Revision by theme
Each theme has its vocabulary with audio, the grammar it uses, practice exercises, a listening conversation, and speaking and writing tasks.
Getting Started
¡Empezamos!Spanish alphabet, pronunciation and essential basics. Skip if you already know these!The basics every theme on both specifications builds onFamily & Relationships
La familia y las relacionesDescribe family members, relationships and friendshipsAQA Theme 1, Identity and relationships with othersEdexcel My personal worldFree-Time Activities
Las actividades de tiempo libreSports, hobbies, music, TV and social mediaAQA Theme 2, Free-time activitiesEdexcel Lifestyle and wellbeing; Media and technologyCustoms, Festivals & Celebrations
Las costumbres, las fiestas y las celebracionesFestivals, customs and celebrations in Spain and at homeAQA Theme 2, Customs, festivals and celebrationsEdexcel Travel and tourismCelebrity Culture & Role Models
Los famosos y los modelos a seguirFamous people, role models and their achievementsAQA Theme 2, Celebrity cultureEdexcel Media and technology; My personal worldDaily Routine
La rutina diariaDaily activities, times and reflexive verbsAQA Theme 1, Healthy living and lifestyleEdexcel Lifestyle and wellbeingFood & Drink
La comida y la bebidaMeals, restaurant vocabulary and opinions on foodAQA Theme 1, Healthy living and lifestyleEdexcel Lifestyle and wellbeingHealth & Wellbeing
La salud y el bienestarThe body, illness, exercise, sleep, stress and healthy livingAQA Theme 1, Healthy living and lifestyleEdexcel Lifestyle and wellbeingSchool & Education
El instituto y la educaciónSchool subjects, opinions, rules and future plansAQA Theme 1, Education and workEdexcel Studying and my futureWork & Careers
El trabajo y las carrerasJobs, work experience and future career plansAQA Theme 1, Education and workEdexcel Studying and my futureHome & Local Area
La casa y mi zonaTypes of housing, rooms and describing where you liveAQA Theme 3, The environment and where people liveEdexcel My neighbourhoodTravel & Tourism
Los viajes y el turismoHoliday destinations, accommodation and travelAQA Theme 3, Travel and tourism, including places of interestEdexcel Travel and tourismThe Environment
El medio ambienteEnvironmental problems and solutions, at home and around the worldAQA Theme 3, The environment and where people liveEdexcel My neighbourhoodMedia & Technology
Los medios y la tecnologíaDevices, social media, TV and gaming, advantages and disadvantagesAQA Theme 3, Media and technologyEdexcel Media and technology
The words every topic uses (common verbs, describing words, time words, connectives, question words) are on GCSE Spanish core words, with audio and self-tests. With the themes, they teach over 90% of each board's vocabulary list, and every theme word is labelled for both lists.
How these themes match the current specifications
AQA (8692) and Pearson Edexcel (1SP1) were rewritten for first exams in 2026 (first taught from September 2024), with new theme names: these are the specifications for 2027 exams too. Our themes are organised by topic, so each one sits under the board's theme below. Both boards test the same DfE grammar, but each has its own word list, and most words are on both: each theme page labels every word for both lists, and you can set your board at the top of a theme page. Any paper can use any theme.
AQA 8692: three themes
| AQA theme and topic | Revise with |
|---|---|
| Theme 1: People and lifestyle | |
| Identity and relationships with others | Family & Relationships |
| Healthy living and lifestyle | Daily Routine, Food & Drink, Health & Wellbeing |
| Education and work | School & Education, Work & Careers |
| Theme 2: Popular culture | |
| Free-time activities | Free-Time Activities |
| Customs, festivals and celebrations | Customs, Festivals & Celebrations |
| Celebrity culture | Celebrity Culture & Role Models |
| Theme 3: Communication and the world around us | |
| Travel and tourism, including places of interest | Travel & Tourism |
| Media and technology | Media & Technology |
| The environment and where people live | Home & Local Area, The Environment |
Pearson Edexcel 1SP1: six thematic contexts
| Edexcel thematic context | Revise with |
|---|---|
| My personal world | Family & Relationships, Celebrity Culture & Role Models |
| Lifestyle and wellbeing | Free-Time Activities, Daily Routine, Food & Drink, Health & Wellbeing |
| My neighbourhood | Home & Local Area, The Environment |
| Media and technology | Free-Time Activities, Media & Technology, Celebrity Culture & Role Models |
| Studying and my future | School & Education, Work & Careers |
| Travel and tourism | Travel & Tourism, Customs, Festivals & Celebrations |
For the Edexcel picture task you're offered two thematic contexts at random and choose one two weeks before the test: revise the themes listed against the one you chose.
