Lesson 4
La televisión y el cine.
TV and film — the programmes and films you like, how you watch them and your opinions. 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 TV & film 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.
Series y películas — Diego
Series en versión original — Elena
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.
Me encantan las comedias — Marta
Documentales y ciencia ficción — 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 about TV and the cinema and the kind of questions you'll be asked.
- 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe la escena. Compulsory
- 2.¿Qué tipo de programas o películas te gustan?
- 3.¿Cómo y cuándo ves la tele? ¿Vas al cine?
- 4.¿Pasamos demasiado tiempo frente a la pantalla? (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 — watching TV. En la primera foto hay una familia viendo la televisión en el salón por la noche. Están sentados juntos en el sofá y parece que disfrutan de una serie o una película. Ver la tele en familia es una forma muy común y cómoda de relajarse.
In the first photo there is a family watching television in the living room in the evening. They are sitting together on the sofa and seem to be enjoying a series or a film. Watching TV as a family is a very common, comfortable way to relax.
Foto B — at the cinema. En la segunda foto se ve a unos amigos en el cine. Están sentados viendo una película en una pantalla grande y comen palomitas. Ir al cine con los amigos es una forma muy popular de pasar el fin de semana.
In the second photo you can see some friends at the cinema. They are sitting watching a film on a big screen and eating popcorn. Going to the cinema with friends is a very popular way to spend the weekend.
Useful vocabulary & phrases
Para empezar: en la primera / segunda foto hay… (there is) · se ve a… (you can see) · unos jóvenes / un grupo de amigos
Ver la tele: ver una serie / una película · una comedia · de acción / de terror · un documental · ir al cine · una plataforma
Opiniones: emocionante · entretenido · gracioso · aburrido · me hace reír · me engancha · trata de…
Opinar (tu turno): mi tipo de película favorito es… · me gusta … porque es entretenido · paso demasiado tiempo frente a la pantalla
Then the conversation
- Q2 — what you watch: Me encantan las comedias porque me hacen reír.
- Q3 — how & when: Veo series en una plataforma por la noche y los viernes voy al cine.
- Q4 — opinion + reason (this is where Higher students score): Creo que pasamos demasiado tiempo frente a la pantalla, aunque ver series es muy relajante.
- Higher tier: add a tense — Antes veía dibujos animados… (imperfect) or me gustaría trabajar en el cine (conditional) — and an opinion with creo que / pienso que.
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 TV and films and what you like to watch. 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.
La televisión y el cine
≈ 50 words · 5 bullets · 10 marksDescribe qué ves en la tele y en el cine. Menciona los cinco puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 50 palabras en español.
La tele y el cine
≈ 90 words · 3 bullets · 15 marksDescribe qué ves ahora, qué veías antes y tu opinión sobre el tiempo de pantalla. 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.