Lesson 6
Hábitos buenos y malos.
Smoking, alcohol, junk food and screen time — the good and bad habits of a healthy (or unhealthy) lifestyle, and the resolutions to change them. Work through the eight steps below: learn the words, read, listen, translate, then practise the photo card, role-play and writing exactly as they appear in the AQA exam.
Refresh your KS3 lifestyle words.
You met all of these in earlier years. Tap any word to hear it, and check the model sentence to see it in action. These are the building blocks — make sure they're solid before the new GCSE words.
Twenty new GCSE words.
Each card shows the word, its meaning, a model sentence and a tag: F on the AQA list (Foundation & Higher), H Higher only, útil not on AQA's list but very useful for speaking & writing. Tap to listen.
Read, then answer.
Two texts on the same topic — a Foundation text and a tougher Higher text. Read each one, then answer the questions in English underneath. They mark themselves: tap your answer and you'll see straight away if you're right.
Mis hábitos — Elena
La tecnología y yo
Listen, then answer.
Press play to hear the passage read aloud, as many times as you need, then answer the English questions. You can reveal the transcript afterwards to check what you heard.
🎧 Native-quality audio. Play it as many times as you need — just like the real exam, where each recording is played twice.
Buenos hábitos — Marta
Reducir el azúcar — Diego
Translate both ways.
First Spanish → English (reading translation), then English → Spanish (the harder direction, tested in Paper 4). Have a go on paper, then tap to reveal the model answer and compare.
Translate into English
Translate into Spanish
Describe the photo card.
In the speaking exam you get a card with two photos from one theme. You must say at least one thing about each photo, then have a conversation on the topic. Here are two photos of habits and the kind of questions you'll be asked.
- 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe lo que hacen las personas. Compulsory
- 2.¿Tienes buenos o malos hábitos? Da ejemplos.
- 3.¿Qué piensas del tabaco y el alcohol entre los jóvenes?
- 4.¿Qué vas a hacer en el futuro para tener una vida más sana? (opinión + futuro)
Describing the photos — model answer
The first question is compulsory: say at least one thing about each photo. Below are two model descriptions you can adapt to whoever is in the picture — tap the speaker to hear them.
Foto A — a bad habit. En la primera foto hay un chico tumbado en la cama por la noche, mirando el móvil en la oscuridad. Lleva una camiseta negra y la única luz de la habitación viene de la pantalla del teléfono. Parece cansado y no puede dormir. Usar el móvil hasta tarde es un mal hábito muy común, porque afecta al sueño.
In the first photo there is a boy lying in bed at night, looking at his phone in the dark. He is wearing a black T-shirt and the only light in the room comes from the phone screen. He looks tired and can't sleep. Using your phone late at night is a very common bad habit, because it affects your sleep.
Foto B — a good habit. En la segunda foto se ve a una chica en el gimnasio bebiendo agua de una botella. Lleva ropa de deporte negra y tiene el pelo recogido en una coleta. Detrás de ella hay pesas y máquinas. Hacer ejercicio y mantenerse hidratada son hábitos muy buenos para la salud.
In the second photo you can see a girl at the gym drinking water from a bottle. She is wearing black sportswear and has her hair tied back in a ponytail. Behind her there are weights and machines. Doing exercise and staying hydrated are very good habits for your health.
Useful vocabulary & phrases
Para empezar: en la primera / segunda foto hay… (there is) · se ve a… (you can see) · un joven / una persona
Malos hábitos: fumar · beber alcohol · comer comida basura · pasar demasiado tiempo con el móvil / en las redes sociales · estar enganchado
Buenos hábitos: hacer deporte · comer sano · dormir bien · beber agua · usar el móvil con moderación
Opinar (tu turno): es malo / peligroso para la salud · los jóvenes deberían… · en el futuro voy a… · …porque…
Then the conversation
- Q2 — your habits: Un buen hábito que tengo es … pero mi mal hábito es …
- Q3 — smoking/alcohol: Creo que el tabaco y el alcohol son muy malos / peligrosos porque …
- Q4 — opinion + future (this is where Higher students score): En el futuro voy a reducir el tiempo de pantalla y hacer más ejercicio.
- Higher tier: contrast antes (imperfect) with ahora, use voy a / me gustaría for the future, and dejar de + infinitivo.
The role-play.
The instructions are in English. You must answer the prompts and ask one question (the ! bullet). Try it out loud first, then reveal the model answers.
Your Spanish exchange partner asks you about healthy and unhealthy habits. Your teacher plays your exchange partner.
Model answers & tips
Write your answer.
Two tasks in the real exam style — a Foundation ~50-word task (five bullets) and a Higher ~90-word task (three bullets). Use the sentence starters (tap to drop them into the pad) and the useful vocab, then compare with a model answer.
Mis hábitos
≈ 50 words · 5 bullets · 10 marksDescribe tus hábitos buenos y malos. Menciona los cinco puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 50 palabras en español.
Mis hábitos y el futuro
≈ 90 words · 3 bullets · 15 marksDescribe tus hábitos y lo que vas a cambiar en el futuro. Menciona los tres puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 90 palabras en español.
Foundation answers cover all the bullets with clear, accurate present-tense sentences joined by y, pero and porque, plus at least one opinion. Higher answers do all that and then reach further: more than one tense (e.g. imperfect vivía, near future voy a, conditional me gustaría), opinions with developed reasons, a wider range of connectives (aunque, sin embargo, además) and more ambitious vocabulary. The biggest single lift from Foundation to Higher is justifying opinions and using a second and third tense accurately.