Spanish
Spanish
Spanish is not just the language of Spain, it is also a globally important language with over 400 million native speakers worldwide, (plus another 100 million non-native speakers). It is the language of 21 countries, including most South American countries. Spanish is a sought-after language which is important both commercially and culturally and it is an ideal complement to both Arts and Science subjects. Spanish, like other modern languages, is not just an academic subject but an invaluable life skill and its study expands our world-view, making an important contribution to tolerance and understanding of other cultures and perspectives.
Travel & tourism- Saying what you did on holiday. Describing where you stayed. Talking about different holidays. Learning about natural wonders of Spanish-speaking countries
Free-time activities - Talking about sports and free-time activities. Arranging to go out. Saying what you did at the weekend. Talking about days that went wrong.
Customs, festivals and celebrations - Talking about festivals in the Spanish-speaking world. Talking about family celebrations.
Identity and relationships with others - Describing people. Talking about your identity and what matters to you. Talking about friendships and relationships. Talking about problems and giving advice.
Healthy living and lifestyle - Learning about typical foods in Spanish-speaking countries. Describing healthy daily routines. Talking about mealtimes and food trends. Comparing old and new habits. Talking about illnesses and injuries. Making future plans for health and wellbeing.
Media and Technology - Talking about life online.
Education and work- Learning about schools in Spain. Talking about a typical day at school. Talking about your studies. Talking about how you would change your school. Talking about students and teachers at school. Describing a school trip in the past. Talking about plans for the future. Talking about getting a job. Talking about future career intentions. Talking about the importance of learning languages. Talking about changes in the world of work. Talking about the impact of artificial intelligence.
The environment and where we live- Describing cities. Describing how a city or town has changed. Describing shopping preferences. Giving preferences about where you live. Talking about your area. Talking about how you help in your community. Talking about climate change. Talking about actions to help the environment and solutions.
Celebrity culture - Talking about your favourite celebrities. Learning about Latino trailblazers. Talking about Spanish-speaking sports stars.
In Year 10, there will be regular testing using sample papers and this will be both electronic and on paper. In Year 11 we will largely use paper for testing, as this is the method currently used by Examination Boards.
The GCSE itself will be assessed by means of four components all worth 25% of the final grade:
Listening - a 35 or 45 minute exam responding to slow, native speaker recordings including multiple-choice options and answers in English or non-verbally, and a dictation of short sentences.
Speaking - a 7-9 or 10-12 minute individual oral, taken in advance just after the Easter holidays in Year 11, consisting of taking part in a role play, reading aloud a short passage, a short general conversation, and describing and responding to a photocard.
Reading - a 45 or 50 minute exam responding to written extracts, including multiple-choice options and written answers in English, and a short translation from Spanish into English.
Writing:
For Foundation candidates, a 70 minute exam: writing five sentences in response to a photo, writing a short passage (50 words) in response to five compulsory bullet points, five short grammar tasks, some sentences to translate from English into Spanish, and a structured writing task (90 words) in response to three bullet points.
For Higher candidates, a 75 minute exam:
a translation from English into Spanish, a structured writing task (90 words) in response to three bullet points, and a structured writing task (150 words), responding to two bullet points.
There is a choice of questions at both tiers.
The length of each exam will depend on whether you choose Foundation or Higher tier. Note that all components must be taken at the same tier.
The examination board is AQA and the specification number is 8692. You can see the full specification here.
At least two years of secondary Spanish is a prerequisite for this course, because we build on the language skills and vocabulary learned in Key Stage 3.
Like Key Stage 3, our GCSE is delivered entirely using electronic resources, using Pearson's GCSE Spanish ActiveHub, a front of class textbook with audio resources.
There is lots of great video content, including carefully curated YouTube clips and an excellent video supplement called Aventura Vascas by Channel 4.
Interactivity is provided through Linguascope, moving on from the Beginners section to the Intermediate section. Kahoot, Quizlet and Google Forms are also used.
Spanish is a phonetic language, which means that it is pronounced how it is spelt - once you know the rules of course! That is a big advantage when it comes to spelling.
If you have any queries about this curriculum, please contact: Mrs Ines Trevino, MFL Teacher (Spanish Subject Lead), on itv@farlingtonschool.com.