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2025 Guide to the GCSE Spanish Exam

What to expect and how to pass it

Table of contents

Are you preparing for an upcoming GCSE Spanish exam? Or considering choosing the subject but want to know what the exam involves?

Then this guide is for you!

We've compiled everything you need to know about the exam and how to study for it. Read on to learn everything there is to know about the GCSE Spanish Exam!

How does the GCSE Spanish exam work?

Before the exam, you'll have to decide in which tier you're testing:

  • Foundation: Grades 1-5
  • Higher: Grades 4-9

For context, here are rough equivalents of the UK grades with CEFR standards:

  • Grade 4 is approximately between Mid-High A1 or Low-Mid A2
  • Grade 7 is approximately A2
  • Grade 9 is approximately B1

Whether you've chosen to test in either the Foundation or Higher tier, exams always consist of four parts:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Listening

Within each category, examinees will be tested on three main themes:

  • People and lifestyle
  • Popular culture
  • Communication and the world around us

Each year, students across the country take this exam in GCSE season. This is usually during May and June. Check with your school and exam board for the exact dates.

As long as you practice all four areas in all three themes, you should do great! Read on for a closer look at how each section works and how to study for them.

Reading exam

The reading paper is a written exam designed to test your ability to understand and respond to different types of language. This portion of the exam lasts:

  • Foundation level: 45 minutes
  • Higher level: 1 hour

The first section asks questions in English, which should be answered in English. The second section is a translation exercise from Spanish to English.

Top Tip! Read the whole passage before you start answering the questions, so you fully understand the context.

The total number of marks available is 50. It contributes to 25% of your overall grade.

How to study for GCSE Spanish reading exam

Obviously, to get better at reading, you need to practice reading more! The question is what to read.

Below, we've listed some resources by level. Then you can pick and practice the skills you'll need for your exam.

To take your reading to the next level, we recommend reading Spanish newspapers. This type of language isn't designed for exam students, so don't expect to understand it completely. Rather, take the chance to figure out what you don't know, and how you can improve your Spanish reading comprehension to that level.

GCSE Spanish reading practice resources

We have a wide range of Spanish articles and transcripts to help you practice your reading:

Take a look at just a few:

Writing exam

This exam assesses how well examinees communicate in writing across different contexts and purposes. It lasts:

  • Foundation level: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Higher level: 1 hour 15 minutes

At Foundation level, there are five questions, ranging from short writing exercises to translation and grammar tasks. At Higher level, there are three questions: one translation and two writing production tasks.

Examinees need to demonstrate a variety of tenses, clauses and vocabulary, as well as accurate use of grammar. They'll need to adapt their writing style as appropriate to the style of the task, which could be telling a story or discussing a topic.

The total number of marks available is 50 at Foundation and Higher level. It accounts for 25% of your grade.

How to study for GCSE Spanish writing exam

The keys to expressing yourself well in your Spanish writing are:

  1. Wide vocabulary
  2. Understanding grammar and tense rules

Practice reading newspapers as suggested above to expand your vocabulary about current events. Use our exercises and resources below to drill advanced Spanish language rules. Or check out our writing tips and ideas!

GCSE Spanish writing practice resources

We've put together a whole set of exercises to improve your Spanish writing skills at A2 for Foundation level or B1 for Higher level. Here's a taster:

Speaking exam

Instead of sitting this exam in a hall with an exam paper, the speaking exam is usually a one-to-one conversation with your teacher. It lasts:

  • Foundation level: 7-9 minutes
  • Higher level: 10-12 minutes

The exam includes a role play, photo card and conversation element.

There are 50 total marks available. The test accounts for 25% of your overall grade.

How to study for GCSE Spanish speaking exam

Doing well in the Spanish speaking exam requires knowledge and confidence. Without both, you'll either use all the wrong grammar, or not have the confidence to show off the advanced concepts you've studied.

Improve both your knowledge and confidence by:

When speaking out loud though, how can you know that your speech is correct and you're not practising errors?

Instead of only practising spontaneous speech, start by practising reading aloud. That way, you know you're drilling the right grammar and language rules into your brain while improving pronunciation. This method also helps you to get used to the rhythm of the language without being stunted by thinking on the spot.

If you practice both reading and then speaking spontaneously aloud, your confidence and knowledge will skyrocket!

GCSE Spanish speaking practice resources

What texts should you read aloud? As we said, newspapers are a great resource. But for tips especially for students, check out our Spanish Speaking Practice Guide!

Listening exam

The listening exam assesses how well you understand and respond to spoken Spanish used for different purposes. It lasts:

  • Foundation level: 35 minutes
  • Higher level: 45 minutes

The first section asks questions in English, which have to be answered in English too. The second part requires you to transcribe Spanish sentences from the audio.

There are 40 marks available at Foundation level and 50 at Higher. It's worth 25% of your overall grade.

How to study for GCSE listening exam

When we learnt our mother tongue as infants, it was all through listening! For the first few years, we're surrounded by spoken language until we can understand and use it ourselves.

The same learning theory applies to teens and adults. Listening to the Spanish language, even passively, is one of the best ways to learn and improve.

But for exam revision, you'll want to practice active listening. That is deliberately listening to media, then looking up words or phrases you don't know and noting them down to revise.

For the best results, select media that targets your weaker areas. If you need to expand your vocabulary, listen to the news or topic-specific podcasts. Or to improve conversational understanding, listen to TV dramas or sitcoms.

Top Tip! Make sure you familiarise yourself with the Spanish spoken in different Latin American countries so your skills are well-rounded.

GCSE Spanish listening practice resources

To get you started, check out our list of Spanish radio stations from around the world. Or for listening exercises, take a look at the following articles which tie in with the GCSE themes:

All the GCSE Spanish resources you need!

The GCSE Spanish exam is a complex test, but with the right resources, you can get the grade you deserve! Here's how:

  1. Use our lessons and exercises to practice and revise
  2. Use our kwizzes to track your progress and identify where you need to focus
  3. Repeat until the exam!

Do this and more – including custom Study Plans and a Brainmap – by getting your own free Kwiziq Spanish account today!

 

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