Spanish

There are three main routes to studying Spanish 
* as a Modern Foreign Language (MFL)/Second Language (via the GCSE/IGCSE route)
* as a First Language with an IGCSE option
* DELE diplomas via the Instituto Cervantes 
== GCSE/IGCSE Spanish (Modern Foreign Language) ==
The new 9-1 GCSE languages are now available to private candidates, as well as certain IGCSE options once favoured by home educators. The GCSEs no longer have coursework, that once had to be marked internally, and the speaking assessment is now recorded and sent to the exam board to be marked too, along with the written papers. The exception to this is IGCSE Cambridge, which still has to be marked by teachers/examiners at the exam centre or school and then just moderated by the exam board.
Despite more freedom to choose from a range of exam options, it's still worth approaching exam centres or schools in your area early on in the process, to see which exams and boards they offer. Some continue to limit themselves to IGCSEs for home educators, while others can be more flexible. If your child has recently come out of a school where they were working towards a particular board, it's important to make enquiries early, but all is not lost if your nearest private exam centre doesn't offer the same board. If you left school on good terms, the school may be able to fit you in as an external candidate. Otherwise the boards all offer similar topics and skill areas, so you can probably adapt to a different board fairly easily.
NOTE:  The Speaking and Listening Component is compulsory for both GCSE and IGCSE Spanish.  You MUST confirm that you have an exam centre prepared to do the speaking test as well as the written papers. It is best to ask the exam centre to confirm in writing that they can offer the speaking test, to avoid misunderstandings.
Can you bring your own tutor for the speaking test?
For Edexcel and AQA GCSEs and Edexcel IGCSEs, the speaking test is recorded and sent off to the exam board for marking. As the tutor is not marking the work, it is possible for them to act as questioner for the speaking test without it giving the candidate an advantage. It is common in schools for the class teacher to conduct the speaking assessment. Again, liaise with your tutor and the exam centre in good time about this and check costs involved. Some centres that may not offer languages as they can't find a Spanish speaker to do the oral exams, may be willing to let you sit the exam if you can provide your own tutor. 
== Edexcel IGCSE Spanish (Modern Foreign Language) ==
Edexcel IGCSE Spanish
* Exams from 2019
* Available in Summer series
* Specification code 4SP1
* The qualification is untiered
Subject content
The content of Edexcel IGCSE Spanish papers covers five topic areas:
* Home and abroad
* Education and employment
* Personal life and relationships
* The world around us
* Social activities, fitness and health.
== CAIE IGCSE Spanish (Modern Foreign Language) ==
CAIE IGCSE Spanish (9-1 grading) or (A*-G grading) [The grading is different, but the specifications and exams are identical]
* Exams from 2022
* Available in Summer and November series in the UK (March in India)
* Specification code 7156 (9-1 grading) or 0520 (A*-G grading)
* The qualification is untiered (For 2021 exam specification see: CAIE IGCSE Spanish (9-1 grading) or (A*-G grading) )
=== Subject Content ===
The content of CAIE IGCSE Spanish is organised into five broad topic areas:
* Everyday activities
* Personal and social life
* The world around us
* The world of work
* The international world
Candidates are expected to read and understand a variety of written and spoken texts on familiar topics. They will be required to demonstrate understanding of the main ideas, opinions and attitudes, as well as select and extract relevant details and deduce the meaning of occasional unknown words from context.
=== Assessment ===
3 written papers and one spoken examination
* Paper 1 - Listening - Approx 50 minutes- 40 marks - 25%. Candidates listen to a number of recordings and answer multiple-choice and matching questions. Externally assessed.
* Paper 2 - Reading - 1 hour - 45 marks - 25%. Candidates read a number of texts and answer multiple-choice and matching questions as well as questions requiring short answers. Externally assessed
* Paper 3 - * Speaking - Approx 10 minutes - 40 marks - 25%. One role play and conversations on two topics. Internally assessed and externally moderated.
