[MAT] Spanish (at QMHS)

Course summary

Spanish A-Level (AQA) The course builds upon and develops the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing which have been acquired in GCSE work. An important difference is that the subject concentrates not on basic transactional language but on wider social, political, economic and cultural issues. The course will develop skills and an understanding of the grammatical systems of the languages studied. It gives a better insight into the way of life, and history, geography, political system, economic life and customs of countries where the language is spoken. Students may also have the opportunity to study the literature of the country and where possible to visit the theatre, cinema or watch video and on-line material. Furthermore, the course is underpinned by enriching and stimulating co-curricular opportunities with excellent outcomes. The one to one sessions with our Foreign Language Assistant play an essential part in developing the confidence, examination skills and fluency of our students. Last year, all of our A Level Spanish students achieved an A*-B grade, with many opting to study the subject at degree level and securing a place at the university of their choice. Course Overview and Assessment Model Paper 1: Listening, Reading and Writing: • aspects of Hispanic society • artistic culture in the Hispanic world • multiculturalism in Hispanic society • aspects of political life in the Hispanic world • grammar Paper 2 is a written paper assessing one text and one film, or two texts from the list set in the specification, and grammar Paper 3 is the Speaking Test with stimulus card material followed by a presentation and conversation based on an Independent Research Project. This project can be on any aspects of Spanish-speaking society or artistic culture in the Spanish-speaking world or multiculturalism in Spanish-speaking society or aspects of political life in Spanish-speaking society. Career Opportunities Statistics show that employment amongst language graduates is second only to Medicine and Law. More and more employers expect a high level of competence in a modern foreign language and there are now a large number of degree courses with a language component. Specific career opportunities include teaching, interpreting, marketing and business.