Spanish A level

The Spanish language is second only to Mandarin in the number of people who speak it worldwide clocking up more than 400 million, the majority of whom are in Central and South America. Furthermore, there are 21 countries where Spanish is an official language and online Spanish is the third most popular language after English and Mandarin.

A Level Spanish challenges students to discuss important social and political issues within a Hispanic context; from the equality of the sexes to the issues surrounding immigration and racism. In addition, the study of the book, ‘Como agua para Chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel and the Oscar-winning film by Guillermo del Toro – ‘El Laberinto del Fauno’ will form part of the course. In addition, the Independent Research Project allows students to select an aspect of Hispanic society of interest to them, to study and research it and then present their findings in the speaking test.

A level Spanish can complement any combination of other studies; arts or STEM and can be key to courses and careers not only in modern foreign languages but also law, media, diplomacy, international business.

Qualification	A level Spanish
Awarding body	AQA
Entry requirements	GCSE at Grade 5 or above in both maths and English. Grade 6 or above in Spanish GCSE.
Year 12	Aspects of Hispanic Society Modern and traditional values Cyberspace Equal rights Artistic Culture in the Hispanic World Modern day idols Spanish regional identity Cultural heritage Independent Research Project A personal piece of research on a topic chosen by the students and forming the basis of the majority of the speaking test Book & Film Como agua para chocolate – Laura Esquivel El Laberinto del Fauno – Guillermo del Toro
Year 13	Aspects of Hispanic Society Immigration Racism Integration Aspects of Political Life in the Hispanic World Today’s youth, tomorrow’s citizens Monarchies and dictatorships Popular movements
Assessment	Paper 1 Listening, Reading and Writing – listening, reading and translation skills are tested by a range of question types with answers in English and Spanish 2 hours 30 Paper 2 Writing – 2 essays, one each based on the book and film studied 2 hours Paper 3 Speaking – one photo card based on one of the topic areas, presentation and discussion based on Independent Research Project 21-23 minutes

Why study Spanish?

You will be learning not only an A level subject but also a life skill and the ability to communicate with many millions of people worldwide.

Learning Spanish, having the opportunity to see the world from different perspectives, has made me a more thoughtful and well-rounded person.

Cal Baker, ex-student

Potential career paths and further study

We are proud of the destinations of our A level students. Over the last five years, our A level students have gone on to study languages and other subjects at Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Durham and Heriot - Watt Universities.

Languages can be combined with any other A level and can lead to varying careers, including not just the obvious choices of translating, interpreting and teaching, but is beneficial in enabling students to access places on courses such as law, medicine and business.

Research carried out by Routes into languages suggests that learning a language can boost an average worker’s earnings by up to 20%. For a person earning the average national salary, that would mean an extra £200,000 over a working life.

Spanish was so enriching as a subject. It taught me more than just grammar but also about a different culture, history and way of life. It was really fun to study and was a nice break from my other subjects. Universities were really enthusiastic about me having Spanish A level and showing a breadth of skills ...

Nina Holguin, ex-student