Julie A Clayton BA(Hons) PGCE
GCSE Spanish skills focus
Listening
Do you struggle to link what you hear to what is written?
I can help you improve by revisiting phonics, breaking things down into manageable chunks and developing techniques and strategies to succeed in the listening exam.
Reading
Are you confident with all the different styles of questions?
I can help you develop the skills to succeed in reading, for example spotting red herrings, recognising cognates and not being fooled by false friends.
You might know your verb infinitives, but can you recognise verbs, no matter which tense?
Speaking
Does the thought of the speaking exam fill you with dread? You are not alone!
Gain confidence with one to one practice, covering all aspects of the speaking exam:
Role play
Photo card and questions
General conversation
Perfect your pronunciation and learn how to avoid the pitfalls.
Develop techniques to cope with the unexpected.
Writing
Learn how to know exactly what you need to do for Higher Tier or Foundation Tier.
Learn how to make your writing stand out from the crowd.
Learn how to use a range of verb tenses effectively and become adept and developing and justifying opinions.
Translation
Do you know what idiomatic language is?
It is the quirks of an individual language. If you translate literally it won’t make sense.
Understanding this is key to success for translation tasks. Learn how to spot the pitfalls!
On the reading paper you need to translate from Spanish into English.
On the writing paper you need to translate from English to Spanish.
Grammar checklist
Can you confidently recognise and use all the grammar points on the check list for the tier you are doing? (Foundation or Higher)
I can work through the grammar with you and help you become confident in recognising grammar in listening and reading tasks.
I can help you build up a bank of model answers for each grammar point for each theme.
The more of these you have at your finger tips , the easier you will find adapting the language to what you need to write in the exam.
GCSE Spanish Exam
There are four exams; one for each skill. Each is worth 25%.
Listening 25%
Speaking 25%
Reading 25%
Writing 25%
There are three themes
1. Identity and Culture
Me, my family and friends, relationships, marriage and partnership
Technology in every day life, social media, mobile technology
Free time activities, music and cinema, food and eating out, sport
Customs and festivals, festivals in Spain and Hispanic speaking countries
2. Local, national and international areas of interest
Home town, neighbourhood and region
Social issues, charity and voluntary work, healthy and unhealthy lifestyles
Global issues, environment, poverty and homelessness
Travel and tourism, holidays and travel, regions in Spain
3. Current and future study and employment
My studies, school life, school subjects and building
Education post 16, ‘A’ levels, college study, university, future career aspirations
Queries to julie@jaclayton.com