A Level Spanish is an exciting and varied course that allows you to develop a number of key skills. The ability to speak another language is a very desirable attribute in an employee, and Spanish even more so, as it is so widely spoken throughout the world. Additionally, with focus on the historical, political, artistic, sporting, theological, architectural and literary aspects of Hispanic culture, A Level Spanish perfectly compliments most other courses.

What is the structure of the course?

The Spanish A Level is made up of 4 core units – Aspects of Hispanic-speaking society: current trends, Artistic culture in the Hispanic world, Multiculturalism in Hispanic Society and Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world. These are     supplemented by two cultural topics. Additionally, students will explore a topic of their own choosing in depth for their      Individual Research Project which forms a key part of their final speaking exam. The course is assessed through three      examinations at the end of Year 13. Paper 1 is a Listening, Reading and Writing paper which lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes and examines the content of the core units. Paper 2 is made up of 2 essays, 1 on the play and 1 on the film, and lasts 2 hours. Paper 3 is the speaking exam which lasts for 21 – 23 minutes and includes 5 minutes supervised preparation time.

What skill/requirements are essential?

Students must be hard-working, versatile, resilient and passionate about languages. They will need and develop a range of generic and transferable skills including independent learning and development, the ability to communicate clearly, the skills of project-based research and the ability to recognise and use key grammatical points and ideas. Learning a foreign language is an accumulative skill, which has to be built up over time and practised as much as possible.

What do students think?

“Spanish is very useful for university as it is a facilitating subject and it is also something that employers look for. The engaging topics open up discussions and allow you to broaden your knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language and culture.”

Where can this course lead?

The ability to speak a second language, even if only to A-Level, has huge advantages in the job market. Spanish can be directly used in a number of fields such as translating, interpreting, hospitality, marketing, PR, retail and within the travel industry to name just a few.  You will also find that you can use your Spanish skills in many seemingly unrelated fields which makes it such a versatile A Level option.