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GCSE Spanish Support

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GCSE Spanish at a glance

Skill / Paper	Weighting	Length
Paper 1: Listening	25%	35 mins (Foundation) / 45 min (Higher)
Paper 2: Speaking	25%	7-9 mins (Foundation) / 10-12 mins (Higher)
Paper 3: Reading	25%	45 mins (Foundation) / 1 hr (Higher)
Paper 4: Writing	25%	1 hr 10 mins (Foundation) / 1 hr 15 mins (Higher)

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The core curriculum themes

Theme 1: People and lifestyle

• Identity and relationships with others� • Healthy living and lifestyles� • Education and work�

Theme 2: Popular culture

• Free time activities� • Customs, festivals and celebrations� • Celebrity culture�

Theme 3: Communication and the world around us

• Travel and tourism, including places of interes� • Media and technology� • The environment and where people live�

Everything students hear, read, speak, or write in AQA Spanish falls into three core themes:

Theme 1: People and lifestyle – covering family, healthy lifestyles, education and work.

Theme 2: Popular culture – covering free time activities, customs, festivals, celebrations and celebrity culture.

Theme 3: Communication and the world around us – covering travel, tourism, technology, local area and the environment.

The key takeaway here is vocabulary. The exam board sets a strict, mandatory word list: 1,200 words for Foundation Tier, and an additional 500 words for Higher Tier (1,700 words total). Most words tested in the listening and reading papers come directly from this defined list, with any additional vocabulary limited to clear cognates or provided via a glossary. If a student masters these specific words, they will boost their comprehension, minimize exam anxiety, and unlock top marks across every paper.

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Year 11 key milestones

Nov / Dec

Mock Exams 1: Full paper practice to establish baseline grades and target gap areas.

April

Speaking Exam: Conducted 1-on-1 with their teacher before written exams begin.

May / June

Written Exams: Listening, Reading and Writing papers during the official GCSE window.

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How language revision works best

🗶 Ineffective Revision

Staring at a vocabulary list or revision guide for hours.
Cramming 200 words the night before the test.
Only revising topic areas they are already good at.
Ignoring verbs and grammar to focus only on nouns.

✔ High-Impact Revision

15 minutes daily: Little and often beats long sporadic sessions.
Active recall: Cover-write-check or flashcard testing.
Spaced repetition: Revision old topics alongside new ones.
Verb mastery: Knowing past, present and future tenses.

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Supporting without speaking Spanish

Test with flashcards: Hold the cards, read out the English and ask your child to say or spell the Spanish translation.
Enforce 15-minute revision daily slots: Help them build a consistent revision routine.
Be a patient audience: Let them read and test their speaking responses out loud to you. You don’t need to understand it; just listening builds their confidence.
Check their ‘3 tenses’ formula: Ask them, ‘Can you write/say this verb in the past, present and future?’ or ‘Is the verb in your sentence in the past, present or future?’

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Recommended revision resources

Digital Platforms

Quizlet: Interactive digital flashcards for topic vocabulary.
Seneca Learning: Free self-grading courses aligned to AQA exam board.
BBC Bitesize GCSE Spanish: Excellent listening clips, reading quizzes & grammar summaries.

Print & Exam Papers

Exam board past papers: The most effective way to practise exam technique.
Revision guides: Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 Spanish.
School resources: Given to students containing all mandatory words (Spanish GCSE knowledge organiser, vocabulary practice booklet, success at writing & speaking activity packs).

When it comes to effective revision, one size doesn’t fit all. That’s why we recommend using a balanced mix of both digital platforms and printed materials to keep study sessions varied and engaging.

On the digital side, our top recommendation is Quizlet. We’ve actually set up a dedicated class group where students can access tailored topic vocabulary lists, organized for both Foundation and Higher tiers. It’s a fantastic tool for quick daily practice, self-testing, and building confidence with key terminology.

Now, for those who prefer working on paper—or want to replicate exam conditions—we have a variety of physical resources available. If you check Google Classroom, you’ll find printable past papers, which are crucial for mastering exam technique. You can also print out extra copies of knowledge organisers, vocabulary practice booklets, and the writing and speaking activity packs.

Mixing and matching these resources, for example a bit of Quizlet on your phone followed by a printed practice task, is a great way to make sure the learning really sticks.

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Parent action checklist

Set up a Routine

Agree on a daily 15-minute Spanish slot in their home study schedule.

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Check Revision Apps

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Ensure they have downloaded joined our class group on Quizlet and Google Classroom.

Practise Together

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Test them on 20 English-to-Spanish vocab words twice a week.

cristina.borrero@moultonschool.co.uk