Los influencers y las redes

Step 1 · Vocabulary you already know

Refresh your KS3 redes sociales.

You met all of these in Years 7–9. 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.

Step 2 · New for GCSE

Twenty new GCSE words.

Straight from the AQA prescribed vocabulary list. Each card shows the word, its meaning, a model sentence and its tier — F Foundation & Higher, H Higher only. Tap to listen.

Step 3 · Reading comprehension

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.

Foundation

Sigo a Ibai todos los días — Sofía

Higher

El imperio de los influencers — Mateo

Step 4 · Listening comprehension

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.

Foundation

Mis influencers favoritos — Carlos

Foundation passage · ~45 words · 0:18Carlos speaks.

Higher

La presión de ser influencer — Valentina

Higher passage · ~70 words · 0:31Valentina speaks.

Step 5 · Translation

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.

Spanish → English

Translate into English

English → Spanish

Translate into Spanish

Step 6 · Photo card (Paper 2 · 25 marks)

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 about influencers and the kind of questions you'll be asked.

Foto A

Ibai Llanos in front of two giant monitors, headset on, in a colourful streaming setup

Foto B

A teen girl recording a TikTok dance video with a ring light, surrounded by phone holders

1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe las dos fotos. Compulsory
2.¿A qué influencers o streamers sigues y por qué?
3.¿Crees que los jóvenes pasan demasiado tiempo viendo a influencers?
4.¿Es una buena profesión ser influencer? ¿Por qué (no)? (opinión + razón)

Describing the two photos — model answer

The first question is compulsory: say at least one thing about each photo. Here is a model description of each one — tap the speaker to hear it.

Foto A. En la primera foto se ve a Ibai Llanos, el streamer español, en su escritorio profesional con dos pantallas gigantes. Lleva auriculares con micrófono y está concentrado en un directo. Detrás se ven luces LED de colores azules y morados. La habitación parece un estudio de televisión profesional. Es una imagen del éxito y la profesionalización del streaming.
In the first photo you can see Ibai Llanos, the Spanish streamer, at his professional desk with two giant screens. He's wearing a headset with mic and concentrating on a livestream. Behind him you can see blue and purple LED lights. The room looks like a professional TV studio. It's an image of the success and professionalisation of streaming.

Foto B. En la segunda foto se ve a una chica adolescente grabando un vídeo de baile para TikTok. Tiene una luz de aro detrás del móvil y varios soportes para grabar desde ángulos diferentes. La habitación es típica de una adolescente española: pósters en las paredes y luces decorativas. Está concentrada, repitiendo la coreografía. Es una imagen de cómo cualquier joven puede ser influencer hoy en día.
In the second photo you can see a teenage girl recording a TikTok dance video. She has a ring light behind the phone and several stands to record from different angles. The room is typical of a Spanish teenager: posters on the walls and decorative lights. She's concentrating, repeating the choreography. It's an image of how any young person can be an influencer today.

Useful vocabulary & phrases

Para empezar: en la primera / segunda foto hay… (in the first/second photo there is) · se ve(n)… (you can see) · al fondo (in the background) · en primer plano (in the foreground) · parece (it looks like)

Describir a Ibai (Foto A): el streamer español · su escritorio profesional · dos pantallas gigantes · auriculares y micrófono · luces LED de colores · un estudio de TV profesional

Describir la TikToker (Foto B): una chica adolescente · grabar un vídeo de baile · la luz de aro · varios soportes · repetir la coreografía · cualquier joven puede ser influencer

Verbos clave: hay (there is/are) · se ve(n) (one can see) · está(n) + gerundio (is/are -ing) · lleva(n) (is/are wearing) · parece(n) (seems/look)

Then the conversation

Q2 — your typical holiday: Normalmente voy a la playa con mi familia en agosto. Pasamos una semana en un hotel.
Q3 — be specific: name the country and the people: Suelo ir al sur de España con mis padres y mi hermano, en avión.
Q4 — opinion + reason (where Higher students score): Prefiero las vacaciones de aventura porque me parecen más interesantes y conoces lugares nuevos.
Higher tier: add a tense beyond the present — El año pasado fui a Italia y lo pasé genial (preterite) or Me gustaría hacer un crucero por el Caribe (conditional + infinitive).

Step 7 · Role-play (Paper 2 · 10 marks)

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.

The situation

You are debating with a Spanish friend whether being an influencer is a real job. Your teacher will play the part of the friend.

Step 8 · Writing (Paper 4)

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.

Foundation · Q2

≈ 50 words · 5 bullets · 10 marks

Escribe sobre tus vacaciones. Menciona los cinco puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 50 palabras en español.

0 words · aim ~50

Higher · Q2 overlap

Los influencers y las redes (Higher)

≈ 90 words · 3 bullets · 15 marks

Escribe sobre tus vacaciones. Menciona los tres puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 90 palabras en español.

0 words · aim ~90

Foundation vs Higher — what's the difference?

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.

Bonus · Cultural read

El imperio de los influencers en español

Why Spanish-speaking influencers reach hundreds of millions of young people — and what worries us.

Spain and Latin America are influencer superpowers. Ibai Llanos has more Twitch followers than most British TV shows have viewers. El Rubius was one of the world's biggest YouTubers when YouTube was still new. Lola Lolita has nine million TikTok fans. But behind the numbers lie real concerns about young people, mental health and what fame is doing to creators themselves.

Throughout the article, the useful Spanish words and phrases are highlighted (with their meaning in brackets). Tap the on any phrase to hear it.

Los influencers y las redes.