Spanish
Qualification: A-Level
- Awarding Body:
- AQA
- Length of Course:
- 2 Years
COURSE AIMS
The course involves an expansion and deepening of the students’ knowledge of the Spanish language, its grammatical structure, idiom and vocabulary. The aims of the course are to enable students to:
- develop understanding of the spoken and written language from a variety of registers
- communicate confidently, clearly and effectively through both spoken and written Spanish, using increasingly accurate, complex and varied language
- develop critical insights into, and contact with, Hispanic contemporary society and cultural background and heritage within the Spanish speaking world
Course Content
This course develops the students’ listening and reading comprehension of authentic materials, fluency in both spoken and written work and competence in more advanced structures. Pupils are required to organise ideas, facts and opinions and to transfer meaning from one language to another. The content of the course is extremely varied and topics studied include:
A-Level
- Social issues and trends – modern and traditional values, cyberspace, equal rights
- Artistic culture – modern day idols, Spanish regional identity, cultural heritage or cultural landscape
- A film
- Multiculturalism in Hispanic society – immigration, racism, integration
- Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world – today’s youth, tomorrow’s citizens; monarchs, republics and dictatorships; popular movements
- Grammar
- A literary text
Discussion in Spanish will be an essential part of the course and students will be encouraged to express their personal response to material studied. Pupils will be required to access the internet in order to retrieve up-to-date material from Spanish speaking countries. In addition to the work studied in class, students will be required to develop their listening and reading skills through independent study undertaken in their own time. Possible enrichment activities offered with this course include: a study visit to a Spanish city (usually Barcelona); cinema / theatre visits and timetabled lessons with a native speaker.
Examination Requirements
A-level in June of Year 13
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Paper 1 – Listening, Reading and Writing: 2 hours 30 mins; 100 marks, 50% of A-level Candidates will answer a range of questions based on spoken passages and a variety of written texts. They will also translate a passage into English and Spanish.
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Paper 2 – Writing: 2 hours, 80 marks, 20% of A-level 2 essay questions in Spanish on a set text & film.
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Paper 3 – Speaking: 21-23 mins; 60 marks, 30% of A-Level Candidates will discuss a sub-theme, based on a stimulus card. Presentation and discussion of an individual research project. |
Comparison with GCSE
The basic requirement for entry to the course is a grade 6 or above at GCSE, students should have acquired the knowledge, understanding and skills specified at higher tier. The course requires an enthusiasm for language learning; hard work and a commitment to work independently.
Relevance to Further Studies and Careers
A level Spanish is the main qualification for entry to degree courses in Spanish. A Modern Foreign Language can often be part of a combined degree course with many subjects, including law, accountancy, engineering, business and management etc.
A-Level Spanish is valued highly by prospective employers, thanks to Spanish trade, and the emergence of Latin America as a market for British goods. Students with an ability to communicate confidently and effectively in Spanish will be able to use their skills in the commercial, financial, tourist and legal sectors, in addition to translation work and teaching, not only in this country but also abroad.
