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Class 3ºA/B Bilingual have been practising how to write a descriptive article about special events in our country. Here are some of their articles:

MADRID MARATHON

By Víctor Herranz Canorea and Darío Romero Ocaña, 3º A.

The Madrid Marathon is an exciting annual sports event that takes place every April in the streets of Madrid. Thousands of runners from all over the world participate in this race, including professional athletes and amateurs. The main purpose of the event is to promote a healthy lifestyle, support local charities and celebrate personal achievements.

The atmosphere during the event is incredible. The race starts early in the morning and the route goes past famous landmarks like the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the Royal Palace. Live music bands play in the streets to motivate the runners and thousands of spectators cheer loudly, holding signs and handing out water. It is a very energetic and colourful day.

In my opinion, the Madrid Marathon is one of the best events of the year. I think it is an unforgettable experience because it brings the whole city together in a positive way. Even if you are not running, being part of the crowd is truly inspiring.

THE MAGIC OF THE CORPUS CHRISTI FESTIVAL

By Hugo Codes Díaz and Katherine Caballero Mejía, 3ºB

The Corpus Christi festival is the most important traditional event in our city, taking place every year in early June. Thousands of people including students, families and tourists, gather in the historic centre in order to celebrate our cultural heritage. The main purpose of this event is to keep our ancient tradition alive in the future.

During the festival, the entire city transforms into an impressive scene. Neighbours work together to cover the streets with handmade flower carpets so that everyone can enjoy a vibrant, colourful walk. Moreover, spectacular historic tapestries hang from the balconies and a solemn procession takes place in the afternoon.

SCHOOL OLYMPICS

By Abril Marín Perote, 3º B

In school we celebrate a special sports event called the Olympics. In this event we can choose one race, one competition and, if we want, a fight. This year the event took place on the athletics tracks. The students of 3rd and 4th ESO couldn’t participate but some teachers took part in the Olympics with costumes.

All the students love this event because we have fun and we miss class. The competitions are in shot put and long jump.

In my opinion, this event is important for the students because they enjoy the day and make new memories with their school friends.

THE WORLD CUP 2026

By Andrei Vlaicu and Álvaro Lancha Cervera, 3ºA

This event, which many countries participate in, is about football. It happens every four years. This year it will take place in June in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The purpose of this event is to win the world cup trophy.

The winner of the last world cup was Argentina. The best national teams play in this event, like Spain, France and England. The song of this world cup is ‘Dai Dai’ by Shakira.

In our opinion, this event is the best championship in the world and we believe Spain will be the winner.

ANOTHER ARTICLE ON THE WORLD CUP

By Gonzalo Hernández Toribio and David López Cano, 3º B

We live in Spain, a very important country which participates in the football World Cup. Here people are passionate about supporting the Spanish team. This World Cup is being celebrated in North America. The purpose of this event is to become the best country in the world and be the champion.

48 national teams take part in the World Cup which have to be classified in different rounds previously. But this is not only a football event, it is a celebration for all the countries that take part because people encourage and support their country’s team.

In our opinion, this type of event is the best in the world given that it entertains people and it is like a party that unites the whole world.

AND FINALLY, AN ARTICLE ABOUT AN EVENT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY:

CARNIVAL IN BRAZIL

By Mariángel Parra Linares and Marcos Sánchez García, 3ºA

Carnival is a cultural event, it takes place in Brazil in February, especially in Rio de Janeiro. A lot of people participate, like dancers, musicians and many people who want to experience this event and its culture.

During this event, people wear colourful clothes and dance in the streets with a lot of music and decorations. In addition, a lot of tourists go to this cultural festival.

In our opinion, it is a very exciting and beautiful event. We would like to visit Rio de Janeiro to experience its amazing carnival.

Why should we only speak Spanish or even English?

Some Spaniards can relate to some level of prejudicial remains in their culture towards their neighbouring European allies – not mentioning those non European countries. But that is just not the point here. The point is that Spain is filled and surrounded by such an impressive amount of languages and I feel like it is embedded in Spanish culture some sort of avoidance on language learning, since if you have ever stepped on rural Spain you would notice how many might be still unwilling to learn a new language due to multiple factors. As I can only tell from what I have experienced, I invite all readers to start paying attention around to learn if they agree or not with these statements.

I tend to think it is about that historic rivalry amongst the Spanish against the English, French and Portuguese. All over history there has been this competition amongst empires, nevertheless you probably will learn in time expressions that intend to speak up against the whole of French culture and way of life – they do treat a little better the English in that sense. On the contrary, people wound once speak better French than English and that is something curious for me, for it also happens in Brazil and perhaps also in countries as England and others. I perceive France still had not so long ago –a generation or two back– their imperial legacy lingering around, so they managed to keep their language widely spoken as a second language –it remains as a lingua franca in scientific communities for instance– around the world even without being a main political actor, because they export culture and glamour. That is also why a country should invest this hard on getting their cultural background acquainted to the rest of the world. I must insist on the fact that this information should not be treated lightly, but instead be read carefully and critically for it contains many pieces of data gathered from a personal point of view.

Spanish has so much potential right now, it is one of the most widely spoken languages around the world. In America about the same population compared to Spain speaks Spanish at home –remember land does not count as ‘speaking territory’ –, therefore 12% of Americans speak Spanish as a native language –I have looked up that online. Mexico is still the largest Spanish speaking country and it is gaining more political relevance these days. Language grows with politics.

So, back to the initial premise: why should we only speak Spanish or English? I believe the answer is that we should not only speak these two – something anyone can do with the correct support (material, tutoring, media, movies and friends) –, instead we should be open to any new horizons a language could set up for us independently of its international status. Ancient languages can open one’s mind to how a language should work, it also makes it a bit easier to learn their respective genetic relatives while you acquire an in depth understanding on how languages grow. That last aspect should not be overlooked upon, since that is how you are supposed to make sense of a spoken language; after all when you arrive at a foreign country the first thing you learn is that native speakers are not speaking that language the way you were taught –because we all tend to learn the standard version before keeping up with any native variety of colloquial speech.

These days I dream of completing my Modern Greek studies–when I say complete I mean speak it fluently without flinching– and then moving on to Italian, French and German

on that order. I have seen how useful to learn multiple languages can be, not only for your career, but also for having a wider network of friends and to be open-minded as well, which might be the most surprisingly beneficial outcome: you end up picking up on cultural cues and you start understanding how an important part of human society works just from learning idioms, the morality and social norms of a culture. All that can be achieved through language learning and I may add that for some it might also be a very intriguing and enjoyable adventure to venture into and dive into a new country, new food, new people, new lives for you to live endlessly all around the globe.

In the end, that is what inspires me the most to keep on discovering the greatness of art, knowing there are as many forms of art as cultures out there.

César Martins Quitete do Amaral. Filología Clásica UCM.

Antiguo alumno IES María Pacheco.