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GCSE SpanishAQA 8692 · Edexcel 1SP1Updated

GCSE Spanish speaking practice

Every task in the speaking exam, in your board's format: hear the examiner, answer out loud, record yourself, then compare with a model answer.

Role-play →Examiner lines recorded, one at a timeRead aloud →The sounds to get right, model audioPhoto card and picture task →Describe, then the conversation
On this pageHow the speaking exam works
Practise

How the speaking exam works

On both boards the speaking test is 25% of your GCSE, worth 50 marks, and lasts 7 to 9 minutes at Foundation or 10 to 12 minutes at Higher, after 15 minutes' preparation. Your teacher conducts and records it; the board marks it. There are three tasks, in a different order on each board. Neither board has a separate general conversation now: the conversation is the second half of the last task.

AQA (8692)

Paper 2 (Speaking), 25% of the GCSE. Conducted and recorded by your teacher, marked by AQA.

Preparation

  • 15 minutes' supervised preparation immediately before the test, for all three cards: the role-play, the reading aloud task and the photo card
  • You can make as many notes as you like and use them at any point in the test; you hand them in at the end
  • No dictionary, and you may not read the text out loud during the preparation time
  • Marking stops at the maximum time: 9 minutes at Foundation, 12 at Higher

The three tasks, in order

TaskMarksFoundationHigher
1. Role-play101 to 1.5 minutes1 to 1.5 minutes
2. Reading aloud152 to 2.5 minutes in total3 to 3.5 minutes in total
3. Photo card254 to 5 minutes: about 1 minute on the photos, 3 to 4 minutes of conversation6 to 7 minutes: about 1.5 minutes on the photos, 4.5 to 5.5 minutes of conversation
1. Role-play: what happens

5 tasks, 2 marks each: 2 if the message is conveyed without ambiguity, 1 if it is partly conveyed or ambiguous.

  • The card sets the scene in English (in the sample cards you are talking to a Spanish-speaking friend, as tú) and gives five tasks in English
  • Your teacher plays the other person, reads a set Spanish introduction and speaks first, then reads each line exactly as printed
  • One task, marked ?, asks you to ask a question
  • Include a verb in every answer: without an accurate verb a task gets at most 1 mark

Foundation All five tasks are in the present tense, and each asks for one detail.

Higher Four tasks are in the present tense and one refers to another timeframe (past or future). Some tasks ask for two details, or an opinion and a reason.

2. Reading aloud: what happens

5 marks for pronunciation of the text, 10 for your answers to the four questions (marked as a whole).

  • Your teacher says "Lee el texto." You read a short text printed in separate sentences; the words assessed focus on the sound-symbol correspondences
  • Then your teacher asks four questions on the topic of the text, exactly as written in the Teacher's Booklet. They are unprepared, all in the present tense, and don't test whether you understood the text
  • Answer as fully as you can: the top band needs every question answered clearly, with at least two extended answers (three or more clauses) and another developed well (two clauses)

Foundation The text has at least 35 words.

Higher The text has at least 50 words and can include past and future forms.

3. Photo card: what happens

5 marks for talking about the photos, then 15 (communication) + 5 (range and accuracy of language) for the conversation.

  • The card has two photos (black and white in the sample materials) from one of the three themes; the same photos are used at both tiers
  • Your teacher says "Háblame de las fotos." Say at least one thing about each photo: talking about only one costs a mark. Any relevant content counts, even outside the theme
  • Then comes an unprepared conversation on any of the three topics of the card's theme. Your teacher chooses the questions as it goes and asks follow-ups such as ¿Por qué?
  • The reading aloud card and the photo card are always from different themes

Foundation About 1 minute on the photos, then 3 to 4 minutes of conversation.

Higher About 1.5 minutes on the photos, then 4.5 to 5.5 minutes of conversation.

Pearson Edexcel (1SP1)

Paper 1 (Speaking), 25% of the GCSE. Conducted and recorded by your teacher, marked by Pearson.

