A Level Spanish

Introduction – why choose this subject?

Only 6% of the world is native in English, and 75% of the world’s population don’t speak any English at all! Speaking more than one language, especially to A-Level, can open doors for both study and work opportunities, and it’s seen as a valuable asset to many companies. Spanish is also the second most widely spoken language in the world, with over 400 million speakers. In our increasingly globalised world, the ability to speak another language is seen as a huge asset to many, if not most, companies. Whether you decide to continue studying a language after your A-Levels or not, they will provide you with opportunities to travel and even live abroad; for example, many university courses offer a ‘year in industry/abroad’ option, which would allow you to live and study or work in one of the (over) 24 countries where Spanish is spoken.

As degrees are now more commonplace, any added skills that you can bring to the table will see you become a stronger contender for a job. Through Spanish study, you will learn to use language spontaneously to initiate communication; ask and answer questions; express thoughts and feelings; present viewpoints; develop arguments; persuade; analyse and evaluate in speech and writing, including interaction with speakers of Spanish. You will learn the language and grammar in the context of Spanish-speaking countries and the issues and influences which have shaped them. All of these are useful transferable skills that can relate to any course or field of employment, as well as develop intercultural competence - an attractive attribute which many employers, including international companies, look for.

Spanish A Level split into 3 areas – topics (covering a wide range of trends and issues in the Spanish-speaking world), works (a literary text and a film), and an Independent Research Project (on a topic of the students’ choice). Through these areas of study, you will study highlights of Spanish-speaking artistic culture, including hispanophone music, cinema, technology, history and its influence, politics, food, religion and its influences, social issues, politics and power in the Spanish-speaking world. These topics and areas of study relate to many different areas of study and therefore Spanish is a subject which coheres well with many other A Level qualifications, from science to arts to humanities.

Course overview

The content is organised into 2 broad themes:

Theme 1: Social Issues and Trends

• Aspects of Hispanic society
  • Modern and traditional values
  • Cyberspace
  • Equal rights
• Multiculturalism in Hispanic society
  • Immigration
  • Racism
  • Integration

Theme 2: Political and Artistic culture

• Artistic culture in the Hispanic world
  • Modern day idols
  • Spanish regional identity
  • Cultural heritage
• Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world
  • Today's youth, tomorrow's citizens
  • Monarchies and dictatorships
  • Popular movements

Currently students study the following works:

Film: Volver Pedro Almodóvar (2006)

Literary text: La Casa de Bernada Alba by Federico García Lorca

Students choose the topic and focus of their Independent Research Projects

How is the course examined?

Spanish A Level is assessed on is 70% written and listening exam and 30% oral exam

Paper 1: (50%)

• Listening and reading with non-verbal/Spanish responses
• Translation both ways (minimum 100 words)

Paper 2: (20%)

• Writing, 2 essays of approx. 300 words each, 1 text, 1 film.

Paper 3: (30%)

• Speaking, 21-23 mins total inc. 5 mins prep time
• Discussion of 1 sub-theme, based on stimulus card (5-6 mins)
• Independent research project presentation (2mins)
• Independent research project discussion (9-10mins)

Equipment

• Provided: Kerboodle textbook – students will have an online login for this
• Provided: A copy of the literary work studied
• Provided: Revision guide for the film and literary work studied
• Lever arch file

Homework

For every 1 hour of contact time with the teacher or the FLA, students are expected to complete 1 hour of independent work. This can include homework, but students are also expected to seek out their own resources, which they make a log of in their folders.

Learning outside the classroom

Our A-level students have extra opportunities to take their language learning further, for example:

• Students can take part in a Linguastars residential trip at the University during the summer
• They have been to see an authentic play performed by the University students
• They go into local primary schools to support the languages curriculum
• We have a mentoring scheme enabling our A Level students to mentor a younger student or support with a group of younger students.