning?

Give feedback on one category at a time.

Fehleranalyse

Common errors:

Overselection: too many details, weak focus.
Underselection: a key reason, condition or contrast is missing.
Distortion: shortening changes the source meaning.
Source drift: personal knowledge is added as if it came from the source.
Register mismatch: language does not fit the addressee.
Evidence dumping: quotations or numbers appear without a function.
False certainty: a limited source is presented as universal proof.

Repair strategy: Find the task keyword, locate the sentence that answers it, then decide what minimum context is needed for accuracy.

Transfer

Use the same selection skill in different contexts:

a podcast briefing
a university-style reading task
an internship email
a mediation task
a debate note card
a chart-based presentation
an Abi analysis paragraph

The source changes; the selection logic stays stable.

Responsible use of sources and AI

Work independently first. AI may support checking or feedback only when your teacher and the task allow it.

Verify AI claims against the original source.
Do not submit an AI-produced replacement essay as your own work.
Do not upload complete copyrighted Pflichttexte, film sequences or private class materials to external services.
Use fictional practice data when personal data is unnecessary.
Recordings are voluntary and should remain private unless everyone involved has agreed.
No external AI access is required for this aiMOOC.

Abi-Check

Before submitting, ask yourself:

Have I identified addressee, purpose and operator?
Have I selected only task-relevant information?
Have I preserved qualifications, contrasts and conditions?
Have I explained unfamiliar context where needed?
Have I linked evidence to my point instead of listing it?
Have I avoided invented information?
Is my register appropriate?
Can I remove a sentence without losing required meaning?
Have I checked the current official rules for my exam year?

Folgekurs

Continue with:

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What should you identify before selecting information? (Addressee and purpose) (!Every unknown word) (!The longest paragraph) (!All background details)

Which detail is usually most relevant? (A detail that directly helps answer the task) (!A surprising detail unrelated to the task) (!The first number in the source) (!The longest quotation)

What does concise mean? (Brief but complete enough) (!Difficult and abstract) (!Translated word for word) (!Written only in short sentences)

What is a good first strategy for an unknown word? (Use the context) (!Immediately translate every word) (!Skip the whole paragraph) (!Replace it with a German word)

What is mediation mainly about? (Transferring relevant meaning for a specific audience) (!Translating every sentence literally) (!Adding your own opinion) (!Copying the source text)

Which note is most useful during listening? (A main idea linked to the task) (!Every filler word) (!Every repeated phrase) (!A complete transcript)

What should happen when shortening a source? (The original meaning should remain accurate) (!All examples must stay) (!Every sentence must become shorter) (!The register must always become informal)

What does LF mainly add in this course? (More depth, complexity and independent material linking) (!Artificially rare vocabulary) (!Longer answers without stronger reasoning) (!No structure at all)

Which feedback question checks relevance? (Does each main point serve the task?) (!Is every sentence the same length?) (!Are there as many quotations as possible?) (!Was every source detail copied?)

What should you do with an AI-generated claim? (Check it against the original source) (!Assume it is correct) (!Use it without a source) (!Replace your own analysis with it)

Memory

Addressee	person or group receiving the message
Purpose	reason the text or response is produced
Relevance	direct usefulness for the task
Compression	shortening without losing essential meaning
Register	level and style of language for a situation
Evidence	source material supporting a point

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Audience	Who needs the information
Purpose	What the response should achieve
Context	What the audience already knows
Evidence	What supports the selected point
Register	How formal and explanatory the language should be

Kreuzworträtsel

Audience	Who receives the information?
Purpose	What explains why the response is produced?
Relevance	What describes direct usefulness for the task?
Register	What describes the level and style of language?
Evidence	What supports a claim from the source?
Context	What helps you understand information around a statement?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Audience card: Choose one fictional source and create two audience cards: one for a younger learner and one for an expert. Mark which information each audience needs.
Keep Shorten Omit: Take a short article and label five details KEEP, SHORTEN or OMIT. Explain each decision in one English sentence.
Vocabulary ladder: Select eight difficult words and solve them using context, word formation, visualisation, English explanation and dictionary before using German help.
Listening notes: Watch one embedded learning video and reduce your notes to five task-relevant points.

Standard

Two summaries: Write two different 80-word summaries of the same fictional source for two different audiences.
Mediation message: Create a German fictional notice and mediate only the relevant information into an English message for an exchange student.
Visual evidence: Find an openly licensed chart, describe only the task-relevant trend and justify why you ignored at least two visible details.
Peer feedback: Exchange a short text with a partner and apply the R-A-C-E feedback routine.

Schwer

Multi-source briefing: Combine three short sources into one briefing, showing which information is shared, unique or contradictory.
Bias and relevance: Compare two sources on the same issue and explain how perspective changes what each source presents as important.
LF transfer task: Design an AFB-II/III task that requires learners to select, connect and evaluate information from text plus visual material.
Error clinic: Produce a deliberately weak summary containing overselection, underselection, distortion and source drift. Then annotate and repair every error.

Lernkontrolle

Audience shift: You receive one fictional source and two audiences. Produce two different selections and justify three differences.
Purpose test: Explain how the same source would change when the purpose shifts from informing to persuading.
Evidence judgement: Compare a statistic, an anecdote and an expert statement. Decide which one is most useful for a given task and explain the limits of each.
Mediation transfer: Transform a German school notice into an English message for a visitor, explaining one culture-specific term rather than translating it literally.
Source integrity: Repair a summary that exaggerates certainty and adds information not contained in the source.
BF LF comparison: Solve one task first with a BF scaffold and then extend it for LF by adding source linkage, qualification and evaluation.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should be able to:

identify addressee, purpose and operator reliably
justify why information is kept, shortened, explained or omitted
preserve source meaning while compressing information
use context and English-language support strategies before German help
distinguish fact, claim, evidence and interpretation
select relevant information from listening, reading and visual material
mediate information for a specific audience without full translation
write concise, coherent English at B2 level with C1 elements where appropriate
connect materials more independently at LF level
reflect on errors and improve a first draft
verify sources and AI-supported claims

Quellen und Aktualität

Official check for Baden-Württemberg, accessed 03 October 2026:

Media used:

– VideoPlasty, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
– University of Minnesota, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
– PhysicsEtc, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
– crisg, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
– Wmpeter649, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
– Koreller, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
– Juhko, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
– U3213549, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
– CC0, Wikimedia Commons
YouTube learning videos are embedded from the official channels BBC Learning English and British Council; no film excerpts from compulsory Abi works are reproduced here.