Hillside Espanol — lengua, cultura, curiosidad
Step 1 · Vocabulary you already know

Refresh your KS3 environment words.

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

El plástico en el mar — Lucía

Higher

El Mar Menor: una tragedia anunciada — 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

La contaminación en mi ciudad — Carlos

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

Doñana en peligro — 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 environmental problems and the kind of questions you'll be asked.

Foto AA beach full of plastic rubbish washed up by the tide, with seagulls
Foto BA dried-up reservoir in southern Spain showing severe drought
  1. 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe las dos fotos. Compulsory
  2. 2.¿Qué problema medioambiental te preocupa más?
  3. 3.¿Hay problemas medioambientales en tu zona? ¿Cuáles?
  4. 4.¿Crees que se está haciendo lo suficiente? (opinión + razón)
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 taking part in a Spanish school debate on the environment. Your teacher will play the part of the moderator.

    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

    Los problemas medioambientales

    ≈ 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 problemas medioambientales (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.

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    Bonus · Cultural read

    Doñana, Mar Menor y la gran sequía: las heridas verdes de España

    Three environmental crises shaping the Spanish conversation.

    Climate change isn't an abstract topic for Spain — it's already here. The Iberian Peninsula is warming faster than the global average, droughts are becoming the longest in living memory, and entire ecosystems are collapsing. Knowing about Doñana, the Mar Menor and the great drought gives any exam answer authentic local depth.

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