Why study this course?

Studying Spanish at A Level will enable you to deepen your knowledge of the language and get a greater insight into the culture of Spain and the Spanish speaking world. Having Spanish is a fantastic asset in today’s competitive job market and shows self-discipline, motivation, and a desire to learn, qualities sought after by Universities and employers alike.

There are more than 300 million native speakers of Spanish throughout the world – more than any other language except Chinese.

Spanish is the official language of 21 countries and is one of the official languages of the United Nations and the European Union. Spain is currently Britain’s third most important trading partner. The 19 Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America offer vast potential in terms of trade and investment also. Throughout the course, you will extend your knowledge of the language and the culture of Spanish speaking countries and gain the confidence to communicate in Spanish.

What does this qualification cover?

This qualification will cover five key skills to be a proficient linguistic: Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing and Translation.

What will I study?

Theme 1 – The evolution of Spanish society

• Unit 1 – The changes in family structures
• Unit 2 – The world of work
• Unit 3 – The impact of tourism in Spain

Theme 2 – The culture in the Spanish speaking world

• Unit 4 – Music
• Unit 5 – Media & communication
• Unit 6 – The role of customs and traditions Cinema – Pans Labyrinth, by Guillermo del Toro

Theme 3 – Immigration and the Spanish multicultural society

• Unit 7 – The positive impact of immigration
• Unit 8 – The challenges of immigration and integration in Spain
• Unit 9 – Public and social attitudes towards immigration

Theme 4 – The Franco’s dictatorship and the democratic transition

• Unit 10 – The civil war and the raise of Franco
• Unit 11 – Franco’s dictatorship
• Unit 13 – The transition to democracy Literature – La casa de Bernarda Alba

How will I be assessed?

You will sit three papers at the second year, but you will have plenty of practice tests and mocks:

Paper 1: Listening, reading and translation (**Paper code: 9SP0/01)

• Written examination: 2 hours
• 40% of the qualification
• 80 marks
• This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all four themes.
• Assessment overview
• Students are not permitted access to a dictionary during the examination.

Paper 2: Written response to works and translation (**Paper code: 9SP0/02)

• Written examination: 2 hours and 40 minutes
• 30% of the qualification
• 120 marks

Paper 3: Speaking (**Paper code: 9SP0/03)

• Internally conducted and externally assessed
• Total assessment time: between 21 and 23 minutes, which includes a single period of 5 minutes’ formal preparation time
• 30% of the qualification
• 72 marks

Where can it lead?

There are many possibilities for able, qualified linguists in a number of fields. Here are some careers directly linked to languages: translator, interpreter, languages teacher, tourism and international charities.

There are also a number of fields where having a language will give an internal dimension to your work: journalism, law, politics, management, engineering, architecture, computing and finance to name a few. There are a number of degrees that combine languages with another subject (ie- law and Spanish).

Even you decide not to pursue languages after A level, this will be an undeniable asset to your CV, and broaden your university choice and career prospects.

Course Materials