Preparation

  • 15 minutes' supervised preparation immediately before the test: 14 minutes in the preparation room, then 1 minute in the exam room when you may practise the read aloud text out loud (it is recorded but not marked)
  • Notes on one sheet of A4, and you may annotate the read aloud text; you can't write on the role play or picture cards
  • Two weeks before the test you choose the thematic context for the picture task, from two offered at random
  • No dictionary or other resources

The three tasks, in order

TaskMarksFoundationHigher
1. Read aloud121.5 to 2 minutes in total2 to 2.5 minutes in total
2. Role-play101 to 1.5 minutes1 to 1.5 minutes
3. Picture task284.5 to 5.5 minutes: description and questions 1.5 to 2, conversation 3 to 3.57 to 8 minutes: description and questions 2 to 2.5, conversation 5 to 5.5
1. Read aloud: what happens

8 marks for pronunciation (clarity and sound-symbol correspondences), 4 for the two answers (2 each).

  • The card gives a scenario in English (for example, a friend has written to you), then the text to read
  • You hand the card back, then your teacher asks two unprepared questions in the present tense about your likes, dislikes and opinions on the subject of the text
  • Questions are asked as printed and may be repeated up to twice, never rephrased. A one-word answer gets at most 1 mark
  • You are not marked on your accent: an English accent is fine as long as the sounds are clear and right

Foundation 35 to 40 words in 5 sentences.

Higher 50 to 55 words in 4 sentences.

2. Role-play: what happens

5 prompts, 2 marks each: 2 fully communicated, 1 partly or ambiguous; a one-word answer gets at most 1.

  • Always a transactional setting: café or restaurant, shop or market, hotel, train station, tourist information office, cinema, theatre or concert hall, campsite, leisure centre, doctor's or hospital, or in town
  • The setting is formal, but you don't have to use usted. Your teacher introduces the scene in English, plays the employee and speaks first
  • Five prompts in English. The lines are read exactly as printed and may be repeated up to twice

Foundation Ask one question. Present tense (or a familiar conditional such as me gustaría).

Higher Ask two questions. Present tense (or me gustaría), and one question to answer in a future timeframe.

3. Picture task: what happens

8 for the description (4 response, 4 language), 4 for the two questions (2 each), 16 for the conversation (12 communication, 4 language).

  • The card has two colour pictures on your chosen thematic context. Your teacher asks which one you have chosen, then asks you to describe it
  • Your description must cover the people, the location and the activity. Your teacher may prompt with ¿Y la gente?, ¿Y dónde están?, ¿Y qué están haciendo? or ¿Algo más?
  • Then two compulsory questions about your own experiences, likes and opinions, linked to the picture
  • Then a conversation that starts with a set subject from the thematic context and moves on with questions in the present, past and future

Foundation Both compulsory questions are in the present tense.

Higher The first compulsory question is in the present tense and the second in the past.

Practise: board, tier and mode

Choose your board and tier (the other GCSE exam-practice pages remember the same choice). The tasks below follow your board's exam order. Learn mode shows the examiner's Spanish, hints, translations and model answers as you go. Exam mode shows only your card, offers the 15 minutes' preparation and keeps the model answers until the end.

Exam board
Tier
Mode

Recording yourself: each task has a Record button. Your browser asks for the microphone only when you press it, the recording stays on this page and nothing is uploaded or saved. Speak out loud even if you don't record: that is what the exam tests.

Role-play

AQA: task 1 of 3. 10 marks, 1 to 1.5 minutes. The card is in English; your teacher plays your Spanish-speaking friend and speaks first. One task (?) asks you to ask a question, and every answer needs a verb.

AQA Foundation role-play 1: Healthy living and lifestyle (People and lifestyle)

Role-play 1 (Foundation tier)Candidate's card

Instructions to candidates

  • You are talking to your Spanish friend about healthy living.
  • Your teacher will play the part of your friend and will speak first.
  • You should address your friend as tú.
  • When you see this, ?, you will have to ask a question.