Exam practice
Practice in the format of the exam tasks, for both boards and tiers.
- Listening paperSounds and dictationEvery Spanish sound the GCSE tests, with audio and mini dictations, then dictation papers in each board's format, marked the board's way: meaning and spelling for AQA, spelling for Pearson.
- Listening paperListening exam papersPractice listening papers in each board's format and tier, with audio: an exam mode with the real plays and pauses, a learn mode with replays and the transcript, marked instantly.
- Extra listeningMore listening: conversations and storiesSpanish conversations and stories with comprehension questions. Every theme page also has a GCSE-style conversation with questions.Numbers and prices by ear →
- Reading paperReading exam papersPractice reading papers in each board's format and tier, marked instantly, with the line in the text that gives each answer.Reading texts by theme →
- Writing paperWriting tasksEvery writing task for both boards and tiers, with a live word count, a bullet checklist, a timeframe checker and annotated model answers.
- Reading and writing papers TranslationSpanish to English and English to Spanish at the exam lengths, marked part by part against the versions we accept.
- Speaking examSpeaking tasksRole-plays with a recorded teacher, read-aloud texts and photo cards for both boards and tiers, with model answers and an exam mode with preparation time.
- All four papersMock exam papersA full mock for each board and tier: listening with audio, reading, writing and speaking at full length and the official times, marked where it can be and with model answers.
Grammar checklist
The grammar each tier requires, from the DfE subject content that AQA and Edexcel share. Each topic links to its grammar guide, and to a practice set where there is one. Tick off topics as you revise.
Required grammar
Needed on both tiers
Additional grammar
Higher adds these to everything in Foundation
Beyond the specification
Not required on either tier. If you know them, they count as complex language, but spend your time on the lists above first.
Exam tip: In AQA's 90-word task and Pearson's 80-90 and 130-150 word tasks, the top language marks need references to the past, present and future (three timeframes), and the band below needs at least two (AQA's 150-word task expects two); Pearson's speaking conversation asks for three timeframes in its top band too. No single structure is required for a grade. Complex language earns credit, and at Higher you should know the subjunctive in its set uses, such as Cuando sea mayor, quiero ser médico.
Speaking exam
Both boards give you 15 minutes' preparation, then 7 to 9 minutes at Foundation or 10 to 12 minutes at Higher. The three tasks come in a different order.
AQA (8692)
- Role-play: Five tasks in English on the card, including asking a question. About 1 to 1.5 minutes.
- Reading aloud: Read a short text aloud (35+ words Foundation, 50+ Higher), then answer four questions on its topic.
- Photo card: Talk about both photos (say at least one thing about each), then an unprepared conversation on the card's theme.
Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
- Read aloud: Read a short text aloud (35 to 40 words in 5 sentences at Foundation, 50 to 55 words in 4 sentences at Higher), then answer two unprepared questions.
- Role play: A transactional setting (café, hotel, station...), five prompts in English. Ask one question at Foundation, two at Higher.
- Picture task: Describe one of two pictures (people, location, activity), answer two questions about yourself, then a conversation on the thematic context you chose two weeks before.
On both boards
- In the role-play, check which task asks you to ask a question
- Describe pictures with "En la foto hay..." / "Veo..."
- Develop answers: opinion + reason + example
- Use connectives: además, sin embargo, por eso
- Refer to the past, present and future where you can: Pearson's top conversation marks ask for all three, and it shows range on AQA too
Writing exam
The two boards set different tasks. Word counts are a guide, not a limit.
