How to Excel in the New “Read Aloud” Section of the GCSE Spanish Speaking Exam

The Spanish speaking exam has changed this year. For the first time it features a new “read aloud” section whereby students have to read out a text in Spanish. The text will be a minimum of 35 words at the foundation tier and 50 words at the higher tier. In this blog post we will look at what to expect in this new part of the speaking exam, how to prepare for it and offer some tips to help you perfect your pronunciation and to achieve the highest marks.

What is the read aloud section of the speaking exam?

The text in Spanish will be given to the student to prepare during the preparation time but they will not be allowed to read it out loud during this time.

After the text has been read out in the test, there will be a short unprepared conversation on the same topic as the text. The teacher will ask four set questions.

The total time for both the read aloud section and the conversation for the foundation tier is 2 to 2.5 minutes and for the higher level test it is between 3 and 3.5 minutes.

There is a total of 15 marks.

How to make the most of the preparation time

• Make notes on paper during the preparation time. Work out the overall meaning of the text and note down any words that you think need a natural pause after them to show that you understand what you are saying.

• Read the text silently and identify difficult words and mark places to pause.

• Say the tricky words to yourself during the preparation time. When you see a tricky word in the text, say it silently to yourself during the preparation time to make yourself become more familiar with it.

Tips to get high marks in the read aloud task

Here are some tips to do well in the Read Aloud task:

• Master Pronunciation & Phonics:

Focus on vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u):

The letter ‘a’ is always pronounced as in the English word ‘hat’. Never an ‘ah’ sound like in ‘half’.

The letter ‘i’ is always pronounced as in ‘si’ [see] not like the English sound when we say ‘eye’.

The letter ‘e’ is always pronounced like in the English word ‘met’. So the Spanish word ‘me’ should be pronounced like ‘meh’ and the Spanish word ‘mi’ like the sound in the English word ‘meet’.

The letter ‘o’ is always pronounced as in the English word ‘hot’. Never an ‘ow’ sound like in ‘hole’.

The letter ‘u’ is pronounced like an ‘oo’ sound, never as in the English word ‘mug’.

Take care with double vowels such as ‘ie’ which is different to how we pronounce it in English. You hear both sounds separately. For example, the word ‘pie’ (foot) is pronounced ‘pee-eh’.

Take care with consonants like ‘j’ which is an ‘h’ sound like in the Scottish word ‘loch’.

Remember that when ‘c’ is followed by ‘a’, ‘o’ or ‘u’ it sounds like a ‘k’ as in ‘kite’ (casa, con, cubo).

When a ‘c’ is followed by ‘e’ or ‘i’ it becomes a ‘th’ sound. (gracias, cebolla, cita, fácil, decir)

The double ‘ll’ is pronounced like a ‘y’ sound as in ‘yesterday’ or ‘li’ as in ‘million’.

The letter ‘g’ is pronounced like in ‘garden’ unless followed by ‘e’ or ‘i’ in which case it is then pronounced like an ‘h’ sound. (gente, proteger, colegio, región)

Remember the ‘h’ is always silent in Spanish unless combined with ‘c’ as in ‘ch’ (pronounced like ‘church’).

When you see the letters ‘que’ and ‘qui’, the ‘u’ is not pronounced so the sound is ‘keh’ and ‘ki’ and not ‘kweh’ and ‘kwi’. It is when the letter ’c’ is followed by ‘u’ and another vowel it makes a ’kw’ sound. (cuando, cuesta, cuidar, cuatro).

The letter ‘v’ in Spanish is pronounced like a soft ‘b’ sound. Watch out for words spelt with a ‘v’ but need to be pronounced like a ‘b’; voy, viernes, vuelvo.

• Pronounce accents correctly:

Place the stress on the syllable with the accent mark (e.g. estación, exámenes, difícil).

• Don’t Rush: Speak at a steady, moderate pace to avoid mistakes. A natural rhythm is better than speed.

• Use Intonation: To show that you understand what you are reading use expressive intonation to show emotion – raise your voice for questions and add emphasis where needed.

• Record yourself speaking: Leading up to the speaking exam you could record yourself reading out loud and listen back to see where you could improve.

How to tackle the follow up questions

After you have read the text you will be asked four compulsory unprepared follow-up questions on the same topic as the text.

You will be allowed to keep the card during the follow-up questions so that you can use some of the vocabulary if you like.

In order to score high marks, try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

Make sure you answer with the correct verb ending in the correct tense and extend your answers by giving reasons. For example, instead of just saying “At weekends I spend time with my friends”, you could extend it by saying “Usually at weekends, I spend time with my friends because it is good fun. Sometimes we like to go to the park or from time to time we go to the cinema.”

Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Ignoring Accents: Mispronouncing words by ignoring stress marks.

• Pronouncing Silent H: Remembering that the ‘h’ is silent in Spanish (e.g., hola is “ola”).

• Panic: If you stumble on a word, don’t stop – just keep speaking confidently.

For more practice on grammar and vocabulary for each topic look on the BBC Bitesize website or consult the AQA website for the key vocabulary to make sure you know.

If you would like to book some private coaching sessions for your child who is approaching their GCSE Spanish exams, contact us today.