In our increasingly globalised world, the ability to speak multiple languages is more important than ever. Spanish is the second most studied language in the world and it is the official language of over 22 countries, being spoken in numerous other countries across the globe. It is considered one of the easier romance languages to learn and acts as a great pathway language to learning lots of other languages in the future.

Languages at GCSE are interactive and fun to learn. The new specification, that has been introduced for first teaching in 2024, has been slim lined to focus on communication, ensuring that you are able to say the things that you want to say and are familiar with the knowledge and skills that you would need to live in a Hispanic country.

Career opportunities

The ability to speak another language can lead to many exciting and varied career paths including:

■ Translation (written word)

■ Interpreting (spoken word)

■ Fashion

■ Business e.g. marketing

■ Medicine

■ Tourism and sport

■ Teaching

What’s more, it is proven that those who can speak a foreign language can earn up to 20% more in all industries, than those who can’t! This is because learning a language supports many interpersonal skills that are valued by employers, such as intercultural awareness, confidence in public speaking, and better memory, amongst others. Socially, learning a language can benefit you immediately, being one of the only subjects that you can step straight out of the classroom and use, to help you develop relationships with locals when you go on holiday or even to people in your local community.

Throughout the course, you will further develop your existing language skills across 4 main areas; Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing whilst studying the following themes:

· People and Lifestyle

· Popular Culture

· Communication and the world around us

You will be assessed at the end of the course in Y11 and will sit 4 separate, equally weighted, exams at either Higher Tier (grades 9-4) or Foundation Tier (grades 5-1) assessing the previously mentioned four skill areas:

● Listening

● Reading

● Writing

●     Speaking

To see more information regarding what each exam entails, please click here