Lesson 5
Refresh your KS3 reading 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.
Me encanta leer — Diego
Una lectora apasionada — 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.
Novelas de fantasía — Marta
Ahora leo muchísimo — 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 reading and books and the kind of questions you'll be asked.
- 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe la escena. Compulsory
- 2.¿Qué tipo de libros te gusta leer y por qué?
- 3.¿Cuándo y con qué frecuencia lees?
- 4.¿Es importante leer? (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 — reading in the garden. En la primera foto hay un joven leyendo un libro en el jardín. Lleva una camiseta de tirantes azul marino y pantalones cortos, y parece muy concentrado y relajado. Hace sol y buen tiempo. A su alrededor hay un jardín precioso con muchas flores blancas, plantas verdes y un pequeño estanque con agua. Detrás de él, dos personas mayores trabajan en el jardín, y sobre la mesa hay más libros y una botella de agua. Leer al aire libre es una forma estupenda de relajarse y de imaginar otros mundos.
In the first photo there is a young man reading a book in the garden. He is wearing a navy-blue vest top and shorts, and looks very focused and relaxed. It is sunny and the weather is lovely. Around him there is a beautiful garden with lots of white flowers, green plants and a small pond with water. Behind him, two older people are working in the garden, and on the table there are more books and a bottle of water. Reading outdoors is a great way to relax and to imagine other worlds.
Foto B — a bookshop. En la segunda foto se ve una librería antigua con estanterías llenas de libros. En primer plano, una mujer con una chaqueta negra y un bolso marrón está eligiendo un libro de un estante alto. Al fondo, el dueño de la tienda, un hombre mayor con el pelo blanco, está sentado en su mostrador, rodeado de libros. A través de la ventana se ve la calle, donde está lloviendo y el día está gris. Las librerías son lugares tranquilos y acogedores, perfectos para descubrir nuevas historias.
In the second photo you can see an old bookshop with shelves full of books. In the foreground, a woman wearing a black jacket and a brown bag is choosing a book from a high shelf. In the background, the shop owner — an older man with white hair — is sitting at his counter, surrounded by books. Through the window you can see the street, where it is raining and the day is grey. Bookshops are quiet, cosy places, perfect for discovering new stories.
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
La lectura: leer · una novela · un cómic · una historia de aventuras / de misterio · la biblioteca · el libro electrónico
Opiniones: interesante · entretenido · emocionante · aburrido · me engancha · trata de… · un buen argumento
Opinar (tu turno): mi libro favorito es… · me gusta leer porque uso la imaginación · leer es mejor que ver la tele
Then the conversation
- Q2 — what you read: Me encantan las novelas de aventuras porque son emocionantes.
- Q3 — when & how often: Leo un capítulo casi todas las noches antes de dormir.
- Q4 — opinion + reason (this is where Higher students score): Para mí, leer es esencial porque uso la imaginación y aprendo vocabulario nuevo.
- Higher tier: add a tense — Antes solo leía cómics… (imperfect) or me gustaría escribir una novela (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 reading and the books you like. 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 lectura
≈ 50 words · 5 bullets · 10 marksDescribe qué te gusta leer. Menciona los cinco puntos. Escribe aproximadamente 50 palabras en español.
La lectura
≈ 90 words · 3 bullets · 15 marksDescribe qué te gusta leer, qué leías antes y tus planes para 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.