The CCEA GCSE Spanish specification develops students’ enthusiasm for the language while increasing their confidence in the four key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Three contexts for learning provide plenty of variety and scope for investigating, understanding, describing, discussing and giving opinions. The contexts are:

• identity, lifestyle and culture
• local, national, international and global areas of interest
• school life, studies and the world of work.

This qualification builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills developed through the Modern Languages Area of Learning.

There is an external examination for each of the specification’s four assessment units, each worth 25% of the overall mark. The teacher conducts and records the speaking exam for our examiners to mark, and students have the opportunity to prepare one of the conversation topics in advance.

This specification is unitised, so it’s possible to take part of the assessment at the end of the first year of study.

The specification has four units:

• Unit 1: Listening
• Unit 2: Speaking
• Unit 3: Reading
• Unit 4: Writing.