In order to score full marks, you must include a verb in your response to each task.

  1. Say what you eat for breakfast. (Give one detail.)
  2. Say what sport you do. (Give one detail.)
  3. Give your opinion of fast food. (Give one opinion.)
  4. Say how many hours you sleep. (Give one detail.)
  5. Ask your friend a question about sport.

Preparation: in the exam you get 15 minutes to prepare all three cards (role-play, reading aloud and photo card). Make notes on what you'll say for each task.

15:00

Press start. Your teacher speaks first; answer each line out loud, then press Next.

  1. Intro

    Teacher: Estás hablando con tu amigo español. Yo soy tu amigo.

    English

    You are talking to your Spanish friend. I am your friend.

  2. Task 1

    Say what you eat for breakfast. (Give one detail.)

    Teacher: ¿Qué desayunas normalmente?

    English

    What do you usually have for breakfast?

    Hint

    Use desayuno (I have for breakfast) + a food: cereales, tostadas, fruta.

    Model answer

    Normalmente desayuno cereales con leche.

    I usually have cereal with milk for breakfast.

  3. Task 2

    Say what sport you do. (Give one detail.)

    Teacher: ¿Qué deporte haces?

    English

    What sport do you do?

    Hint

    Juego al + sport (fútbol, tenis), or Hago + sport (natación, atletismo).

    Model answer

    Juego al baloncesto con mi equipo.

    I play basketball with my team.

  4. Task 3

    Give your opinion of fast food. (Give one opinion.)

    Teacher: ¿Qué piensas de la comida rápida?

    English

    What do you think of fast food?

    Hint

    Creo que es... / Me gusta porque... A verb is needed for full marks.

    Model answer

    Creo que la comida rápida es mala para la salud.

    I think fast food is bad for your health.

  5. Task 4

    Say how many hours you sleep. (Give one detail.)

    Teacher: ¿Cuántas horas duermes?

    English

    How many hours do you sleep?

    Hint

    Duermo (I sleep) + a number + horas.

    Model answer

    Duermo ocho horas cada noche.

    I sleep eight hours every night.

  6. ? Ask

    Ask your friend a question about sport.

    Teacher: Vale.

    English

    OK.

    Hint

    Start with a question word: ¿Cuál es...?, ¿Qué...?, ¿Te gusta...?

    Model answer

    ¿Cuál es tu deporte favorito?

    What is your favourite sport?

    Teacher: Me encanta el fútbol. Juego todos los sábados.

    English

    I love football. I play every Saturday.

End of the role-play. Compare your answers with the models above: each one conveys the whole message with a verb.

Read aloud

AQA: task 2 of 3. 15 marks. A text of at least 35 words (Foundation) or at least 50 words (Higher), then 4 questions on its topic. You can't read it out loud while you prepare.

In Learn mode the sounds the examiner listens for are highlighted. Tap one to revise it on the sounds and dictation page.

AQA Foundation read aloud 1: Free-time activities (Popular culture)

Reading aloud task 1 (Foundation tier)Candidate's card

When your teacher asks you, read aloud the following text in Spanish.

Los sábados juego al baloncesto con mi hermano.

Después vamos al cine o a la playa.

Me gusta mucho la música rock.

El cantante de mi grupo favorito toca la guitarra muy bien.

Esta noche hay un concierto en la plaza.

You will then be asked four questions in Spanish that relate to the topic of free-time activities. In order to score the highest marks, you must try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

41 words

Sounds in this text:g and jb and vSilent hc and zll (and y)que, qui, gue, guich
or play it sentence by sentence with the buttons in the text.

Preparation: 15 minutes for all three cards. Read the text silently: you may not read it out loud while you prepare.

15:00

Press start, read the text aloud, then answer the four questions.

