Spanish
Curriculum
COVID-19
In Spanish, we have made the decision that all of the subject content we teach during Key Stage 3 is vitally important for our pupils’ development and ability to access GCSE content in Spanish. Due to the reduced amount of time pupils have had in schools during the 2019/20 academic year, we have ensured that the curriculum meets the objectives of the programme of study in preparation for GCSE
- Pupils entering Y8 will cover the topic of hobbies with a robust focus on how to conjugate regular and irregular present tense verbs.
- Pupils entering Y9 will cover the key skill of how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the preterite tense as well robust revision on how to use present and future tense verbs.
- With a focus on grammar, this will provide pupils with the vital transferable skills to be able to apply in a variety of contexts using varied vocabulary.
- All pupils entering Y8 and Y9 will be reminded of key language at the beginning and throughout the academic year to enable them to continue making progress.
- As we begin teaching GCSE content in Y10 it is imperative that we cover all of this vital content before the end of the year.
Key Stage 3
We cover the all of the key lexical fields and grammatical concepts at key stage 3 to give pupils the best foundation possible to succeed in their GCSEs.
Y7
Y8
Y9
Assessments
Key Stage 4
Exam Board – AQA
Awards – GCSE Spanish
After a comprehensive Key Stage 3 programme, pupils will be streamlined in to studying for GCSE Spanish. Pupils will either sit the Foundation or Higher paper.
GCSE Themes & Topics
Theme 1
Identity and Culture
- Self and family
- Social Media
- Reading
- Descriptions and relationships
- Free time activities
- Sport and entertainment
- Daily routine
- Food and drink
- Festivals
Theme 2
Local, national, international and global areas of interest
- Holidays
- Describing your hometown / region
- Future plans
- Shopping
- Environmental issues
- Global and social issues
- Healthy lifestyles
- Global events
Theme 3
Current and future study and employment
- School life
- Part time employment
- Job applications
- Future plans for employment
Examinations
The GCSE Spanish exam is made up of four components:
Reading
Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation Tier), 1 hour (Higher Tier)
60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier)
25% of GCSE
Writing
Written exam: 1 hour (Foundation Tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher Tier)
50 marks at Foundation Tier and 60 marks at Higher Tier
25% of GCSE
Listening
Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation Tier), 45 minutes (Higher Tier)
40 marks (Foundation Tier),
50 marks (Higher Tier)
25% of GCSE
Speaking
Non-exam assessment
7–9 minutes (Foundation Tier) + preparation time
10–12 minutes (Higher Tier) + preparation time
60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier)
25% of GCSE
Home Learning
Pupils have two parts to their learning every topic:
- Revising from their knowledge organiser and completing a vocabulary test every two weeks.
- Pupils will be set pages from their homework booklets which is topic based.
How can you help?
- Make sure your child is reading every night. Reading for pleasure is fundamental to academic success in every subject.
- Read our half-termly newsletter so that you know what your child is studying. Having conversations about topics of study can be powerful.
- Help your child with their home learning in Spanish. You can test their knowledge of vocabulary and allow them to practise saying their words and phrases out loud to you.