Spanish (Option)
Examination Board: EDEXCEL
Syllabus No: Spanish 1246
Curriculum Leader: Ms Medina
The GCSE Spanish course has a new specification starting from September 2016. For you this means your results
will be given as grades 9-1.
People with skills and knowledge of another language are highly thought of and respected in the modern world and
the 21st century. Spanish is the 2nd most widely spoken language in the world so if you want to stand out as highly
talented and successful, with increased opportunities at home and abroad, you should take GCSE Spanish.
It will:
• Make you more successful when travelling abroad either on business or for leisure.
• Add an extra dimension to your personal skills profile which will impress anyone who reads your CV and will
give you an advantage in the work place or when applying to college or University.
• Be in a stronger position to get a job in companies with international links or work abroad.
• 600 million Spanish speakers, including most of South America, many parts of the USA, Europe and the
Caribbean are waiting to talk to you!
• If you are interested in a career in international business or law, finance, banking, translating, sports and
leisure, teaching, travel and tourism or journalism, you are strongly advised to take GCSE Spanish.
The aims of the new GCSE Spanish course are to:
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Develop your ability to communicate confidently with native speakers in speech and writing with increasing
accuracy
Express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently
Listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed
Deepen your knowledge about how language works and enrich your vocabulary in order
Increase your independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts
Acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to a rich
range of authentic material, as appropriate, including literary texts, poetry and music
Develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where
Spanish is spoken
Encourage you to make appropriate links to other areas of the curriculum to enable bilingual and deeper
learning, where Spanish may become a medium for constructing and applying knowledge
Develop language-learning skills both for immediate use and to prepare you for further language study and
use in school, college, higher education or employment
What do I need to know or be able to do before taking this course?
Good news! As you have already studied Spanish at Key stage 3, you are very well prepared to do a GCSE course in
Spanish. You already know a lot of vocabulary and grammar that you will need for this GCSE. You will build on these
during your GCSE as well as learning other new topics. The new GCSE Spanish topics are divided into 5 themes:
Theme: Identity and culture
 Who am I?: relationships; when I was younger; what my friends and family are like; what makes a good friend;
interests; socialising with friends and family; role models
 Daily life: customs and everyday life; food and drink; shopping; social media and technology (use of, advantages
and disadvantages)
 Cultural life: celebrations and festivals; reading; music; sport; film and television
Theme: Local area, holiday and travel
 Holidays: preferences; experiences; destinations
 Travel and tourist transactions: travel and accommodation; asking for help and dealing with problems; directions;
eating out; shopping
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 Town, region and country: weather; places to see; things to do
Theme: School
 What school is like: school types; school day; subjects; rules and pressures; celebrating success
 School activities: school trips; events; exchanges
Theme: Future aspirations, study and work
 Using languages beyond the classroom: forming relationships; travel; employment
 Ambitions: further study; volunteering; training
 Work: jobs; careers; professions
Theme: International and global dimension
 Bringing the world together: sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes
 Environmental issues: being ‘green’; access to natural resources
Assessment and examinations:
All exams will be completed between April – May of Year 11. You will either be entered for Foundation Tier or
Higher Tier in the 4 different language papers of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. All papers are equally
weighted at 25% of your final mark.
Why Should you study Spanish?
GCSE Spanish results are consistently in the top 3 at the school and typically achieve 90% A-C .
If you enjoy communicating with other people and learning about different countries and cultures, whilst being
taught in a highly academic environment, studying GCSE Spanish is an excellent choice for you. You will be able to:
• Share your interests, ideas and opinions with other people who speak Spanish
• Learn about the countries around the world where Spanish is spoken
• Add an international dimension to your choice of GCSE subjects which is something many future employers,
colleges and universities require
• Be part of the English Baccalaureate which is well respected by top universities Learn many skills which are
useful in a wide range of careers, such as the ability to communicate clearly, being confident about speaking
in public, using problem solving strategies, etc.
• Create greater opportunities for yourself to work abroad, or work for large international companies in the
UK with global links. Many employers look for people who speak a foreign language and you are likely to
earn more if you offer a foreign language.
Useful websites:
www.bbc.co.uk/languages
www.espanol-extra.co.uk
www.aprender.org
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