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

Refresh your KS3 TV & film 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

Mis series favoritas — Sofía

Higher

El cine español: una historia de éxito — 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

Una noche de cine en familia — Carlos

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

Almodóvar, el director de los sentimientos — 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 tv & film and the kind of questions you'll be asked.

Foto AA teenage family on the sofa watching Netflix together with popcorn
Foto BA modern Spanish cinema lobby with a poster for a Pedro Almodóvar film
  1. 1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe las dos fotos. Compulsory
  2. 2.¿Qué tipo de películas o series sueles ver?
  3. 3.¿Prefieres ver pelis en casa o ir al cine? ¿Por qué?
  4. 4.¿Qué piensas del cine y las series españolas? (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 chatting to a Spanish friend about what to watch tonight. 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

    La televisión y el cine

    ≈ 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

    La televisión y el cine (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

    El cine español: de Almodóvar a La Casa de Papel

    Spanish cinema's quiet conquest of the world's screens — and the vocabulary to talk about it.

    If you've watched Netflix, you've probably watched a Spanish production without realising it. La Casa de Papel, Élite, Vis a Vis — all Spanish, all global hits. And behind them lies a tradition reaching back to Luis Buñuel and forward to Pedro Almodóvar. Knowing this stuff makes your GCSE answers stand out.

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