* Paper 4 - Writing - 1 hour - 45 marks - 25%. One form-filling task, one directed writing task and one task in the format of an email/letter or article/blog. Externally assessed.
*The CAIE Speaking exam changed in Summer 2022. It now gives students very little information on the preparation cards. They are given a setting for the role play, but no questions to prepare. They are told they will have Topic 1 and Topic 2 for conversation, but aren't told what the topics are. And they are not allowed to make any notes.
Teachers have very little leeway with the questions. Not only the role play cards but the conversation cards have to be read verbatim and only repeated once. Teachers can read and repeat an alternative topic for certain questions and can add up to two questions at the end if the student is short on time. However, there is no space to say, start off with short, simple, questions for a weaker or less confident student, or change the wording on questions.
===AQA GCSE===
AQA's GCSE content is often judged to be similar to that of other exam boards. There are three papers (four exams) in total. These comprise a speaking exam, listening exam and reading exam (which are completed back-to-back), and a writing exam. Students are segregated into Foundation and Higher.
In the speaking exam, students are given a photo card and three questions to which they will have prepared answers. One question will be asked which will not have been prepared, and the student will have to ask the examiner a question in Spanish.
In the listening exam, the examiner will play a tape recording of various questions to which students will fill in answers on an answer paper. The reading section is similar, but will comprise a few literature-based questions, which are more similar to the A-Level exam.
In the writing exam, Foundation students will receive a photo card on which they will write 40 words, and then a 90 word essay with four bullet points which students will answer. The photo card is omitted for the Higher paper, instead students will write a 150-word essay on two bullet points.
OCR do not offer a GCSE Spanish course, instead offering Portuguese.
====Comments from HE-Exams group====
We did the Edexcel IGCSE this year. It's quite straightforward, but you will need to find a centre that will facilitate the oral exam. In reality, this will probably be somewhere that is already entering students for it themselves, or a language school.
I quite like the format of the papers, and there are many more available than the current specification shows (the legacy spec is close enough to use the old papers). Once you start practising the essays, they are not so daunting as you'd first think.
The book (blue cover, dancing lady) is fine. It's a good all round resource covering lots of topics BUT it is useless without the CD's and teachers guide. We really didn't want to pay the high price for the guide and CD's and tried for a while without, but in the end we had to bite the bullet and buy them. We also tried to get second hand ones and spent a year with Spanish on hold whilst I tried, but in the end we paid full price.
The book is very closely linked to the exam, and the topics are spot on.
The exam essays...not as frightening as it would appear. If you learn a couple of subjects thoroughly, then you'd be unlucky if at least one of them didn't come up for either the short or long essay.
Our essay writing came together quite well in just the last few weeks of prep before the exam. Suddenly as you approach the end of the book, it all starts to fall in to place a bit better.
Word of warning though...the book is intensive. For us (complete beginners with just holiday Spanish) There was NO WAY it could be completely done in what time we allow for an IGCSE subject (3-4 hours a week) and would have needed A LOT of hours to do everything within it. We skipped loads and tried to just at least touch on each subject, but that's because Spanish isn't important in our 'big scheme' and DS was just getting the box ticked (hopefully!)
I think if you covered every single page and exercise in the book, you would be very, very good at Spanish at the end.
==A-level Spanish==
===AQA===
A-Level Spanish, rather than focusing purely on grammar, relates much more to Spanish and Hispanophone society, and the continuation of the changes within it. Students study:
*Social issues and trends
**Modern and traditional values
**Cyberspace
**Equal rights
**Immigration
**Racism
**Integration
*Political and artistic culture
**Modern-day idols
**Spanish regional identity
**Cultural heritage
**Today's youth, tomorrow's citizens
**Monarchies and dictatorships
**Popular movements
*Grammar
*Works
**Students study either one text and one film or two texts.
*Individual Research Project
**Students identify a subject of interest to them relating to a Hispanophone country. A presentation on this is given during the speaking exam.
