Self Teaching Spanish AS - WJEC?

OP

Original post by BaconEmperor

I imagine they'd still let you go on the trip, if your language department is anything like mine they're more than happy to let you join in with trips/lessons because language departments are often much smaller and therefore value anyone who wants to be a part of them.

J'espère que ils me permettient aller avec eux... Bien que, je ne veuille pas étudier espagnol... In lessons actually, because I won't know anyone tbh, and plus, if they want me to do it they'll help, no?

Reply 23

OP

Also, bump.

Anyone else have experience with this in particular? Same board? Same language?

Reply 24

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Also, bump.

Anyone else have experience with this in particular? Same board? Same language?

Hey! Me again :wink:

I do AS Spanish with WJEC - it's admittedly easier than Edexcel. For the oral exam you pick at random from a selection of oral cards, but you can see the first three questions the examiner will ask you, which is of course really helpful in the preparation time. I'm with Edexcel for French and I couldn't see the oral questions, making it a lot harder to answer comprehension questions from the text in next to no time and having to preempt possible questions.
In the WJEC oral there is also a general conversation section where you have to talk about yourself for a few minutes and discuss interests, hobbies, what you're studying etc - another reason I prefer the WJEC oral!
Another difference about the oral is that WJEC oral cards usually just consist of an image or two, whereas AQA and Edexcel have more text requiring more comprehension skills.

In the written exam (Spanish WJEC), I would say that I found the reading questions a lot more difficult than French (Edexcel) and German (AQA), because there was a lot of vocab I didn't know, having started from scratch this year. The reading texts in WJEC were also really heavy and long compared to the reading texts in AQA!

However, I like the grammar and translation questions in WJEC - the grammar questions are multiple choice and therefore a lot easier than those in AQA. WJEC is also the only exam board I know of that does translation questions from the target language into English.

With WJEC you have a choice of four/five essays and each is pretty general, making it a lot easier to write a good essay on, for example, whereas Edexcel only has one essay which everyone has to do, which obviously makes it a lot tougher if the essay is on a topic you find really hard.

In my experience of all three exam boards (why can't my college use the same one!? :tongue:

) I'd say that WJEC is easier in general (despite a couple of pretty evil reading questions).
It might just be my teacher, but the essay marking also seems to be less harsh compared to Edexcel, having received higher marks for my Spanish essays than in French, despite only having studied Spanish for nine months!

Reply 25

OP

Original post by languagenerd

!

Hello!

Thank you for that :biggrin:

helps a lot!

The translation will be fun :awesome:

Any tips for learning it and self study? :mmm:

Reply 26

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Hello!

Thank you for that :biggrin:

helps a lot!

The translation will be fun :awesome:

Any tips for learning it and self study? :mmm:

Yeah, I like the translation too :smile:

I'd recommend going through a GCSE revision guide to learn basics and grammar, getting an AS revision guide, and keeping a book to record new vocab. When I first started, I had a few extra sessions with my teacher to bring me up to a similar level as others in my class, which really helped.

French has definitely helped me a lot with Spanish, so I am sure you'll find Spanish fine too as your French sounds great :biggrin:

Reply 27

OP

Original post by languagenerd

Yeah, I like the translation too :smile:

I'd recommend going through a GCSE revision guide to learn basics and grammar, getting an AS revision guide, and keeping a book to record new vocab. When I first started, I had a few extra sessions with my teacher to bring me up to a similar level as others in my class, which really helped.

French has definitely helped me a lot with Spanish, so I am sure you'll find Spanish fine too as your French sounds great :biggrin:

Thank you

Obviously, I might not have teachers... But I'll try and get a session every now and then? :lol:

Reply 28

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Thank you

Obviously, I might not have teachers... But I'll try and get a session every now and then? :lol:

No problem :smile:

I'd still ask the Spanish teacher at your school if they'd be willing to maybe set you some extra work and answer any questions if you get stuck. You could also ask a teacher to mark essays to help prepare for exams? Grammar and vocab is fine to learn yourself, but it might help to get exam tips and find out what the examiners are looking for etc, if you take the exams :smile:

Suerte

Reply 29

OP

Original post by languagenerd

No problem :smile:

I'd still ask the Spanish teacher at your school if they'd be willing to maybe set you some extra work and answer any questions if you get stuck. You could also ask a teacher to mark essays to help prepare for exams? Grammar and vocab is fine to learn yourself, but it might help to get exam tips and find out what the examiners are looking for etc, if you take the exams :smile:

Suerte

Yeah! That's true :smile:

What kind of essays are there?

Reply 30

OP

Also, my French A Level will be WJEC also, so...

In terms of exam tips and that, I can apply that, righr?

Reply 31

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Yeah! That's true :smile:

What kind of essays are there?

Just realised I forgot to put in an example! Things like "due to the economic crisis young people have fewer possibilities to find work" do you agree with the statement? What solutions are there?

Or "The sedentary lifestyle of many teenagers has provoked the obesity crisis among young people" do you agree with the statement? What solutions are there?

Just a couple of examples from a Spanish past paper, French will be a similar structure, I should think :smile:

Reply 32

OP

Original post by languagenerd

Just realised I forgot to put in an example! Things like "due to the economic crisis young people have fewer possibilities to find work" do you agree with the statement? What solutions are there?

Or "The sedentary lifestyle of many teenagers has provoked the obesity crisis among young people" do you agree with the statement? What solutions are there?

Just a couple of examples from a Spanish past paper, French will be a similar structure, I should think :smile:

The second one... Don't even understand that :facepalm:

I'm gonna fail this if I do it :eek:

Reply 33

Original post by L'Evil Fish

The second one... Don't even understand that :facepalm:

I'm gonna fail this if I do it :eek:

I think I translated the verb wrongly :s-smilie:

'caused' would make more sense :tongue:

And, of course you won't fail! :smile:

I prefer the WJEC essays, those were probably bad examples, but they're a lot more general and less rigid than Edexcel (where you have to talk about four specific points).

Reply 34

OP

Original post by languagenerd

I think I translated the verb wrongly :s-smilie:

'caused' would make more sense :tongue:

And, of course you won't fail! :smile:

I prefer the WJEC essays, those were probably bad examples, but they're a lot more general and less rigid than Edexcel (where you have to talk about four specific points).

I mean the word beginning with s..

:lol:

fair enough, how long must it be?

Reply 35

Original post by L'Evil Fish

I mean the word beginning with s..

:lol:

fair enough, how long must it be?

Oh, just a posh word for 'lazy' :wink:

About 250 words :smile:

Reply 36

OP

Original post by languagenerd

Oh, just a posh word for 'lazy' :wink:

About 250 words :smile:

250 words? That's quite short... Hmmm...

Reply 37

Original post by L'Evil Fish

250 words? That's quite short... Hmmm...

Yeah, it is, I wish the essays were longer, really. Edexcel essays are only 200-220 words and you have to cover four bullet points, so about 50 words for each bullet plus a really short intro and conclusion :/

Reply 38

OP

Original post by languagenerd

Yeah, it is, I wish the essays were longer, really. Edexcel essays are only 200-220 words and you have to cover four bullet points, so about 50 words for each bullet plus a really short intro and conclusion :/

That sucks! But it's easier I guess :lol:

but what kind of content would get you top marks? :redface:

Reply 39