Course Content - AS Level

Conversation: General and topic-based conversation.
Grammar: An in-depth look at how the language works.

Topics:
a) Leisure and Lifestyles, including travel and tourism, sport, hobbies, entertainment, customs, traditions, healthy living - health and nutrition, diet and exercise; unhealthy living - drugs, aids, smoking, alcohol, etc.
b) The Individual and Society, including relationships and responsibilities, gender issues, youth culture (values, peer groups, fashions and trends etc.), education, vocational training and future careers.

Independent Listening Programme

Weekly listening tasks linked to the topics covered and designed to provide graded practice for the examinations.

Course Content - A2 Level

Conversation: General and topic-based conversation.
Grammar: An in-depth look at how the language works.

Topics:
a) Environmental Issues, including technology, pollution, global warming, transport, energy, nuclear energy, renewable energies, conservation, recycling, and sustainability.
b) Social and Political Issues, including the role of the media, racism, immigration, social exclusion and integration, terrorism, the world of work (employment, commerce, globalisation, etc.).

Additional Guided Studies Topics

We shall be selecting two additional topics from:

a) One or two Spanish language films.
b) One or two regions of Spain.

Entry Requirements

For a four subject AS Level programme at ED6 you will need a minimum of five GCSEs at A* to C including English and maths and an A or B in Spanish, or equivalent. To progress to A2 Level a minimum of grade D at AS Level is required.

Entry is subject to a successful interview and it is useful to bring a portfolio of work with you to the interview. If you have been out of education for some time you may wish to consider the Access to Higher Education programme as an alternative to A Levels.

Assessment - AS Level

Two examination papers:

Oral: 15 minutes - 40%.

a) Topic-based conversation on an aspect of each of the AS topics, based on stimulus material prepared in the 15 minutes immediately prior to the examination (8 minutes).
b) General conversation on personal interests, studies and plans/aspirations for the future (7 minutes).

Listening, Reading and Writing: 2½ hours - 60%.

Listening: Using individual computers. Passages of varying length (formal and informal registers – brief conversations, interviews or reports). Tasks include true/false and correction, multiple choice, filling in a grid, questions and answers in Spanish, comparison with a written text, cloze- or gap-filling, paraphrasing, summary, re-statement, personal comments, transcription of individual words or phrases and translation into English.

Reading: Three passages with various comprehension tasks, including some translation from Spanish to English.

Writing: One essay of 200-250 words in Spanish based on the topics studied.

Assessment - A2 Level

Oral: 20 minutes - 20% of A Level.

Structured discussion based on a short written stimulus (150-200 words) linked to one of the A2 topics and studied during a preparation period of 15-20 minutes. You will be asked a few questions on the text and then be invited to state and discuss your own views on the topic (6 minutes).

Oral exposé based on an aspect of your choice from the guided studies topics (e.g. one film/area of Spain or, alternatively a literature text, max 4 minutes) followed by a discussion with the examiner on the topic of the exposé and related issues (10 minutes).

Listening, Reading and Writing: 3 hours - 30 % of A Level.

Listening: One or two items with comprehension tasks answered in English.

Reading: One or two passages in Spanish related to one or more of the topic areas, with comprehension tasks including some answered in English.

Translation: A short translation (approx 100 words) from English to Spanish.

Essay: One essay (approx. 400 words in Spanish) related to a second subject from the guided studies option (film/region of Spain).

Progression

Language study contributes to a broad general education and gives you invaluable practical and transferable skills for the future. You may choose to specialise in Spanish at university or combine Spanish with other subjects such as engineering or history.

In most careers nowadays language abilities are highly valued and most modern Higher Education courses encourage an element of language study as an extra module or additional skill. A Level linguists could go on to take, for example, business studies, European studies, international or European law.

Studying a foreign language can lead to work in international business, law, management, advertising.

Translating work is also very popular and students can go on to work for the Government or within the legal system.