Students are assessed by three papers:
*A 100-mark listening, reading and writing paper lasting 2 hours 30 minutes and worth 50% of the A-Level
**The first section of listening questions is in Spanish [30 marks]
**The second section of reading questions is in Spanish [50 marks]
**The third section is a translation into either Spanish or English [10 marks]
*An 80-mark writing paper lasting 2 hours and worth 20% of the A-Level (essentially a Spanish version of an English Literature GCSE)
**You will answer one question from a choice of two regarding a set text that you will have studied
**All questions require a critical and social analysis of the issues discussed
**Students tend to write around 300 words an essay
*A 60-mark oral exam lasting 21-23 minutes and worth 30% of the A-Level
**The student is given a stimulus card, about which students will talk for 5-6 minutes: they will have 5-6 minutes of preparation [25 marks]
**An Independent Research Project (IRP) presentation is given by the student, followed by a 9-10 minute discussion on questions which the student has not prepared [35 marks]
===Edexcel===
Edexcel offer an oral exam service for A-level Spanish, so that you can sit the written papers at a local exam centre but then attend their London Orals Centre for the speaking test. This is only available for A-levels. Here is an extract from their information for exam centres on A-level language orals, which you can show to your examinations officer:
"If there is no teacher at your school to conduct an oral exam, it is possible to enter candidates for GCE orals with a Pearson Edexcel examiner in London. This service is only offered for Russian, Italian, German, Spanish and Urdu. More information is given on page 7 of the 2015 GCE French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Urdu Administrative support guide."
==Resources/Providers==
Auroralanguages Dawn Francis-Pester offers IGCSE/GCSE and KS3 online classes in small groups or 121. She is a qualified teacher, exam marker and home educating parent.
BBC Languages - Courses in a number of languages, all free online.
Busuu - Interactive site and language learning community - can put you in touch with other learners to practise together.
Comprehension Sheets Escuela bloguera: FICHAS LECTURA COMPRENSIVA 3°
Conversation Exchange -Pairs you with another learner who wants to learn, say, English - you can meet, Skype, email etc.. to practise.
DuoLingo - Free interactive site, good for a few European languages - also available as iPad and Android apps.  Includes lessons, tests, and a competitive and optional social element.  Great for teaching you exact spellings and accents.  Really good fun.  As well as completing exercises and gaining points, you can help to translate the web via a crowdsourcing project. Intended for adults and intended for general use, not for exams
CIE IGCSE Spanish Past Papers and Listening Files also from John Witney - old listening files are like gold dust, so save these while they're available!
Memrise -Vocabulary building using fun mnemonics techniques in a game-like format.  Covers many languages. “A world memory champion and a neuroscientist have joined forces to create a language-learning website called Memrise, which combines mnemonic tricks with a game to help users learn quickly and efficiently” 
Pearson ActiveLearn - an online subscription service to provide homework practice and support, targeted on the UK National Curriculum - IGCSE languages are very close to GCSE so syllabus-specific for home educators. Has been highly recommended for languages on the HE Exams yahoogroup. Offers frequently come up on Groupon etc.. for a year's access for around £40.  
Quizlet Spanish IGCSE - Vocabulary flashcards targeting IGCSE-level Spanish.  For more options, try wider search terms eg 'GCSE Spanish'.  
Zut! - Interactive language site, free outside school hours.  Covers French, German, Welsh and Spanish.
====Online Tutors via Skype====
There are various online tutor sites where you can get one-to-one tuition over Skype, usually cheaper than face-to-face.  eg see [The Tutor Crowd]
== Textbooks https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edexcel-International-Spanish-Student-Second/dp/1510403345/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28UROKODQQYCZ&keywords=edexcel+igcse+spanish&qid=1688502014&s=books&sprefix=edexcel+igcse+spanish%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-4 ==
Category:Subjects
Category:Modern Foreign Languages