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Contents

How am I assessed?.....................................................3

Paper 1: Listening ….....................................................4

Listening: tips to get the highest grade .…....................5

Paper 2: Reading and Writing …...................................6

Reading: tips to get the highest grade .….....................7

Writing: tips to get the highest grade.…........................8

Topic areas …...............................................................9

Lista de vocabulario / Vocabulary list: top tips for vocabulary learning …....................................................................10

Lista de vocabulario / Vocabulary list ….......................13

Spanish tenses: endings for regular infinitive verbs ….28

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How am I assessed?

Paper 1: Listening The paper is assessed through an examination paper set and marked by Edexcel, lasting 30 minutes, plus 5 minutes’ reading time.The total number of marks for the paper is 30. It represents 33% of the total IGCSE marks.

Paper 2: Reading and Writing The paper is assessed through an examination paper lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, set and marked by Edexcel.The total number of marks for the paper is 60, with 30 marks for reading and 30 marks for writing. It represents 66% of the total IGCSE marks.

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Paper 1: ListeningIt consists of several short recordings played by the invigilator. You have five minutes’ reading time before the recordings are played to read through the paper and familiarise yourself with it. The recordings, each of which will be heard twice, last nolonger than 30 minutes including pauses. All texts are being spoken by native speakers.

There are two sections: Section A requires to listen to a range of factual and non-factual material of varying lengths, in different contexts and in different registers.The extracts will increase in length. The first passages will be the shortest and will be tested through non-verbal responses, such as ticked boxes or matching exercises.Section B consists in two longer extracts. Comprehension is tested through a range of question types, both verbal and non-verbal.

Grammatical accuracy of the language is not be assessed in this paper. Answers written in English will score no marks.

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Listening: tips to get the the highest grade

Make the best of the five minutes reading time by reading the questions and working out what they have to do.

Look at the titles, subtitles and contexts of each question, in order to identify the topics and the kind of vocabulary likely to be encountered.

Decide what kind of answer is needed (for example a place, a number, a day, etc).

Concentrate on the question form(‘who’/‘when’/‘where’/‘why’?) to work out what kind of information is required. So if the question is ‘When?’, you should expect to hear: a time, a date, a day, an expression of time like today, tomorrow, this evening...

Look at the example. Note the number of marks available – this will tell you

how much detail you need to give. Recognise time indicators, for example yesterday,

tomorrow Recognise cognates and near cognates: words

similar to the English or German words. Identify opinions and key concepts and draw

conclusions. Listen for negatives, comparisons and ‘qualifiers’,

for example a lot, few, sometimes, rarely or very...

And remember: “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.”Wilson Mizner.

Paper 2: Reading and Writing

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You are required to read a range of authentic factual and non-factual written material of varying length, in different registers and contexts, and from different sources. These mayinclude advertisements, short passages, messages, letters, information leaflets, faxes, emails, website pages, newspaper and magazine articles.

There are three sections:

Section A consists in reading and answering questions about different texts. Grammatical accuracy is not assessedin this part of the paper. You are also required to write about 50 words in Spanish, on a topic related to the final reading passage in Section A, Part 1.

Section B consists in reading 2 longer passages and to answer a series of questions. You must show the ability to manipulate the language of the original text, and/or to use your own words and phrases to express ideas contained in the text.

Section C is about selecting one writing task from a choice of three. You are expected to write a continuous response, of between 140 and 150 words, in Spanish. You should express opinions and to use past, present and future tenses and more complex language.

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Reading: tips to get the the highest grade

Look at the context, title, subtitles (they will give you a clue to the type of vocabulary that you are about to read) and visuals.

Read the questions carefully. Pick out key words and phrases, and ignore redundant

material. You do not need to know every word to understand a text.

Try to work out or guess the meaning of words you do not know.

Deduce meaning from the context and/or by applying grammatical knowledge.

Look for cognates and near cognates but be aware of ‘faux amis’.

Give detailed responses that fully answer the question but which are also concise and unambiguous.

Identify opinions. Look out for negatives, comparisons and qualifiers. Look for tenses and time indicators. Answer every question and check that the amount of

information given (or the number of ticks) matches the mark allocation for the question.

Write clearly and legibly. Note the number of marks available – this will tell you

how much detail you need to give.

And remember: “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Writing: tips to get the the highest grade

Learn spellings. Read in Spanish to improve your accuracy.

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Allow time to check your writing. Look at the reading passages (Section A part 2, and

Section B part 2) to check spellings, genders and structures.

