Lesson 3
Los exámenes y los estudios.
Exams, revision, pressure and your plans afterwards — the language for talking about studying and your future. 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 school 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 exámenes finales — Lucía
¿Exámenes justos?
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.
Estudio para mis exámenes — Sara
Mi cambio este año — Hugo
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 on the theme of exams and studying, and the kind of questions you'll be asked.
- 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe la escena. Compulsory
- 2.¿Tienes muchos exámenes este año? ¿Cómo te sientes?
- 3.¿Cómo estudias o repasas para los exámenes?
- 4.¿Qué quieres hacer después de los exámenes? (opinión + razón)
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 — sitting an exam. En la primera foto hay muchos alumnos haciendo un examen en el salón de actos del instituto. Están sentados en mesas individuales, separadas unas de otras, y todos llevan uniforme negro. En las mesas hay botellas de agua, calculadoras y estuches. Escriben en silencio, muy concentrados, y se les ve un poco nerviosos.
In the first photo there are lots of pupils sitting an exam in the school hall. They are sitting at individual desks, spaced apart from one another, and they are all wearing black uniform. On the desks there are water bottles, calculators and pencil cases. They are writing in silence, very focused, and they look a little nervous.
Foto B — revising together. En la segunda foto se ve a un grupo de estudiantes repasando juntos en una biblioteca. Llevan ropa informal, como sudaderas, y están rodeados de libros, apuntes y ordenadores portátiles. También hay un café sobre la mesa. Están trabajando en equipo y ayudándose a estudiar para sus exámenes.
In the second photo you can see a group of students revising together in a library. They are wearing casual clothes, like hoodies, and are surrounded by books, notes and laptops. There is also a coffee on the table. They are working as a team and helping each other to study for their exams.
Useful vocabulary & phrases
Para empezar: en la primera / segunda foto hay… (there is) · se ve(n)… (you can see) · unos estudiantes / una estudiante
Los exámenes: hacer un examen · estar nervioso / concentrado · sentir presión / estrés · aprobar / suspender
Estudiar: repasar · los apuntes · subrayar · hacer resúmenes · aprovechar el tiempo
Opinar (tu turno): los exámenes son importantes / estresantes · me siento… · …porque…
Then the conversation
- Q2 — exams & feelings: Tengo varios exámenes en junio y me siento un poco estresado/a porque hay mucha presión.
- Q3 — how you revise: Repaso mis apuntes cada tarde, hago resúmenes y exámenes de práctica.
- Q4 — opinion + reason (this is where Higher students score): Creo que los exámenes son necesarios, pero hay demasiada presión porque todo depende de unos días.
- Higher tier: use the conditional — Si pudiera, cambiaría el sistema de exámenes… — contrast antes (imperfect) with ahora, and justify your opinion.
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 friend asks you about your exams and how you study. Your teacher plays your friend.
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 exámenes y mis estudios
≈ 50 words · 5 bullets · 10 marksDescribe tus exámenes y cómo estudias. Menciona los cinco puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 50 palabras en español.
Los exámenes y los estudios
≈ 90 words · 3 bullets · 15 marksDescribe cómo te preparas para los exámenes, tu opinión y tus planes. 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.