Religious Celebrations: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Religious celebrations

Andrea is talking to a friend about a religious festival he attended. 

Choose the correct answer and write the letter in each box.

1. Andrea thought the festival was…

A. Enjoyable

B. Too short

C. Too quiet

2. What was the main problem with the processions?

A. The costumes were disappointing

B. They lasted until late at night

C. He couldn't see the religious images

3. What did he find impressive?

A. The religious images carried on floats

B. The music played by the musicians

C. The number of churches involved

4. How did the people attending the event feel?

A. Sad

B. Happy

C. Tired

[4 marks]

Answer:

1. A (increíble)

2. B (hasta muy tarde por la noche)

3. A (impresionantes)

4. B (alegre)

Foundation Tier

Answer these four questions in Spanish that relate to the topic of Customs, festivals and celebrations. In order to score the highest marks, try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

• ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre las fiestas religiosas? 

• ¿Qué tradiciones importantes sigues en tu familia hoy en día?

• ¿Qué piensas de visitar edificios religiosos de culturas diferentes?

• ¿Qué tipo de celebración prefieres: la familiar o la cultural? ¿Por qué?

[15 marks]

Answer:

1. Pienso que las fiestas religiosas son muy importantes para la gente y la cultura. La Semana Santa es un ejemplo y la alegría de la comunidad es fantástica. Creo que las tradiciones nos ayudan a entender el pasado.

English: I think that religious celebrations are very important for people and culture. Holy Week is an example and the joy of the community is fantastic. I believe that traditions help us to understand the past.

2. Actualmente, solemos celebrar la Navidad siempre juntos. Organizamos una cena grande con toda la familia. Además, a veces hacemos una fiesta sorpresa para el cumpleaños de mi madre.

English: Currently, we usually celebrate Christmas always together, where we organize a big dinner with all the family. Also, sometimes we make a surprise party for my mother’s birthday.

3. Pienso que es una buena idea. Es muy interesante aprender sobre otras culturas. Me gustaría visitar una mezquita o una sinagoga porque quiero entender todas las religiones. Debemos respetar las costumbres de otras personas.

English: I think that it is a good idea. It is very interesting to learn about other cultures. I would like to visit a mosque or a synagogue because I want to understand all religions. We must respect the customs of other people.

4. Prefiero las celebraciones culturales, aunque disfruto mucho de las familiares. Me gustan más las culturales porque tienen más ambiente y música, como las Tomatinas o Sanfermines. Es una oportunidad para conocer gente y divertirse.

English: I prefer cultural celebrations, although I enjoy family ones a lot. I like cultural ones more because they have more atmosphere and music, like the Tomatina or Sanfermines. It is an opportunity to meet people and have fun.

To describe current family traditions (sigues hoy en día), use the habitual structure: soler + infinitive or the simple present tense with frequency adverbs.

Higher Tier

Answer these four questions in Spanish that relate to the topic of Customs, festivals and celebrations. In order to score the highest marks, try to answer all four questions as fully as you can.

• ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre las fiestas religiosas? 

• ¿Qué tradiciones importantes sigues en tu familia hoy en día?

• ¿Qué piensas de visitar edificios religiosos de culturas diferentes?

• ¿Qué tipo de celebración prefieres: la familiar o la cultural? ¿Por qué?

[15 marks]

Answer:

1. Me parece que las fiestas religiosas son fundamentales para la identidad y el desarrollo de la comunidad. La Semana Santa, por ejemplo, demuestra la tradición y el paso es una imagen poderosa. Aunque existe menos relación con la religión hoy, deberíamos promover el respeto por estas costumbres.

English: It seems to me that religious celebrations are fundamental for the identity and development of the community. Holy Week, for example, demonstrates tradition, and the religious float is a powerful image. Although there is less relation with religion today, we should promote respect for these customs.

2. Actualmente, sigo la costumbre de reunirme con toda mi familia para Nochebuena. Solemos hacer una cena larga y nos alegramos mucho. Antes, cuando era más joven, mi abuela siempre me hacía un regalo especial, pero ya no. Llevamos cinco años celebrándolo así.

English: Currently, I follow the custom of getting together with all my family for Christmas Eve. We usually make a long dinner and we cheer ourselves up a lot. Before, when I was younger, my grandmother always used to make me a special gift, but not anymore. We have been celebrating it this way for five years.

