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

Refresh your KS3 verbs of action.

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

Lo que hacemos en mi familia — Sofía

Higher

El sol que cambia España — 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

Cinco pequeños cambios — Carlos

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

El boom de las renovables — 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 solutions and the kind of questions you'll be asked.

Foto AA Spanish solar power plant in Extremadura with thousands of mirrors reflecting the sun
Foto BA teenage girl putting bottles into a yellow recycling bin in a Spanish street
  1. 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe las dos fotos. Compulsory
  2. 2.¿Qué haces tú para cuidar el medio ambiente?
  3. 3.¿Qué se hace en tu zona o colegio para ayudar al planeta?
  4. 4.¿Crees que las pequeñas acciones individuales sirven? (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 giving a Spanish friend advice on how to live more sustainably. 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

    Las soluciones

    ≈ 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

    Las soluciones (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

    Spain enchufada al sol: cómo se convirtió en líder de las renovables

    How Spain became one of Europe's biggest renewable-energy producers.

    Few people realise that more than half of Spain's electricity already comes from renewable sources. The country has gone from being heavily dependent on imported oil and gas to being a European leader in solar and wind power. This story — and the language to tell it — is gold for any environmental question.

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