Spanish

The aim of the course is to enable you to communicate effectively and confidently in Spanish in a range of situations.  You will learn about the culture of Spanish speaking countries and will be able to communicate with people from these countries. Your teacher will speak lots of Spanish to you and you will be expected to respond in Spanish as much as possible.  Throughout the course you will be practising the four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Grammar and vocabulary learning will also play an important role.

If you choose to study Spanish you must show a high level of motivation, as the fast pace of the course allows learners to progress from near beginners to GCSE level. 

You will be assessed separately in speaking, listening, reading and writing.  However, in practice, many tasks involve using two or more skills simultaneously, as in real life.  Great emphasis is placed on encouraging confidence in speaking the foreign language and you will often be required to work in pairs and small groups.

The ability to communicate in everyday situations is the overriding aim for all learners, although those who show a greater awareness of language structure will be encouraged to produce more accurate spoken and written language.

Studying a language at GCSE is an important qualification offering the best opportunities post 16. At Honywood we are passionate about languages and strongly believe that as many learners as possible should study at least one language or more to GCSE.  Spanish makes an excellent choice at GCSE for keen and proven linguists who want the challenge of learning a new language from scratch. The subject allows learners to further develop their language skills and will offer an exciting new opportunity to gain a Spanish GCSE.

The exam board is AQA and over the course you will be taught by a Spanish specialist teacher.  You will also use the iPads and have access to authentic material such as film, newspaper and magazine articles etc. 

There are two tiers of entry: Foundation (grades 1-5) and Higher (grades 4-9).  Learners must enter for all 4 skills at the same tier, following the themes below:

Theme 1: People and lifestyle

• Topic 1: Identity and relationships with others

• Topic 2: Healthy living and lifestyle

• Topic 3: Education and work

Theme 2: Popular culture

• Topic 1: Free-time activities

• Topic 2: Customs, festivals and celebrations

• Topic 3: Celebrity culture

Theme 3: Communication and the world around us

• Topic 1: Travel and tourism, including places of interest

• Topic 2: Media and technology

• Topic 3: The environment and where people live

Paper 1: Listening

What is assessed:

Understanding and responding to spoken extracts comprising the defined vocabulary and grammar for each tier

Dictation of short, spoken extracts

How it is assessed

Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation tier), 45 minutes (Higher tier)

40 marks (Foundation tier), 50 marks (Higher tier)

25% of GCSE

Recording controlled by the invigilator with built-in repetitions and pauses.

Each exam includes 5 minutes’ reading time at the start of the question paper before the listening material is played and 2 minutes at the end of the recording for students to check their work.

Questions

Section A – listening comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally (32 marks at Foundation tier and 40 marks at Higher tier)

Section B – Dictation where students transcribe words within sentences, including a small number of words from outside the prescribed vocabulary list (8 marks at Foundation tier and 10 marks at Higher tier)

Paper 2: Speaking

What is assessed

Speaking using clear and comprehensible language to undertake a role-play

Carry out a reading aloud task

Talk about visual stimuli

How it is assessed

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

7–9 minutes (Foundation tier) + 15 minutes' supervised preparation time

10–12 minutes (Higher tier) + 15 minutes' supervised preparation time

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)

25% of GCSE

Questions

The format is the same at Foundation tier and Higher tier, but with different stimulus materials for the role-play and the reading aloud task. For the photo card task, the same photos are used.

Role-play – 10 marks (1.5 minutes at Foundation tier, 1.5 minutes at Higher tier)

Reading aloud passage and short conversation – 15 marks (minimum 35 words at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier, maximum 2.5 minutes at Foundation tier and 3.5 minutes at Higher tier)

Photo card discussion (two photo cards) – 25 marks ( 3–5 minutes at Foundation tier, 5–7 minutes at Higher tier)

Paper 3: Reading

What is assessed

Understanding and responding to written texts which focus predominantly on the vocabulary and grammar at each tier

Inferring plausible meanings of single words when they’re embedded in written sentences

Translating from Spanish into English

How it is assessed

Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation tier), 1 hour (Higher tier)

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)

25% of GCSE

Questions

Section A – reading comprehension questions in English, to be answered in English or non- verbally (40 marks)

Section B – translation from Spanish into English, minimum of 35 words at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier (10 marks)

Paper 4: Writing

What is assessed

Writing text in the language in a lexically and grammatically accurate way in response to simple and familiar stimuli

Translating from English into Spanish.

How it is assessed

Written exam: 1 hour (Foundation tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher tier)

50 marks (for each of Foundation tier and Higher tier)

25% of GCSE

Questions

Foundation tier

Question 1 – student produces 5 short sentences in response to a photo (10 marks)

Question 2 – student produces a short piece of writing in response to four compulsory bullet points, approximately 40 words in total (15 marks)

Question 3 – translation of sentences from English into Spanish, minimum 35 words in total (10 marks)

Question 4 (overlap question) – student produces a piece of writing in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks)

Higher tier

Question 1 – translation of sentences from English into Spanish, minimum 50 words in total (10 marks)

Question 2 – student produces a piece of writing in response to three compulsory bullet points, approximately 90 words in total. There is a choice from two questions (15 marks)

Question 3 – Open-ended writing task (student responds to two bullets, producing approximately 150 words in total). There is a choice from two questions (25 marks) 

After your GCSE in Spanish, you can choose to carry on and study Spanish at college as an A Level subject or to study on an IB course. 

Having a language at GCSE and A Level will give you access to a wide range of jobs and further education jobs in the future.  Graduates in Modern Languages are amongst the most employable with opportunities far and wide.  The job opportunities on offer to Language graduates include Journalism, Translators, Tourism and Teaching.

‘Did you know?...

72% of UK firms employ people with language skills

On average people earn 8% to 20% more after learning a language

94% of the planet do not speak English as their mother tongue. 75% do not speak English at all

Source: CILT – Government Language Agency.

Studying a language at GCSE will ensure you are best placed to access opportunities post 16 and for higher education.

Languages form part of the EBacc subjects at GCSE that keeps young people’s options open for further study and future careers.  The EBacc is made up of the subjects which the Russell Group says, at A Level, open more doors to more degrees.

Research shows that a pupil’s socio-economic background impacts the subjects they choose at GCSE, and that this determines their opportunities beyond school.

A study by the UCL Institute of Education shows that studying subjects included in the EBacc provides students with greater opportunities in further education and increases the likelihood that a pupil will stay on in full-time education. Sutton Trust research reveals that studying the EBacc can help improve a young person’s performance in English and Maths.  

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc/english-baccalaureate-ebacc

Therefore, studying a language to GCSE will provide you with the best qualifications to access further education, training and careers.

Mr P Bilby, Subject Leader for Modern Foreign Languages (pbilby@honywoodschool.com)