3. Pienso que visitar edificios religiosos de otras culturas es muy interesante. Si pudiera, viajaría a un país diferente para que pueda entender el nacimiento y la historia de sus tradiciones. Deberíamos hacer un esfuerzo para comprender otras creencias. Esto enriquecería la mayoría de nuestra sociedad.

English: I think that visiting religious buildings of other cultures is very interesting. If I could, I would travel to a different country so that I can understand the birth/origin and history of their traditions. We should make an effort to understand other beliefs. This would enrich the majority of our society.

4. Me gustaría elegir las culturales. Aunque las familiares son más íntimas, las culturales tienen un ambiente más animado y son una oportunidad para conocer gente que puede tener intereses semejantes a los míos. Por eso, prefiero ir a festivales donde haya mucha música y baile.

English: I would like to choose cultural ones. Although family ones are more intimate, cultural ones have a more lively atmosphere and are an opportunity to meet people who may have similar interests to mine. Therefore, I prefer to go to festivals where there is a lot of music and dancing.

• The conversation questions are related to the topic of the reading aloud text but do not test comprehension of the text itself

• Use the imperfect subjunctive (Si pudiera) and conditional tense when discussing intentions or hypothetical travel plans related to cultural exploration. The best way is to learn set phrases like in the example that you can use in any topic

Translate these sentences into English.

1. La mezquita es el edificio más grande de la ciudad.

2. Mi tía es musulmana y siempre celebraba el Día de Reyes con nosotros cuando era niña.

3. No tengo la intención de comer carne durante la Semana Santa.

4. El paso que llevaron era pesado y largo.

5. Hay que respetar a todas las religiones.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. The mosque is the biggest building in the city.

2.  My aunt is Muslim and she always used to celebrate Epiphany with us when she was a child.

3. I do not intend to eat meat during Holy Week.

4. The religious image (float) that they carried was heavy and long.

5. One must respect all religions.

• Pay close attention to verb tenses (like distinguishing the imperfect tense celebraba from the preterite) and the accurate use of prescribed grammar features (like the impersonal hay que (one must))

• You do not need a word-for-word translation, but rather a clear transfer of the core idea

• The mark scheme divides the translation into multiple sections or "elements". Ensure that every single element of the Spanish text is conveyed in your English answer, even if the translation is not exact. A good idea is to divide the sentence into different main points, and to make sure you have mentioned all in your translation

Write an article for a school magazine about the role of faith and traditions. 

Write approximately 150 words in Spanish. 

Write something about both bullet points. 

Mention: 

• Describe the different religious buildings in your area and what they are used for

• Discuss how important you think religious traditions are for young people today and why

[25 marks]

Answer:

En mi ciudad hay una gran variedad de edificios religiosos. Tenemos una iglesia católica muy antigua, donde la gente va para la misa y para celebrar bodas y nacimientos. También tenemos una mezquita grande que fue construida el año pasado [Past] y una sinagoga que usan los judíos. Me parece que la coexistencia de estas religiones es muy positiva y fomenta la armonía local.

En cuanto a las tradiciones, creo que [Opinion] son fundamentales para la identidad de los jóvenes. Ayudan a conectar las generaciones y a entender de dónde venimos. Cuando era más joven, [Past/Imperfect] mi familia celebraba Semana Santa en Sevilla y recuerdo que la alegría de la gente era contagiosa. En la actualidad [Present], aunque muchos jóvenes están menos relacionados con la religión, espero que [Future/Subjunctive] se interesen más en las costumbres locales para no perder el pasado. En el futuro [Future], voy a proponer [Near Future] un evento para compartir las tradiciones de todas las religiones de la zona. Esto será [Future] una manera perfecta de promover el respeto y la comprensión cultural. 

English: In my city there is a wide variety of religious buildings. We have a very old Catholic church, where people go for mass and to celebrate weddings and births. We also have a large mosque that was built last year and a synagogue that is used by the Jewish people of the community. It seems to me that the coexistence of these religions is very positive and encourages local harmony.

Regarding traditions, I believe they are absolutely fundamental for the identity of young people. They help connect the generations and understand where we come from. When I was younger, my family used to celebrate Holy Week in Seville and I remember that the joy of the people was contagious. Currently, although many young people are less connected with formal religion, I hope they will become more interested in local customs so as not to lose the past. In the future, I am going to propose an event to share the traditions of all the religions in the area. This will be a perfect way to promote respect and cultural understanding.