GCSE Spanish

How is the course externally examined?

The GCSE is assessed through four equally weighted papers, testing pupils’ knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and phonics across the following skills:

• Listening & Reading (these papers are taken back-to-back, and include a dictation and translation into English)
• Writing (students are required to answer different tasks of varying length in the foreign language, and complete translations into French)
• Speaking (Non-Exam Assessment (NEA), taken around April of Year 11: a 9-12 minute recording with their language teacher, including a role-play, read-aloud task, photo card and follow-up conversation)

The vocabulary focuses on three key themes, with three sub-topics within each theme:

Theme 1: People and Lifestyle

• Identity and relationships with others
• Healthy living and lifestyle
• Education and work

Theme 2: Popular Culture

• Free-time activities
• Customs, festivals and celebrations
• Celebrity culture

Theme 3: Communication and the World around us

• Travel and tourism, including places of interest
• Media and technology
• The environment and where people live

The course is graded with GCSE grades 1 to 9.

This subject has 2 tiers; Foundation tier is graded 1 to 5, Higher tier is graded 4 to 9

How is the course internally assessed?

Year 10

In Term 1 (September to December), all students will be assessed across the four key language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. These assessments will consist of selected sections and individual questions from past exam papers. In the March mock exam series, students will sit full past papers in Listening, Reading and Writing. Any topics not yet covered in class will be removed from the papers to ensure fairness. In June, students will complete a mock Speaking exam on a one-to-one basis with their class teacher, using adapted past papers with any unseen topics excluded.

Year 11

In late October, students will sit an individual mock Speaking exam with their class teacher using full past papers, again with any unstudied content removed. They will then complete full Listening, Reading and Writing mock papers in the November exam series. A second set of Listening, Reading and Writing mocks will take place in March; these papers will be slightly shortened. The final GCSE Speaking exam will take place shortly after the Easter break, typically in late April.