Spanish

rich in literature and poetry. Queen’s Gate offers the advantage of individual attention, with plenty of oral practice and an interesting course. The A Level rewards Spanish language skills and knowledge through student focused assessment. As well as an appealing content, it offers the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of other Spanish speaking cultures. Its aim is to prepare girls to become well-informed and effective communicators.

During this course you will read and listen to authentic foreign language materials and will study aspects of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of the Spanish-speaking countries. You will also have opportunities to develop your understanding and awareness of spiritual, moral, ethical, environmental, health and European issues. You will extend and develop your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of the Spanish language and will be able to put this in practice by speaking, writing, reading and listening to the language. In addition, during your A Level course you will learn how to: • Be an effective communicator • Speak and write Spanish for different purposes in a range of situations • Use the language to express facts and ideas • Use the language to present explanations opinions and information • Develop an argument, analyse and evaluate in speech as well as in writing.

For your A Level Spanish course you are expected to gain some general knowledge of contemporary society in Spain. This requires extensive reading of authentic material on your part: magazines, newspapers, books, novels. Furthermore, to attain the coveted top grades, you will have to develop your linguistic skills to a certain degree of sophistication and refinement. It is therefore essential that you are able to work independently and organise your study well. To add an extra dimension you will be asked to view a range of contemporary Spanish and Latin American films. In addition, you will have a number of essays to write as well as weekly oral presentations to do. These will be based on topics and issues discussed during lessons. You will have to carry out your own research for these, although appropriate materials may be provided from the department to help you to that end. I am sure you will enjoy working in a small group.

• Modern Languages single or combined honours • Business Studies with Spanish, Humanities with Spanish Careers: Translation and/or Interpreting, Teaching, Publishing, Civil and Diplomatic service, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Spanish Online Web Publisher, Hospitality.

The new linear A Level course in Spanish (Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Spanish) consists of two externally-examined papers assessing listening, reading and writing and a non-examined speaking assessment. Students complete their speaking assessment in April/May and all other assessments in May/ June in any single year.

The course is structured around four engaging Themes – La evolución de la sociedad española; La cultura política y artística en el mundo hispanohablante; La inmigración y la sociedad multicultural española and La dictadura franquista y la transición a la democracia. These four Themes are studied alongside two works chosen from a prescribed list (either two literary texts or one literary text and one film) assessed through two externally-examined papers and one non-exam assessment (speaking).

The course will enable the students to develop an advanced level knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language, the culture of Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, as well as practical and valuable language and transferable study skills. Spanish

Written examination: 2 hours 40% of the qualification (80 marks) The examination is made up of: • Section A: Listening (30 marks) • Section B: Reading (30 marks) • Section C: Translation into English (20 marks)

Written examination: 2 hours and 40 minutes 30% of the qualification (120 marks) • Section A: Translation (20 marks) • Section B: Written response to works (literary texts) (50 marks) Students must write an extended response on either one or two of the literary texts • Section C: Written response to works (films) (50 marks) Students who answer only one question from a literary text in Section B must write an extended response on one of the films listed.

Total assessment time: between 21 and 23 minutes (including 5 min preparation time) 30% of the qualification (72 marks) Students need to complete two tasks: • Task 1 (30 marks): discussion on a Theme from the specification based on a stimulus containing two different statements. • Task 2 (42 marks). Task 2, Part 1: is an independent research presentation. Students present a summary of at least two of the written sources they have used for their research and give a personal response to what they have read. Task 2, Part 2: is a discussion on independent research. Students answer questions on their presentation and then have a wider discussion on their research.

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