Thinking of doing Spanish a level - please help!

I love Spanish and everything to do with the language such as the culture and the history. However, I am terrified of oral exams and I was wondering if someone could please tell me how they're set out such as how much preparation time there is? Please help!

Reply 1

tinkerbella~

Original post by Ringoftheshire

Which exam board would you be doing? They vary a little between boards :smile:

but in general, they're really not as bad as you think!

Reply 2

Walkingdeadlover

Original post by Ringoftheshire

I dont have much information on Spanish A-level but all i can say is do something youre passionate about. I regret 100% not taking french to this day as i go to uni. I recommend sitting with your teachers to discuss options :smile:

Reply 3

Ringoftheshire

Original post by tinkerbella~

Which exam board would you be doing? They vary a little between boards :smile:

but in general, they're really not as bad as you think!

The college does not yet know what the exam board is as it is changing, but do you happen to know what they're like in general?

Reply 4

Espero247

I'm doing A2 Spanish! My oral was last week :smile:

With AQA the oral exams are slightly different for AS and A2 but you get 20 mins prep time (you prepare a stimulus card on a topic you've studied) then the actual exam is 15 mins. You talk for 5 mins about the card then the rest is on things you've studied. The orals are quite nerve racking but if you're prepared and just relax, they're really fun! And the AQA examiners are always really nice :smile:

I love Spanish so much and I'd definitely reccommend taking it! Although its by far my hardest A level (My others are maths and biology) because there is a huge jump between GCSE and AS. I remember hating it at first because of the massive gap but trust me it gets better and its 100% worth it :smile:

Reply 5

tinkerbella~

Original post by Ringoftheshire

The college does not yet know what the exam board is as it is changing, but do you happen to know what they're like in general?

From a quick glance at the websites, it seems like the average for the new A-Levels is around 15 minutes preparation time. You should get a choice of two topics and then be allowed to take any notes you make in the preparation time into the actual exam. Then you can just literally read out your answers. If you have time, you can also write down extra bits that you think they might ask you about so you have some idea of how to respond.

Honestly, I used to hate the speaking exams so much at GCSE but now I find them probably the easiest exams to pick up marks on. They're normally marked quite leniently I think and especially if you do them with your teachers, they'll want to help you get the best mark possible. I did both my AS and A2 with external examiners and they weren't even that bad :smile:

I don't know if that's of any use, I could go into more detail about what I had to do but it's changing anyway so I didn't bother, so if you have any more questions just ask! I really wouldn't let a fear of oral exams stop you from taking Spanish to A Level though :h: