This summer is the first set of the new style Spanish GCSE exam. The new “higher” tier exam involves three questions. You are given two options for the first two questions.
The first question is to write approximately 90 words responding to 4 bullet points. This may be in the style of a letter to a friend or an email.
The second question is a longer, more open written task of approximately 150 words in which you only have 2 compulsory bullet points to respond to. This could be a blog article, an email or an article for a magazine.
The third question is a translation from English into Spanish of a minimum of 50 words.
– A good clear response to all 4 bullet points
– Give your opinions and back these up with reasons
– Give lot of information and detail – use a wide range of vocabulary
– Use a variety of tenses
– The style and register must be appropriate to the task
– Few grammatical errors
– Use complex structures
No sólo … sino también …
Not only … but also …
Por un lado … por otro lado …
On one hand… on the other hand …
Si + present + future
Si apruebo mis exámenes iré a la Universidad
If I pass my exams I willgo to university
Pasar + time + present
Pasé dos horas jugando al fútbol
I spent two hours playing football
En primer lugar – Firstly
En segundo lugar – Secondly
Lo que más me gusta es que …
What I like most is that …
Lo que menos me gusta es que …
What I like least is that …
No aguanto / No soporto
I cannot put up with / tolerate
Estoy totalmente harto/a de
I am totally fed up of
Tengo muchas ganas de …
I am really looking forward to …
Mi amigo piensa que
My friend thinks that
If you can use good linking words and phrases you will be able to form longer and more complex sentences.
aunque – although
sin embargo – however
no obstante – however
por lo tanto / por eso – therefore
en vez de – instead of
ya que – since
puesto que – given that
mientras – while
porque – because
donde – where
cuando – when
como – like / as
a pesar de que – in spite of / depsite
pero – but
y – and
This is when you swap the verb endings after certain structures, often involving doubt or uncertainty. You change the verb after the “que”. Key subjunctive structures to try to use include:
Cuando sea mayor – When I’m older
Es importante que – It’s important that
Es probable que – It’s likely that
Es probable que no vengan – It’s likely they won’t come
Es necesario que – It’s necessary that
Es necesario que aprobemos los exámenes
It’s necessary that we pass the exams
No creo que sea – I don’t think it may be
Que yo sepa – As far as I know
Que yo sepa es una asignatura muy difícil
As far as I know it’s a difficult subject
Si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional
Si tuviera la opción – If I had to choice
Si ganara la lotería – If I won the lottery
Indirect and direct object pronouns:
Voy a estudiarlo – I am going to study it
Me dijo que – He/She told me
Lo + adjective:
Lo bueno es que – The good thing is that
Lo mejor es que – The best thing is that
Lo malo es que – The bad thing is that
Lo peor es que – The worst thing is that
Negatives:
Nunca – Never
Ni … ni … – Neither … nor …
Nadie – Nobody
Nada – Nothing
Ningún/a/os/as – No, none
Comparatives:
El inglés es más fácil que las ciencias
English is easier than science
La educación física es menos práctica que las matemáticas
P.E. is less practical than Maths
Las matemáticas son tan difíciles como las ciencias
Maths is as difficult as Science
Superlatives:
Es el profesor más severo del colegio
He’s the strictest teacher in the school
Es la asignatura menos interesante de todas
It’s the least interesting subject of all
Ya / todavía (Already / still/yet)
Ya he dicho que – I have already said that
Todavía no he decidido lo que quiero hacer
I still haven’t decided what I want to do
Cuando salí de casa hacía sol – When I left home it was sunny
– Keep a vocab. book or flashcard app
– Organise into topics: family, personality, free time, the environment, technology and so on.
– Colour code masculine and feminine words so you use articles and adjectives correctly.
– Write key words or those you find difficult to remember on post-it notes where you will see them every day.
It is one things to know the content of an exam but a good exam technique is also crucial. Using past papers as part of your revision is a brilliant way to get used to the layout of each paper, and the types of questions that you will be asked.
Past papers also help you to identify weaker areas in your Spanish, as you can check your answers against the marking schemes. As it gets nearer the exam you could even do the papers under exam conditions to help you time your writing. The more you practice answering questions under timed conditions, the quicker you’ll get at answering under pressure.