Leaving Cert Spanish: Accessible paper with focus on culture

Students were smiling after a broad, accessible, and fair higher level Spanish paper that was grounded in the nation’s culture.

“It tested what students should know from the curriculum,” said Laoise O’Boyle, ASTI subject representative and a Spanish teacher at St Raphaela’s Secondary School in Stillorgan, Co Dublin.

“There was a good variety of questions which examined knowledge of grammar and vocabulary.”

The main comprehension topic focused on the Spanish tradition of siesta (an afternoon nap). "Students are often a bit thrown by this part of the paper, as it puts them on the spot and requires them to give their opinion, when they don't always know what they think."

Ms O'Boyle said a task requiring students to write a dialogue about a language course in Alicante or a letter to a newspaper about the Spanish diet was "very accessible", although students had to know the Spanish words for peaches and grapes.

“The letter was very doable and students would have discussed it in preparation for the exams.”

She said that the aural exam didn’t throw up any particularly obscure topics, although a question on binge drinking tourists in Barcelona was “a bit long and possibly a bit tricky”.

Begoña de la Fuente, a Spanish teacher at the Institute of Education in Dublin, said it was a manageable paper with some challenging vocabulary in parts.

"Themes such as food, birthdays and sport appeared, which were topical and accessible to students. In the letter, students would have been pleased to see food and diet in Spain appear, as they would have prepared language around this topic for the oral exams."

The ordinary level exam followed a similar format and was well received by students. “It was very doable,” said Ms O’Boyle.

Just under 6,000 people sat this year’s Leaving Cert Spanish exam, with 4,253 taking the subject at higher level and 1,705 at ordinary level. The proportion of students taking Spanish has continued to rise over the past decade.

TRY THIS AT HOME:

You have just spent your birthday in Granada with your Spanish friend Carmen and her family. Write a diary entry in Spanish mentioning all of the following points:

– Say that you had a very nice time.

– Mention one thing that you and Carmen’s family did that evening.

– How you feel about celebrating your birthday in Spain.

– Say how you celebrate your birthday in Ireland.

(From Leaving Cert Spanish, higher level)