Check your work methodically by reading it several times and looking for different possible mistakes each time (adjective agreements, verb endings, etc).

Check that all bullet points are covered (if applicable) Ensure that the style is appropriate. Demonstrate the ability to use a wide range of

vocabulary and idiom. Include time references/tenses: past, present and

future. Link your sentences by using time indicators and other

links. Express and justify your ideas and points of view. Try to use comparisons. Avoid repetition, as this does not show off a range of

syntax and/or vocabulary. Try to show more complex structures, such as use of

conjunctions, pronouns, subordinate clauses, tenses, verb forms, etc...

Check spellings and verb forms.

Topic areas

All questions are set in the context of the following topic areas and sub-topic areas.

Topic areas Sub-topic areasHome and abroad Life in the town and rural life

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Weather and climate

Travel, transport and directions

Holidays and tourist information

Services (eg telephone, bank, post office)

Customs and religion

Everyday life, traditions and communities in Spanish speaking countries

Education and employment Childhood

School life and routineWork/careers

Future plans

House, home and daily routine Types of home Information about self, family and friends

routine

Helping around the house

Food and drinks

The modern world and the environment

Current affairs and social issues

Environmental issues

The media (TV, film, radio, newspapers)

Information and communication technology (internet, mobile

phones, email)

Social activities, fitness and Special occasions

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healthHobbies, interests, sports and exercise

Shopping and money matters

Accidents, injuries, common ailments and health issues

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Top tips for vocabulary learning

Vocabulary is really important to succeed in your exams. You are not allowed a dictionary so all you have is what is in your head!

The most important is to learn the meaning. Learning spelling and gender is also important

to be accurate when speaking and when writing.

Your brain has to meet a word at least 20 times before it is stuck in your memory.

Your brain can only take so much in at a time. 10 minutes a day is much more effective to learn the vocabulary. Try 5 minute when you get home from school and 5 minutes before you go to bed. First, go over what you learnt previously, then learn the new words.

Set yourself a target, i.e. “I will learn 5 new words today” and get someone to test you. Then reward yourself when you have achieved a target.

Look for patterns, i.e. la diferencia, la preferencia… all end the same.

Concentrate on the trickier words, do not waste time going over the words you already know.

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Say the words aloud – if you don’t know how to pronounce them ask the teacher.

Read the words and write them down. Make cards or revision posters that are as

memorable as possible. Stick them everywhere at home (in your bathroom or toilets!).

Draw a picture next to each word or write the meaning in English/ German in a different colour.

Highlight the most difficult words. Record yourself saying the words and listen to

them on an MP3 player, your mobile phone whilst going to school or before you go to sleep. Ask your teacher o help you with recording.

Make up actions for words. For example you can easily mime the verb “to drink”.

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Spanish TensesENDINGS FOR REGULAR INFINITIVES VERBS

Take the INFINITIVE remove last 2 letters (ar, er, ir) to find STEM to which you add the following endings according to the subject required

AREng subject endingI yo oYou tú asHe él aShe ella aYou usted a*********************We nosotros amosYou vosotros áis They ellos anThey ellas an

EREng subject endingI yo oYou tú esHe él eShe ella eYou usted e*********************We nosotros emosYou vosotros éis They ellos enThey ellas en

IREng subject endingI yo oYou tú esHe él eShe ella aYou usted a*********************We nosotros imosYou vosotros ís They ellos enThey ellas en

ARI yo éYou tú asteHe, She, You él ella usted ó**************************We nosotros amosYou vosotros asteis They , you ellos ellas, ustedes aron

ERI yo éYou tú asteHe, She, You él ella usted ó*************************We nosotros amosYou vosotros asteis They , you ellos ellas, ustedes aron

IRI yo éYou tú isteHe, She, You él ella usted ió*********************We nosotros emosYou vosotros isteisThey, you ellos,ellas,ustedes ieron

IR + A = INF (AR)

Voy a hablar (to speak)Vas a ayudar (to help)Va a jugar (to play)Vamos a bailar (to dance)Vais a escuchar (to listen)Van a gritar (to shout)

IR + A = INF (ER)

Voy a comer (to eat)Vas a beber (to drink)Va a ver (to see/watch)Vamos a volver (to return)Vais a tener (to have)Van a poner (to put)

IR + A = INF (IR)

Voy a decir (to tell/say)Vas a escribir (to write)Va a salir (to go out)Vamos a dormir (to sleep)Vais a ir a (to go )Van a tener (to have)

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