Spanish

Director of Learning

Mr Axel Luret

axel.luret@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk 

Paper 1 - Listening

What's assessed 

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

• Dictation of short, spoken extracts.

How it's 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: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier          

• 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 short 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's assessed 

• Speaking using clear and comprehensible language to undertake a Role-play

• Carry out a Reading aloud task

• Talk about visual stimuli

How it's 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: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier          

• 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 at both tiers.

• Role-play – 10 marks (recommended to last between 1 and 1.5 minutes at both tiers).

• Reading aloud task and short conversation – 15 marks (recommended to last in total between 2 and 2.5 minutes at Foundation tier and between 3 and 3.5 minutes at Higher tier).

• Reading aloud task: minimum 35 words of text at Foundation tier and 50 words at Higher tier.

• Short unprepared conversation.

• Photo card discussion – 25 marks (recommended to last between 4 and 5 minutes in total at Foundation tier, and between 6 and 7 minutes in total at Higher tier).

• Response to the content of the photos on the card (recommended to last approximately 1 minute at Foundation tier and approximately 1.5 minutes at Higher tier).

• Unprepared conversation (recommended to last between 3 and 4 minutes at Foundation tier and between 4.5 and 5.5 minutes at Higher tier).

Paper 3 - Reading

What's 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 are embedded in written sentences

• Translating from French into English

How it's 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: Foundation Tier and Higher Tier          

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

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

Paper 4 - Writing

What's assessed 

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

• Translating from English into French

How it's assessed

• Written exam: 1 hour 10 minutes (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 five short sentences in response to a photo (10 marks)

• Question 2 – student produces a short piece of writing in response to five compulsory bullet points, approximately 50 words in total (10 marks)

• Question 3 – student completes five short grammar tasks (5 marks)

• Question 4 – translation of sentences from English into French , minimum 35 words in total (10 marks)

• Question 5 (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)

Questions: Higher Tier          

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

• Question 2 (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).

• 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).