Spanish

Spanish

Course Length

Two years (or one year depending on individual circumstances).

The course

Spanish is an interesting and challenging subject that equips students with the skills to communicate confidently in Spanish in a range of everyday situations. The five main themes of the course are the following: identity and culture, local area with holiday and travel, school, future aspirations with study and work, and finally international and global dimension. Students will develop an awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where Spanish is spoken. The course provides an excellent foundation for the study of Spanish at A level.

What skills do I need?

You need willingness to work hard at your grammar on a regular basis. You will also have to learn and relearn the vocabulary for each topic. The aim is to acquire the sufficient tools to be able to produce spoken or written responses in different contexts.

How is the course assessed?

There are four papers which are worth 25% each of the total examination. The use of dictionaries is not permitted and this includes Paper 2, the oral examination, during the preparation time.

Paper 1 is listening and understanding in Spanish. Foundation tier: 35 minutes including 5 minutes’ reading time. Higher tier: 45 minutes including 5 minutes’ reading time. Students will respond to multiple-response and short- answer open response questions.

Paper 2 is the speaking in Spanish examination. It will be internally conducted and externally assessed. Foundation tier: 7-9 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time. Higher tier: 10-12 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time. There are three tasks: a role play, questions based on a picture stimulus and a conversation based on two themes of the course.

Paper 3 is reading and understanding in Spanish. Foundation tier: 45 minutes, higher tier: 1 hour. There will be a range of different types of text including advertisements, emails, articles and literary texts. Students are required to respond to multiple-response and short-answer questions.

Paper 4 is writing in Spanish. Foundation tier: 1 hour 10 minutes, higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes. Students are assessed on their ability to communicate effectively through writing in Spanish for different purposes and audiences. Word counts are specified for each question and students must answer all questions. There will also be a translation into Spanish.

Reading

(provided by college)

Viva! Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Spanish Higher
By Rachel Hawkes and Christopher Lillington
Published by Pearson Education Ltd. ISBN 9781292118987

A Spanish/English dictionary is not provided but is essential. Please note that dictionaries are not allowed in any of the exams.

Exam Board and Specification Codes

Edexcel Spanish 1SP0