Digital Technology: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Foundation Tier

You will hear four short sentences. Transcribe them exactly as you hear them in Spanish.

[8 marks]

Answer:

1. Uso mi móvil para mandar mensajes. (I use my mobile phone to send messages.)

2. Mi hermana escribe ocho correos. (My sister writes eight emails.)

3. Es un problema comprar una tablet cara. (It is a problem to buy an expensive tablet.)

4. Yo pienso que la tecnología es útil y práctica. (I think that technology is useful and practical.)

Higher Tier

You will hear five short sentences. Transcribe them exactly as you hear them in Spanish.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. La pantalla del dispositivo es pequeña. (The screen of the device is small.)

2. Es necesario conectarse a la red social si quieres chatear. (It is necessary to connect to the social network if you want to chat.)

3. Mi amigo descargó un vídeo y luego lo compartió en Internet. (My friend downloaded a video and then shared it on the Internet.)

4. Si tuviera dinero, compraría un portátil nuevo. (If I had money, I would buy a new laptop.)

5. La empresa utiliza tecnología digital para promover su marca. (The company uses digital technology to promote its brand.)

• Remember you hear the sentence three times (fully, in sections, fully again). Use the third listening to check that the sentence makes sense and that your verb forms are correct

• At Foundation Tier, focus on common present tense verbs. At Higher Tier, anticipate vocabulary outside the familiar list, longer sentences, and structures like the conditional (compraría) or past tenses (descargó)

• Incorrect accents (especially on question words or the wrong stress mark) can impact your Transcription and Accuracy mark

Foundation Tier

Answer these four questions related to Digital Technology:

1. ¿Qué piensas de usar el móvil en el colegio? (What do you think of using mobile phones in school?)

2. ¿Para qué usas tu ordenador? (What do you use your computer for?)

3. ¿Qué no te gusta de Internet? (What don’t you like about the Internet?)

4. ¿Cuánto tiempo pasas online cada día? (How much time do you spend online each day?)

[15 marks]

Answer:

1. Pienso que es útil para ayudar a los alumnos. (I think that it is useful for helping the students.)

2. Uso mi ordenador para jugar videojuegos y ver vídeos. (I use my computer to play video games and watch videos.)

3. No me gusta el peligro de la red. (I do not like the danger of the Internet/network.)

4. Paso una hora online cada día. (I spend one hour online each day)

Higher Tier

Answer these four questions related to Digital Technology:

1. ¿Cuáles son las desventajas de la tecnología? (What are the disadvantages of technology?)

2. ¿Qué harás online esta noche? (What will you do online tonight?)

3. ¿Qué piensas de las reglas sobre los móviles en tu colegio? (What do you think of the rules about mobile phones in your school?)

4. ¿Cómo ha cambiado la tecnología en los últimos diez años? (How has technology changed in the last ten years?)

[15 marks]

Answer:

1. La desventaja más grave es que los jóvenes pueden sufrir ciberacoso. (The most serious disadvantage is that young people can suffer cyberbullying.)

2. Voy a enviar mensajes a mis amigos y luego cargaré mi móvil. (I am going to send messages to my friends and then I will charge my mobile phone.)

3. Yo creo que se deberían prohibir en la clase para que los alumnos puedan concentrarse. (I believe that they should be prohibited in the class so that the students can concentrate.)

4. La velocidad ha aumentado y ahora utilizamos más la tableta que el ordenador. (The speed has increased and now we use the tablet more than the computer.)

• At Foundation Tier, concentrate on ensuring your answers include a verb and are unambiguous, relying primarily on the present tense

• Higher Tier students must demonstrate a wider range of tenses for top marks. Practice using the simple future (cargaré = I will charge), the near future (voy a enviar = I am going to send), and linking words to introduce modal verbs and the subjunctive (se deberían prohibir para que puedan...)

• The topic of technology in school often leads to questions about rules (reglas) or prohibitions (prohibir), making the use of deber (should/must) and the Impersonal se + puede/debe important

Foundation Tier

Read the mobile phone reviews from three students. Match the speaker to the fact.

