Spanish - A Level

Spanish is now an extremely popular language choice at A Level. It is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world and in Europe is often the language of choice after English.

Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. Spanish is almost phonetically perfect. One can look at almost any word and know exactly how to pronounce it. Moreover, learning Spanish will raise awareness of grammatical structures and vocabulary in your own language and will facilitate the learning of other Latin based languages such as Italian or French.

Being able to speak and write Spanish will enhance your employment potential. Business and industry increasingly values Spanish speakers, and an ability to speak the language opens employment opportunities in Europe and Latin America. Learning Spanish will improve your cultural understanding. Throughout the course you will gain an appreciation of the Spanish speaking world’s huge artistic and cultural legacy, as well as becoming familiar with Spain’s history and socio-cultural and political issues affecting contemporary Spain.

What will I study in Spanish?

AS Units 1 & 2
Spoken Expressions & Responses in Spanish: This unit is designed to build on your ability to manipulate and comprehend the spoken language. You will develop knowledge of vocabulary and grammar that will help you to respond to questions in a confident, efficient manner. You will engage in discussions in Spanish on topics such as youth culture and concerns; lifestyle, health and fitness; the world around us and education, and training and employment. Understanding & Written Responses in Spanish. Based on the same topics as above, you will now learn language skills that will build your confidence and ability in communicating in written Spanish. This unit is divided into three sections and focuses on the relationship between listening, reading and writing. For these different sections you will be required to work on retrieving and conveying information on the basis of printed and recorded material in Spanish.

A2 Units 3 & 4
Understanding & Spoken Responses in Spanish: By engaging in debates where you will have to present your views on issues and develop convincing arguments to support your opinion, you will develop more sophisticated, fluent spoken skills. You will also deal with unseen spoken material in spontaneous discussions using the knowledge of Spanish culture and society acquired during the AS Level.

Understanding & Written Responses in Spanish: In addition to the general knowledge of Spanish culture covered in the AS, you will now study Spanish customs, traditions and religious beliefs, and national and international events and literature and the arts. For the research-based essay you will be encouraged to show personal initiative and creativity in constructing a project on a relevant topic of your own choice.

How will I be assessed?

Oral exams take the form of spoken presentation and conversation – for example, a debate in which you must express a stance on this topic and defend this stance in a spoken conversation. Written papers involve translating from English into Spanish and a research-based essay in Spanish.

Do I need to have studied Spanish before?

Ideally, you should have achieved a B or above at GCSE Level or reached an equivalent standard by other means. However, students who have no previous knowledge of Spanish but can demonstrate an exceptional ability at languages may be considered suitable for the course.

Who will teach me?

Maricarmen Perez has a BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Salamanca and trained as a teacher in Spain. She is an enthusiastic and experienced language tutor at GCSE and A Level.

Which subjects complement Spanish?

Other modern or historical languages, History, Geography and English Literature are all well suited to Spanish.

Which careers can Spanish lead to?

All professions like to have recruits with a language. The nature of the modern world makes languages particularly suited to those working in transnational industries and financial institutions. Lawyers, bankers and a variety of business executives value this qualification.