AQA (8692)
Foundation
- Five sentences about a photo
- About 50 words, five bullet points
- Five grammar gap-fills (five sentences, each with three words to choose from)
- Translate into Spanish (sentences, at least 35 words)
- About 90 words, three bullet points (choice of two)
Higher
- Translate into Spanish (sentences, at least 50 words)
- About 90 words, three bullet points (choice of two)
- About 150 words, two bullet points (choice of two)
Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
Foundation
- Four sentences about a photo
- A formal task of 40-50 words (choice of two)
- An informal task of 80-90 words (choice of two)
- Translate into Spanish (five sentences)
Higher
- An informal task of 80-90 words (choice of two)
- A formal task of 130-150 words (choice of two)
- Translate into Spanish (a short paragraph)
Tips for every task
- Cover every bullet point in the task
- Refer to past, present and future where the task allows
- Give opinions with reasons (porque, ya que)
- Check adjective agreement and verb endings
- Translation: identify each verb's tense, watch for false friends (exciting ≠ excitante) and don't translate word for word
Listening exam
AQA (8692)
- Five minutes' reading time before the recording starts
- Section A (comprehension): each item is played twice; questions in English, answers in English or by choosing
- Section B (dictation): each sentence is played three times - in full, in short sections, then in full again
Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
- Five minutes' reading time before the recording starts
- Every extract is played three times
- Comprehension questions are in English and you answer in English; the dictation is written in Spanish
Numbers and prices
- Listen for "y" in numbers above 30 (treinta y cinco = 35)
- Watch similar sounds: sesenta (60) vs setenta (70)
- Prices can be said several ways: "tres euros cincuenta"
- Know quantifiers: medio (half), más de (more than)
Watch for traps
- Use the reading time to read every question and underline key words
- The recording often uses different words from the question
- Listen to the end: speakers sometimes change their mind
- "Pero" and "sin embargo" often come before the real answer
Dictation: both boards now end the listening paper with a dictation, which tests how Spanish sounds are spelt (ll, ñ, j, silent h; written accents and stress at Higher). Learn the sounds and practise a dictation in your board's format: GCSE Spanish phonics and dictation.
Reading exam
Comprehension questions are in English and you answer in English (or by choosing), then you translate from Spanish into English.
AQA (8692)
Foundation 45 minutes, 50 marks
Higher 1 hour, 50 marks
- Section A (comprehension): short and longer texts; questions in English, answered in English or by writing a letter in a box
- Some questions ask you to work out a single word that is not on the vocabulary list, from the sentence around it
- Section B (translation into English): at least 35 words at Foundation, 50 at Higher; give the meaning, not a word-for-word copy
Texts: Public notices, adverts, brochure extracts, newspapers, magazines, emails and websites.
Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
Foundation 45 minutes, 50 marks
Higher 1 hour, 50 marks
- Section A (40 marks): multiple-choice, multiple-response and short open questions, all in English, answered in English
- Section A includes two words per tier that are not on the vocabulary list: work them out from the context
- Section B (10 marks): translation into English, five sentences at Foundation and one passage at Higher
Texts: Blogs, internet forums, adverts, tourist brochures, newspaper and magazine articles, emails, diary extracts and school projects.
How to approach the paper
- Read the question and its English title first: they tell you what the text is about and what to look for
- Find the part of the text the question refers to, then read the whole sentence around it
- Watch for negatives (no, nunca, ya no) and words that flip the meaning (pero, sin embargo)
- Check the tense: questions often test whether something happened, happens or will happen
- An unknown word? Use the sentence around it, a cognate or a word family (panadería → pan), and watch for false friends
- Answer in English and give only what the question asks
Translation into English
- Translate every word, but write natural English: me gusta jugar al fútbol is "I like playing football"
- Keep each verb's tense and person: fuimos is "we went", iba is "used to go" or "was going"
- Don't skip the small words: también, siempre, muy, mucho change the meaning
- Read your English back: if it doesn't make sense, look again at the Spanish
Reading practice by AQA theme
Each text has comprehension questions with instant answers. Each text is listed once, under the AQA theme of its topic, easiest first. They are general practice texts, not written to the exam word lists: A1 and A2 texts suit Foundation, B1 texts suit Higher, and B2 texts go beyond GCSE.
Theme 1: People and lifestyle
Theme 2: Popular culture
Theme 3: Communication and the world around us
Official exam board resources
Links to the current specifications and sample papers. Last checked 18 October 2026.
AQA (8692)
- AQA GCSE Spanish (8692) specificationVersion 1.3, September 2025
- AQA GCSE Spanish support and resources (specimen papers, vocabulary)
Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE Spanish (1SP1) qualification page
- Pearson Edexcel specification (PDF)Issue 2, May 2025
- Pearson Edexcel sample assessment materials (PDF)Issue 3, August 2025
Department for Education
This course covers AQA and Pearson Edexcel. Eduqas also offers GCSE Spanish; its papers differ.