Spanish a level

Is a level Spanish a good choice?

Well, I think the only person who can answer that is yourself. However, I'm biased (doing a Spanish A Level with plans to do it at uni), but I'd say that, in general, the subject is brilliant and useful for later life! Even if you don't plan on doing a career in languages, it's got a huge advantage in showing your commitment and dedication to a difficult skill such as learning a language. Not only that, but you learn about another culture/s and study some of their media which can be fun. From a business point of view, it's obviously useful in that Spanish is a major language in South America, and I'm sure it proves useful in that way, but also it means you can interact with a large chunk of new media; I've read stuff online before where interviewers have gone for a candidate before because of their language skills.

That said, it's worth being aware of the pros and the cons. Spanish is difficult, like every language. Marks vary from subject to subject but if I remember correctly - don't take my word as definite - generally speaking it has one of the highest mark schemes, as well as some of the widest gaps (for instance, I do Edquas and there's something like a 20 mark gap between A and A*, but of course the gaps are lower the lower you go). It's also not as straightforward as GCSE where you just learn the language. You have to study Spanish issues and ideas, it's arguably as much (if not more) of a cultural subject as it is grammar - for instance, the 'photo card' task isn't like GCSE where you say what's in the photo. You look at the photo and talk for 5 minutes about the cultural discussion around the issues or ideas in the photo. You do also have to study at least one text (maybe two, but you can also do a film), and write an essay about both of them (as well as discussing it in your speaking in some exam boards I think?), so if that's not your thing be weary.

I realise that this post is mostly about the negatives, but if you're considering doing the subject at A Level I don't think you need me to talk to you about its many, many positives and interests! In short, the subject can take a fair bit of work, but it's hugely rewarding as you get to actually do something with all your time and practice and one of the great things about it compared to other subjects is that you can see/hear/feel your strengths and weaknesses to work on and appreciate. I hope this helps you think about it - feel free to reply or PM though if you want to talk more specifically about what the subject is like!

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erin11

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@emm4nuella

Reply 3

emm4nuella

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Original post by Chech33

Is a level Spanish a good choice?

yes i love it there are so many themes which is a good thing because it covers a wide range of topics! but as Castrovalva said - like any language, it is hard and you need to put a lot of effort in!