Contact : Mrs M Mathews	Examination Board & Code : Edexcel 8SP01
Length of Course : 2 Years to full A level

 

        

What is Spanish A level about?

You will learn to communicate at a high level in Spanish, by studying contemporary themes and topical issues illustrated by materials drawn from a wide variety of sources: textbooks, extracts from the Spanish press, tapes, videos, Internet and television programmes.  You will have to listen to, and understand, contemporary spoken language. You will read, understand and extract information from written passages and answer questions on what you have heard, both in writing and orally.

 

Is this course for me?

Are you interested in languages and communication, the business world, in travel or tourism, in literature, or in journalism and the media?

A significant amount of grammar is taught in the first term to bridge the gap between GCSE and AS: you should be prepared to take responsibility for your own learning and developing your skills to a much higher level than GCSE.

 

What else do I need to know?

We recommend that students go on for a week’s work experience in Spain during the February half-term.

You have the opportunity to do Community Service in the MFL Faculty.

You will have individual lessons and lessons in pairs with the Spanish FLA.

You will be expected to follow a programme of self-study which will support your studies with extra grammar, reading and listening activities.

 

What do other students say?

“The learning skills from Spanish have helped me in Chemistry- the formation of words and phrases for example!”

“I have really enjoyed reading a novel in Spanish.”

“I applied to study Physics at University and was told that Spanish made my application stand out from the others!”

“Studying a film for my cultural topic has complimented English and Media. “

Where could it lead?

There will be range of opportunities open to you, where you can continue to use and further develop your language skills and knowledge of contemporary society.  Students can do degree courses in languages; or choose a language option alongside other courses. Some Universities send students of Physics to Spanish universities for part of the degree course.  Having a language at AS or Advanced GCE will improve your employability, in particular with companies which have international branches.

 

How is this course structured?  (Note: there is no coursework)

 

Unit Content	Unit Assessment
AS Unit 1:	Spoken Expression and Response in Spanish 8-10 mins 30% of AS marks, 15% of A2 marks
AS Unit 2:	Understanding and written response in Spanish 2 hours 30 mins 70% of AS marks 35% of A2 marks
A2 Unit 3:	Understanding and spoken response in Spanish 11-13 mins  35% of AS marks  17.5% of A2 marks
A2 Unit 4:	Speaking research, understanding and written response in Spanish 2hrs and 30 mins  65% of AS marks  32.5% of A2 marks