GCSE Spanish Revision
Vocabulary, grammar, and practice organised by theme
Revision by Theme
Click a theme to access vocabulary lists, grammar focus, and exam practice
Getting Started
¡Empezamos!
Spanish alphabet, pronunciation, and essential basics. Skip if you already know these!
Family & Relationships
La familia y las relaciones
Describe family members, relationships, and friendships
Free Time & Hobbies
El tiempo libre
Sports, hobbies, music, TV, and social media
Daily Routine
La rutina diaria
Daily activities, times, and reflexive verbs
Food & Drink
La comida y la bebida
Meals, restaurant vocabulary, and opinions on food
School & Education
El instituto y la educación
School subjects, opinions, rules, and future plans
Work & Careers
El trabajo y las carreras
Jobs, work experience, and future career plans
Home & Local Area
La casa y mi zona
Types of housing, rooms, and describing where you live
Travel & Holidays
Los viajes y las vacaciones
Holiday destinations, accommodation, and travel
Environment & Global Issues
El medio ambiente
Environmental problems and solutions (mainly Higher tier)
Technology & Social Media
La tecnología
Devices, social media, advantages and disadvantages
Grammar Checklist
The grammar each tier requires, from the DfE subject content that AQA and Edexcel share. Tick off topics as you revise.
Required Grammar
Foundation papers award grades 1-5
Additional Grammar
Higher papers award grades 4-9 and add 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.
Speaking Exam
Both boards give you 15 minutes' preparation, then 7-9 minutes (Foundation) or 10-12 minutes (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 (5 sentences Foundation, 4 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 bullet 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 in the conversation
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 covering five bullet points
- Five grammar gap-fills (choose from three options)
- Translate into Spanish (at least 35 words)
- About 90 words covering three bullet points (choice of two)
Higher
- Translate into Spanish (at least 50 words)
- About 90 words covering three bullet points (choice of two)
- About 150 words covering 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 five sentences into Spanish
Higher
- An informal task of 80-90 words (choice of two)
- A formal task of 130-150 words (choice of two)
- Translate a short paragraph into Spanish
✍️ Tips for every task
- Cover every bullet point; the mark scheme checks each one
- 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 & Prices
- Listen for "y" in numbers above 30 (treinta y cinco = 35)
- Watch similar sounds: sesenta (60) vs setenta (70)
- Prices can be said multiple 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 signal the real answer
Official Exam Board Resources
Links to the current specifications and sample papers. Last checked 11 October 2026.
📋 AQA (8692)
📋 Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)
This course covers AQA and Pearson Edexcel. Eduqas also offers GCSE Spanish; its papers differ.
Ready to start revising?
Begin with the basics or jump straight into the themes if you already know them.