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This course will help you develop your knowledge of the Spanish language and your understanding of Spanish culture and society through the study of authentic and current articles, modern literary texts and films. The study of Spanish at A Level will enable you to develop excellent communication and critical thinking skills, explore a wide range of topics about Spanish contemporary society and give you the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of your choice.
In the first year, you will develop grammatical structures to a high level of accuracy and complexity. You will cover three themes and develop your vocabulary, along with honing your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. You will also study a film during the first year of the course. The course is designed to sharpen your critical thinking and problem solving skills, whilst engendering a love of the language and culture of Spain and Spanish speaking countries.
In the second year, you will work on three additional topic areas. You will also conduct the study of a literary text and undertake an independent research project on an issue of your choice. This will form part of the speaking examination.
This course is an award of AQA. Visit the AQA website to view the course specifications.
GCSE Grade 6 in Spanish. Alternatively, GSCE Grade 5 in Spanish from the Higher Paper plus an interview with the subject tutor.
You will experience a wide variety of methods of learning, such as paired work and group work on a particular topic, traditional lessons, and individual work such as listening activities, research work on a topic of your choice and literary analysis on a novel or a film. You will practise different skills every lesson, such as speaking, listening, reading and writing.
You will be expected to use websites such as Kerboodle, Languages Online, YouTube and others to support your learning.
To really help you develop your speaking skills and increase your confidence, you will be asked to attend a 30-minute speaking session each week, either on an individual basis or in a small group.
Assessment is by examination.
Paper 1 is a listening, reading and translation paper which will assess the topics covered during the course (40% of qualification).
Paper 2 is a writing paper which will assess the texts and/or film studied during the course (30% of qualification).
Paper 3 is the speaking exam which assesses the individual research project and one of the four topics studied (30% of qualification).
This course is suitable for students who wish to progress to employment or further study in Higher Education. There are many courses at university where you can combine languages with another subject, for example business, law, teaching or travel and tourism. Knowledge of a foreign language will definitely improve your job prospects and career opportunities. Employers value language skills highly and language graduates are always sought-after.
Meet the A Level expert
Gemma has a BA (Hons) in Hispanic Studies from the University of Leeds and a PGCE from the University of Manchester. She has been teaching for 16 years.
Gemma said: “The Spanish A Level is a truly diverse qualification. You will learn about aspects of Spanish and Latin American society, conduct independent research, undertake a book and film study, alongside learning about grammar. You will gain many transferable skills, hone your communication and listening skills, develop your effectiveness in Spanish and deepen your cultural knowledge.”
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