A Level Spanish
AQA Examination Board
What does the course involve?
Year 12 topics
- Traditional and Modern Values
- Cyberspace
- Gender Equality
- The Influence of Idols
- The Regional Identity of Spain
- Cultural Heritage
Year 13 topics
- Immigration
- Racism
- Cohabitation
- The Youth of Today, Citizens of Tomorrow
- Monarchies and Dictatorships
- Popular Movements
- We also study the play “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”.
How will you learn?
In Year 12 lessons are conducted largely in Spanish and students are expected to participate as actively as possible. GCSE grammar structures are revisited and further, more sophisticated structures are also taught. The film “Ocho Apellidos Vascos” is studied and students start to write analytical essays on this. They are expected to keep up-to-date with current affairs in the Hispanic world and regularly read in Spanish independently (guidance is given on this).
In Year 13 students write analytical essays in Spanish on this set text and our set film. They are still very much expected to keep up to date with current affairs in the Hispanic world and regularly read in Spanish independently. They complete an Individual Research Project on any aspect of Hispanic culture, which they discuss in detail in their Speaking Exam. All students have weekly, one to one speaking practice with a native speaker.
What exams and coursework are involved?
At the end of the course they are assessed as follows:
- Listening, Reading and Writing: 50%
- Writing: 20%
- Speaking: 30%
What are the entry requirements?
Please refer to our entry requirements document.
What could you do after completing the course?
An A level in Spanish can lead of course to study Spanish at University level. Languages can be combined with almost anything and new ones started from scratch. Other possibilities are the fields of travel and tourism, translating, teaching, journalism and linking languages with business. The need for a skill combined with the ability to speak a language is increasingly in demand in many types of employment such as the Civil Service, Law, Accountancy, Hotel and Catering. Britain is desperately short of well qualified graduates with language skills. Employment opportunities for those who study a language, especially when combined with something else, are very good indeed.