Spanish

It is a course that helps students develop confident, effective communication skills in Spanish and a thorough understanding of the culture of countries and communities where Spanish is spoken. Students will develop their ability to write and speak in Spanish with accurate grammar and syntax for a range of purposes and to understand written or spoken Spanish in a variety of contexts and genres.

Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world. It is spoken in Europe, South America, the USA, the Caribbean, parts of Africa, and areas of the Far East. Very few languages have this much coverage. It develops an interest in, and enthusiasm for, language learning and encourages students to consider their study of the language in a broader context.

Language students and graduates are highly sought after. Employers need staff who can communicate effectively and show attention to detail, as well as having the specialist ability to deal with overseas contacts in their native tongue.

It is established that those who study language degrees combined with another subject such as Law, Business, Journalism or Tourism (there are many more) find that they are valued higher than colleagues who do not have a skill in a language. Universities are responding to employers’ demands and there is enormous growth in the number and type of combined courses available to study.

Learning Spanish will give you an invaluable linguistic base on which to build your fluency, and once you have ‘learnt how to learn’ your first foreign language, the second one is so much easier to pick up.

We teach the AQA specification.

AS: There are 3 exam papers:

• Paper 1: Listening, reading & translation (Themes 1 & 2*)
• Paper 2: Writing (critical analysis of a Spanish movie)
• Paper 3: Speaking (Themes 1 & 2*)

A2: There are 3 exam papers:

• Paper 1: Listening, reading & translation (Themes 1,2,3 &4*)
• Paper 2: Writing (critical analysis of a Spanish movie and a Spanish novel)
• Paper 3: Speaking (Themes 1,2,3 & 4*)

It is suitable for students who have gained a grade 6 or higher at GCSE level. They should have a strong interest in Spanish and Spanish speaking countries, and must enjoy discussing politics, making presentations, reading, research and essay writing in the target language. They must be resilient in order to face the challenges of the more complex grammar structures, especially for translation skills.

A-Level Spanish combines well with most subjects, as it will give students an extra edge in all professional areas in the future.  Some students find a useful overlap with social science subjects such as Government and Politics, History, Psychology, or English.  Other students find that Spanish complements Business or Science subjects well.

* Themes covered in A level Spanish

- Theme 1: Aspects of Hispanic Society

- Theme 2: Artistic culture in the Hispanic world (film & literature)

- Theme 3: Multiculturalism in Hispanic Society (research & presentation)

- Theme 4: Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world