A level Spanish

What do I need to know or to be able to do before taking this course?

Most students will normally have achieved at least the equivalent of GCSE Grade B in Spanish before taking this course. You will need to feel confident at this level in the four language skills of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You should also be interested in developing your knowledge and understanding of the culture and way of life of Spanish-speaking countries as well as exploring in much more depth the topic areas that you will have covered at GCSE.

This course is suitable for those who are interested in languages and communication, and learning about other cultures and ways of life. Those who are interested in the business world, in travel or tourism, in literature, or in journalism and the media will also find the course appropriate, particularly as there are a number of options in the course where you can choose a topic or question to suit your interests.

What will I learn on the AS-level course?

In the Lower Sixth, the lessons concentrate mainly on the ‘General Topic Areas’ concerning Spanish-speaking countries. These are:
(a) Leisure, including tourism and travel, sport, hobbies, entertainment.
(b) Education, including Schools (primary and secondary), Further Education, Higher Education, training and careers.
(c) Social Issues, including relationships, problems of young people, gender issues, drugs, Aids.
Much of the time will be spent acquiring information on these areas from a variety of sources (Text Books, Magazines, Literature, Videos, Television, Internet and ICT) and learning to discuss, and report in Spanish. As well as dealing with the topic areas, much time is also spent learning the structure of the language in order to improve linguistic competence. AS students learn to:

• Explore and develop understanding of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of Spanish-speaking countries.
• Listen and respond to a variety of authentic spoken sources.
• Read and respond to a variety of written texts from authentic sources.
• Manipulate the foreign language accurately to organise facts and ideas, present explanations, opinions and information in both speech and writing.
• Understand and apply linguistic structures at AS-level.
• Transfer meaning from the foreign language into English

The AS examination consists of 3 units:

• Speaking
  (1) General Conversation
  A general conversation where candidates will be expected to discuss their personal interests, their studies and any plans and/or aspirations for the future. (6-7 minutes)
  (2) Topic-based conversation
  Candidates will be required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Spanish Society. Candidates will select and prepare in advance, one topic from each of three topic areas. The examiner will base the conversation on one or more of the topics chosen by the candidate. (6-7 minutes)
  
• Listening and Responding (90 minutes)
  Candidates will have to answer questions on recorded material. This material will relate to the contemporary society or culture of Spanish-speaking countries.
  
• Reading and Responding (90 minutes)
  The paper will be based on a number of items of varying length, taken from newspapers, magazines and advertisements. A range of tasks based on these extracts will require verbal and non-verbal responses aimed at establishing the candidates' level of comprehension of everyday Spanish texts and their level of competence in responding to these texts in written Spanish.

What will I learn on the A2-level course?

Further topic areas are introduced. These are:
(d) Contemporary Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, including current affairs, EU, world of work, employment/unemployment, immigration.
(e) Media, including newspapers, radio and television, advertising, new media.
(f) Environmental Issues, including energy, conservation, pollution, transport.

In addition to AS requirements, A2 students learn to:

• Understand and study in greater depth aspects of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of one or more of Spanish-speaking countries, demonstrating a higher level of critical awareness.
• Use Spanish to analyse, hypothesise, evaluate, argue a case, justify, persuade, rebut, develop arguments and present viewpoints, in speech and in writing.
• Demonstrate their capacity for critical thinking, to see relationships between different aspects of the subject and to perceive their field of study in a broader context.
• Understand and apply the linguistic structures at A2-level and use a wider range of vocabulary.
• Transfer meaning from English into Spanish.

The full A level qualification consists of the AS units plus three more units:

• Oral (15-20 minutes)
  (1) Structured Discussion
  Structured discussion based on a short written stimulus (150 – 200 words), linked to one of the A2 topics. (5-7 minutes)
  (2) Oral exposé
  Candidates will give an oral exposé on a topic of their choice connected with a country where the target language is spoken. The exposé will last 3 to 5 minutes and will be followed by a discussion with the examiner on the topic of the exposé and related issues. (10-13 minutes)
• Cultural Studies
  This consists of a 1500 word project written in Spanish which should relate to an aspect of the life, experience, culture of Spain or another Spanish speaking country.
• Listening, Reading and Responding (3 hours) This paper is in two sections.
  a) Listening: Candidates will be issued with individual cassettes which they will listen to on personal cassette players. The recordings will be based on authentic material. A range of exercises will aim at establishing the candidates' level of comprehension of spoken and, to a lesser extent, written Spanish, and their level of competence in responding in the target language.
  b) Reading: The examination will be based on a number of items, such as newspaper-type texts and longer texts which may be in the form of a narrative, interview, informative or argumentative article. The exercises will aim at establishing the candidates' level of comprehension of written Spanish and their level of competence in responding in the target language. These will include a short essay or an article, Reading Comprehension tasks, and a short translation task.

Where might this subject take me?

There will be a range of opportunities open to you, where you can continue to use and further develop your language skills and knowledge of contemporary society. Some students choose to do degree courses in languages; others choose to pursue a Higher Education course in another subject, but choose a language option alongside it. Having a language at AS or A2-level will certainly improve your employability, in particular with companies, which have international branches. Whether you are interested in continuing your studies or working at home or abroad, a language course at AS or A2-level is an excellent step towards achieving your goals.