Course Full Title: A Level Spanish
Exam Board: AQA
Specification Code: 7691-7692
Why study a language?
Languages are all around us; they are used in so many situations whether at work, on holiday or just casually in day-to-day life – we live in a multilingual global society.
Choosing A Level Spanish is a really smart move if you want a fascinating subject that offers you a range of career possibilities at the end and are a lot of fun along the way. A Level language courses are interesting and varied subjects to study and give you a broad range of knowledge and skills.
Learning a language is a never-ending process; languages are constantly changing and the skills/qualifications that you gain from studying a language at A Level are incredibly important tools to have under your belt.
What will I study over the two years?
The A Level Spanish course is structured so that you will study four modules each year which will form the basis of the reading, writing and listening exams and also the speaking test. With around five hours of class time a week dedicated to learning your language (two teachers delivering 5h/fortnight each), this is a fast pace environment with noticeable improvements. The topics that you’ll cover are really varied so you not only greatly improve your language speaking ability, your use of grammar, the different tenses and know tonnes more vocabulary – but you’ll also learn about culture, multiculturalism, technology, history, literature, society, crime and lifestyle.
What makes a good language student?
The aim of the Spanish A Level course is to help you develop an interest in speaking the language, to gain awareness of the need to speak foreign languages, to appreciate the nature and diversity of different cultures and people, and to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding for practical use, further study and employment.
Where could Spanish take me?
An A Level language complements a whole variety of subjects. You may need languages for all sorts of career destinations- doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists need language skills to communicate effectively with patients whether they work in the UK or overseas; businessmen, bankers and entrepreneurs all need language skills to make deals and sell products on the global market. Having a language can increase your salary from 8 to 20% and gives you a head start on other potential employees as by speaking another language you’re vital to any company who does international business (and there’s a lot of them).
Politicians, historians, geographers and holiday reps all need language skills to get to know the people and area that they are passionate about. Spanish A Level will complement and enhance your other studies to no end.
Plus, a language is also a pre-requisite for lots of university courses so it’s something to consider if you’re thinking about university in the future; it will be a perfect choice if you want to embark on a joint-degree (a joint degree is when two subjects are studied concurrently within the timeframe of one honours – French/Law; Spanish/History; German/Engineering; etc.). Languages are key to the exciting multinational world we live in!
What are the entrance requirements?
- Grade 6 or above in Spanish
- 5 or more grades 5-9; including equivalents across at least 5 subjects
- Maths and English Language Grade 4 or above
- Average GCSE GRADE of at least 4.0 (average of ALL GCSE full courses taken)