Lesson 5

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Ventajas y desventajas.

Tech is everywhere — but is it always a good thing? This is the lesson that unlocks the Higher tier: balanced argument writing. New grammar: impersonal se (se puede, se debe, hay que), connectives (sin embargo, por un lado, además) and at Higher, present subjunctive of opinion (no creo que sea bueno).

① KS3 review ② New GCSE vocab ③ Reading ④ Listening ⑤ Translation ⑥ Photo card ⑦ Role-play ⑧ Writing

Step 1 · Vocabulary you already know

Refresh your KS3 connectives.

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

¿La tecnología nos une o nos separa? — Sofía

Higher

El precio de estar siempre conectados — 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

Lo bueno y lo malo — Carlos

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

Higher

El debate europeo sobre los menores y las redes — 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 pros & cons of tech and the kind of questions you'll be asked.

Foto A

A grandmother and granddaughter doing a video call together, both smiling

Foto B

A teenager looking sad while reading a cyberbullying message on her phone

1.¿Qué hay en las fotos? Describe las dos fotos. Compulsory
2.¿Cuáles son las ventajas y desventajas de la tecnología para los jóvenes?
3.¿Te preocupan los peligros como el ciberacoso o las noticias falsas? ¿Por qué (no)?
4.¿Crees que la tecnología nos une o nos separa? (opinión + razón)

Describing the two photos — model answer

The first question is compulsory: say at least one thing about each photo. Here is a model description of each one — tap the speaker to hear it.

Foto A. En la primera foto se ve a una abuela y a su nieta hablando por videollamada. Las dos sonríen y se saludan con la mano. La abuela está en el pueblo, en una cocina antigua, y la nieta en su habitación con pósters de música. Es un ejemplo perfecto de cómo la tecnología nos une, sobre todo a generaciones diferentes.
In the first photo you can see a grandmother and her granddaughter talking on a video call. They are both smiling and waving. The grandma is in the village, in an old kitchen, and the granddaughter in her bedroom with music posters. It's a perfect example of how technology brings us together, especially across different generations.

Foto B. En la segunda foto hay una chica adolescente leyendo un mensaje en su móvil con una expresión muy triste. Parece que está recibiendo mensajes de ciberacoso. Su habitación está oscura y ella está sola. Esta foto muestra el lado oscuro de la tecnología: el ciberacoso es un problema serio que afecta a muchos jóvenes.
In the second photo there's a teenage girl reading a message on her phone with a very sad expression. It looks like she's getting cyberbullying messages. Her bedroom is dark and she's alone. This photo shows the dark side of technology: cyberbullying is a serious problem affecting many young people.

Useful vocabulary & phrases

Para empezar: en la primera / segunda foto hay… (in the first/second photo there is) · se ve(n)… (you can see) · al fondo (in the background) · en primer plano (in the foreground) · parece (it looks like)

Describir la videollamada (Foto A): una abuela y una nieta · hablar por videollamada · saludarse con la mano · generaciones diferentes · la tecnología nos une

Describir el ciberacoso (Foto B): una chica adolescente · leer un mensaje · una expresión triste · el ciberacoso · el lado oscuro de la tecnología · un problema serio

Verbos clave: hay (there is/are) · se ve(n) (one can see) · está(n) + gerundio (is/are -ing) · lleva(n) (is/are wearing) · parece(n) (seems/look)

Then the conversation

Q2 — your typical holiday: Normalmente voy a la playa con mi familia en agosto. Pasamos una semana en un hotel.
Q3 — be specific: name the country and the people: Suelo ir al sur de España con mis padres y mi hermano, en avión.
Q4 — opinion + reason (where Higher students score): Prefiero las vacaciones de aventura porque me parecen más interesantes y conoces lugares nuevos.
Higher tier: add a tense beyond the present — El año pasado fui a Italia y lo pasé genial (preterite) or Me gustaría hacer un crucero por el Caribe (conditional + infinitive).

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 about technology. 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

Las ventajas y desventajas

≈ 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 ventajas y desventajas (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

España, los menores y las redes — un debate europeo

Spain's debate over banning social media for under-16s.

In 2024 Spain proposed a law to raise the minimum age for social media to 16. The debate echoes across Europe — France, Italy, the UK. Should the state protect young people from algorithms? Or is education a better answer? This is a high-impact topic for the Higher tier writing 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.