A. Pedro: Mi móvil es barato, pero funciona mal. No puedo subir nada a Internet.

B. Luisa: Uso la tablet para estudiar ciencias. No me gusta el teclado, es demasiado pequeño.

C. Carla: Mi ordenador es nuevo. Puedo descargar vídeos muy rápido.

1. Only uses the device for schoolwork.

2. Complains about the speed of uploading.

3. Found the item cheap but faulty.

[3 marks]

Answer:

1. B

2. A

3. A

Focus on scanning for core vocabulary (móvil, tablet, teclado) and the key verbs (subir, descargar, funciona = works) to quickly locate the specific fact required for the match.

Higher Tier

Translate the following text into English.

1. Actualmente, la velocidad de los ordenadores es mucho mayor.

2. Yo pienso que se debería utilizar la tecnología digital.

3. No compartiría mi contraseña online con nadie.

4. Ayer descargué un documental sobre la seguridad en la red.

5. Aunque los datos de tu cuenta están online, me gustaría escribir un artículo.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. Currently, the speed of computers is much greater.

2. I think that one should use digital technology.

3. I would not share my password online with anyone.

4. Yesterday I downloaded a documentary about security on the network (Internet).

5. Although your account data is online, I would like to write an article.

Look for key Higher Tier indicators:

• Conditional tense (compartiría, gustaría = I would share/like)

• Impersonal structures (se debería = one should)

Foundation Tier

Complete the following five sentences by choosing the correct Spanish word (A, B, or C) to fill the gap.

1. Mi hermana ___ fotos a Internet cada día.

   A. subir B. sube C. subimos

2. Necesito comprar un cargador para ___ móvil.

   A. la B. mi C. su

3. ___ de la tecnología es que me ayuda mucho.

   A. La desventaja B. La ventaja C. Bueno

4. Mis amigos no usan la tecnología ___ sus padres lo prohíben.

   A. aunque B. porque C. si

5. ¿Cuánto tiempo pasas en la red ___ semana?

   A. cada B. todo C. algún

[5 marks]

Answer:

1. B. sube (The subject is Mi hermana, which is 3rd person singular, matching the regular present tense ending sube.)

2. B. mi (The context requires the possessive adjective for my mobile, mi.)

3. B. La ventaja (If it's followed by a positive statement, it is ventaja, advantage.)

4. B. porque (Requires the conjunction because to justify the reason for not using technology.)

5. A. cada (Requires each to translate the phrase each week.)

• Check the subject (e.g., Mi hermana = 3rd person singular) and ensure the verb ending matches. This is the most common error point in tasks testing grammar security

• For conjunctions (like porque or aunque) and determiners (mi, el), read the whole translated sentence to ensure the word makes logical sense within the context

Higher Tier

Write a post for a technology website. Write approximately 90 words in Spanish. You must write something about each bullet point.

Mention:

• What you use technology for and your opinion

• What you used your mobile or computer for recently

• What you plan to do online this weekend

[15 marks]

Answer:

Uso mi móvil para estudiar y chatear con mis amigos. Pienso que la tecnología es fundamental porque me ayuda con mis deberes. La semana pasada, usé mi aplicación favorita del móvil para compartir fotos y escribí un mensaje a mi primo. Fue muy divertido. Este fin de semana, voy a descargar un documental sobre la arquitectura y luego cargaré mi móvil antes de chatear en línea. Lo bueno es que es una herramienta útil, aunque lo malo es que a veces es una distracción peligrosa.

English Translation:

I use my mobile to study and to chat with my friends. I think that technology is fundamental because it helps me with my homework. Last week, I used my favourite app on my phone to share photos and I wrote a message to my cousin. It was very fun. This weekend, I am going to download a documentary about architecture and then I will charge my mobile before chatting online. The good thing is that it is a useful tool, although the bad thing is that sometimes it is a dangerous distraction.

Use connectors (porque) and comparative or contrasting phrases (Lo bueno vs Lo malo) to develop your ideas and justify your opinions, ensuring communication is clear

The successful response must clearly reference all three time frames: present (uso, pienso, es), past tense (usé, escribí, fue), and future (voy a descargar, cargaré)