The four questions (shown at the end in Exam mode: they are unprepared)
  1. Q1

    Teacher: ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre?

    English

    What do you do in your free time?

    Model answer

    En mi tiempo libre me gusta jugar al tenis con mis amigas. También leo mucho porque es relajante.

    In my free time I like playing tennis with my friends. I also read a lot because it is relaxing.

  2. Q2

    Teacher: ¿Qué tipo de música te gusta?

    English

    What type of music do you like?

    Model answer

    Me encanta el pop porque es alegre. No me gusta nada la música clásica porque es aburrida.

    I love pop because it is cheerful. I do not like classical music at all because it is boring.

  3. Q3

    Teacher: Háblame de tu deporte favorito.

    English

    Tell me about your favourite sport.

    Model answer

    Mi deporte favorito es la natación. Nado dos veces a la semana en la piscina de mi pueblo y es muy divertido.

    My favourite sport is swimming. I swim twice a week in the pool in my town and it is great fun.

  4. Q4

    Teacher: ¿Con quién sales los fines de semana?

    English

    Who do you go out with at the weekend?

    Model answer

    Salgo con mis amigos del instituto. Normalmente vamos al centro comercial o al cine.

    I go out with my friends from school. We usually go to the shopping centre or the cinema.

End of the task. Play your recording, then the model reading, and listen for the highlighted sounds.

Photo card and picture task

AQA photo card: task 3 of 3. 25 marks. Your teacher says Háblame de las fotos. Talk about both photos, then have an unprepared conversation on the card's theme. The same photos are used at both tiers.

Key to the model answers:pastfutureconditionalopinionreasoncomplex structureUnmarked verbs are in the present.

Photos from Unsplash and Pexels, used under their free licences; credits on file. The tasks are written for this site in each board's format.

Getting the marks

No single phrase or tense guarantees a grade. What the mark schemes reward is clear communication, developed answers and, for language, range and accuracy.

AQA: what the top bands ask for

  • Role-play: each message conveyed without ambiguity; perfect Spanish isn't required
  • Conversation (communication): quite a lot of information, with regular good development of answers
  • Conversation (language): a good variety of vocabulary and structures at Foundation; at Higher, a wide variety, with few or no major errors when you attempt more complex language

Pearson Edexcel: what the top bands ask for

  • Read aloud: pronunciation consistently clear and comprehensible; slips in the sound-symbol correspondences don't affect the message
  • Conversation (language), top band: "generally successful use of three timeframes" at Foundation and "consistently successful use of three timeframes" at Higher (past, present and future)
  • Conversation (communication): relevant answers, ideas developed with extended sequences of speech

On both boards

  • Role-play: answer exactly what the prompt asks, with a verb, and check which prompt is your question
  • Develop answers: say what, then why (porque, ya que), then an example or a time (el año pasado, el verano que viene)
  • Describing a photo: En la foto hay..., Veo..., Están... + -ando / -iendo
  • Read aloud: every vowel is clear, h is silent, ll and y sound alike, j and ge/gi are breathy, and r between vowels is a tap

Sources

Exam details checked 18 October 2026 against the official documents. Boards can change the format, so check your teacher's information for your exam year.

Speaking facts: AQA 8692 specification v1.3 (September 2025), sections 4.5 and 4.8.2; AQA 8692/SF+SH Paper 2 Speaking sample assessment materials: Teacher's Booklet, item commentary booklet and mark scheme; Pearson Edexcel 1SP1 specification Issue 2 (May 2025), Paper 1: Speaking in Spanish; Pearson Edexcel sample assessment materials Issue 3 (August 2025), Paper 1 candidate and teacher cards and assessment criteria (Foundation and Higher).

On this page: 8 role-plays, 8 read-aloud texts and 8 photo cards and picture tasks, two per board and tier for each task.

More GCSE practice: sounds and dictation. Back to the GCSE speaking exam overview.

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