SPANISH A-LEVEL AT TGS
A-level course : Themes and sub-themes
In the first year, aspects of the social context are studied, together with aspects of the artistic life of Spanish-speaking countries.
In the second year further aspects of the social background are covered, this time focusing on matters associated with
multiculturalism. You will also study aspects of the political landscape including the future of political life in the Hispanic world by
focusing on young people and their political engagement.
What will you develop?
Language knowledge, understanding and skills through:
• Using language spontaneously to initiate communication; ask and
answer questions; express thoughts and feelings; present viewpoints;
develop arguments; persuade; and analyse and evaluate in speech and
writing, including interaction with speakers of Spanish.
• Applying knowledge of pronunciation, morphology and syntax,
vocabulary and idiom to communicate accurately and coherently, using a
range of expression – including the list of grammar in this specification.
• Using language-learning skills and strategies, including communication
strategies such as adjusting the message, circumlocution, self-correction
and repair strategies .
• Listening and responding to spoken passages including some extended
passages from a range of different contexts and sources, adapted as
necessary, covering different registers and types, including authentic
communication involving one or more speakers.
• Reading and responding to a variety of texts including some extended
texts written for different purposes and audiences drawn from a range of
authentic sources, including contemporary, historical and literary, fiction
and non-fiction texts, adapted as necessary .
• Understanding the main points, gist and detail from spoken and written
material
• inferring meaning from complex spoken and written material, including
factual and abstract content.
• Assimilating and using information from spoken and written sources,
including material from online media .
• Summarising information from spoken and written sources, reporting key
points and subject matter in speech and writing .
• Translating an unseen passage from Spanish into English and translating
an unseen passage from English into Spanish
First year
Aspects of Hispanic society
Modern and traditional
values.
Cyberspace
Equal rights
Artistic culture in the Hispanic
world
Modern day idols
Spanish regional identity
Cultural heritage
Second year
Multiculturalism in Hispanic
society
Immigration
Racism
Integration
Aspects of political life in the
Hispanic world
Today’s youth, tomorrow’s
citizens
Monarchies and dictatorships
Popular movements
Grammar:
Use of tenses:
• present
• preterite
• imperfect
• future
• conditional
• perfect
• future perfect
• conditional perfect
• pluperfect.
• Subjunctive
• Use of the infinitive,
the gerund and the
past participle.
• ir + gerund
• estar + gerund
• acabar de +
infinitive
• estar para +
infinitive
• llevar + gerund
• ir + gerund (R)
• venir + gerund (R)
• Prepositions
• Reflexive verbs
• Questions
• Commands
• Adjectives
• Synonyms
A-level is now linear: In common with all other new A-level specifications, exams for
the new Spanish A-level will be taken at the end of the course.
Paper
time
marks
weighting
skills
1
2 hours 30 minutes
100
50 %
Listening
Reading and writing
2
2 hours
80
20%
Writing
3
21-23 minutes
60
30 %
speaking
Paper 1 – Reading
Summary questions:
-
Stimulus of around 250 words.
(reading and listening)
-
Questions and answers in
Spanish.
-
Summary of listening task in
Spanish (no more than 90 words)
-
One reading question based on
an adapted piece of literary
fiction or other literary material
e.g a book review.
In year 2 you will also do two cultural
prescribed works:
Paper 2 – essays on:
- Literature : Como agua para
chocolate – Laura Esquivel.
- Book or film: Franco and the
Spanish Civil war.
Choice of 2 questions for each
prescribed work.
£22.50
Paper 3: Speaking
Time in total 21-23 minutes
Includes 5 minutes preparation in
examination room in the presence of
examiner. You can make notes during
this time.
- Stimulus card – 5- 6 mins (this
includes two questions students
must ask the examiner)
- Presentation of individual
Research Project – 2 mins
- Discussion based on individual
project – 9 – 10 mins.
How can you prepare for A-level?
As in all A-level subjects, there is a considerable increase in subject content, use of language, grammar and speaking
time in the final exam.
You are now required to be more spontaneous than at GCSE particularly in the oral exam.
Recommended tasks to do prior to the start of the course:
-
Working on your Spanish grammar prior to the course is the best way of preparing yourself in order to understand
and communicate more effectively.
Reading from authentic resources such as newspapers, magazines or websites: ‘el país’ ‘generación21.com’
‘univisión.com’ ‘terra.com’ to mention a few, will improve your reading skills.
It is extremely important that you start building a bank of synonyms you could use for different words to give you
the chance to summarise articles or listening activities without using the same words. Take a key word from a text
for example and find as many synonyms of it as you can in Spanish. Wordreference.com is an excellent tool for this.
Watching videos, films and the news in Spanish will help with your listening skills. Have a look at the topics you
will study next year, many are common issues in today’s society.
Nowadays you can find a wide range of websites. YouTube is a classic example.
Songs can help too! What do you know about Hispanic Culture?
What do you know about Spain and its modern pop culture? What is fashion like?
Los deberes de verano: you must complete all the exercises in the grammar booklet which must be handed in on the first
Spanish class in September 2016 (failure to do so will result on after- school detentions until all the booklet has been completed)
What equipment will you need?
- Dictionary
- You can bring an I-pad to lessons to check the meaning of a word, definitions, etc (You don’t need to buy one as this is optional)
- 2 folders with dividers and plastic wallets – 2 different teachers. Each folder must be divided into 5 sections – 3 for sub-themes
( see first year topics to guide you), 1 section labelled ‘deberes’ and 1 labelled ‘gramática’ .
- Lined paper
- Text book – AQA Spanish A-level year 1 and AS - Oxford