My Home: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Note

Foundation Tier

You hear a student describing where they live. Choose the correct area for each activity (1–3) by matching with the correct letter (A–D).

Activities:

1. Washing the dishes

2. Watching TV

3. Playing with the dog

Areas:

A. In the garden
B. In the kitchen
C. In the living room
D. In the garage

[3 marks]

Answer:

1. B

2. C

3. A

Audio transcript:

1. Mi madre dice que tenemos que limpiar los platos en la cocina todos los días.

2. Normalmente veo la televisión en el salón con mi padre.

3. Mi perro es pequeño y le gusta jugar en el jardín cuando hace sol.

• Ensure you hear the difference between a phrase like en el jardín (in the garden) and detrás del coche (behind the car), as incorrect identification of the contraction del (de + el) will loose you some marks

• When transcribing words like cocina or hace, ensure you are using the correct Spanish spelling of 'c' to secure marks

Higher Tier

Transcribe the five short sentences you hear in Spanish. (Minimum 50 words required across the task)

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre el dueño del piso? (What is your opinion about the owner of the flat/apartment?)

2. El ascensor está al lado de la escalera y no funciona. (The lift/elevator is next to the stairs/ladder and it does not work/function.)

3. Tienes que ir al centro para encontrar un buen restaurante. (You have to go to the centre in order to find a good restaurant.)

4. No podemos vivir sin la calefacción durante el invierno. (We cannot live without the heating during the winter.)

5. Yo he hecho un gran esfuerzo para limpiar la casa hoy. (I have made a great effort in order to clean the house today.)

Be prepared to transcribe highly accurate descriptions or complex features like ascensor (lift), dueño (owner), or calefacción (heating) to demonstrate breadth of vocabulary at this tier.

Foundation Tier

Imagine you are talking to a friend about your home and neighbourhood.

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

1. Say what kind of home you live in. (Give one detail.)

2. Say where the kitchen is located. (Give one detail.)

3. Say what you think of your pueblo. (Give one opinion.)

4. Say what you are going to do to help clean your house this weekend. (Give one detail.)

5. Ask your friend a question about their home.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. Yo vivo en un piso pequeño. (I live in a small flat.)

2. La cocina está detrás del salón. (The kitchen is behind the living room.)

3. Pienso que mi pueblo es muy tranquilo. (I think that my village is very quiet.)

4. Voy a recoger mi habitación el sábado. (I am going to tidy up my room on Saturday.)

5. ¿Tienes un jardín grande o pequeño ? (Do you have a big or small garden?)

For location tasks (e.g., "Say where the kitchen is"), ensure you use está before providing the location details, especially with prepositional phrases like al lado del baño.

Higher Tier

Imagine you are discussing your ideal home and local area with a friend.

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

1. Say what sort of area you prefer to live in and why. (Give one detail and one reason.)

2. Give two disadvantages of living in a tall building.

3. Say two things you have just done to improve your home.

4. Say what utility you could not live without. (Give one detail and one reason.)

5. Ask your friend a question about their home.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. Yo prefiero vivir en los alrededores porque es más tranquilo que la ciudad . (I prefer to live in the surrounding area because it is quieter than the city.)

2. No me gusta que no hay un ascensor , y es muy peligroso . (I don't like that there isn't a lift, and it is very dangerous.) [Uses H vocabulary: ascensor and peligroso]

3. He comprado una mesa y he ordenado el salón . (I have bought a table and I have tidied the living room.)

4. No puedo vivir sin la calefacción porque el invierno es muy frío . (I cannot live without the heating because the winter is very cold.) [Uses H vocabulary: calefacción]

5. ¿Conoces al dueño del piso o no ? (Do you know the owner of the flat or not?) [Uses H vocabulary: dueño and contraction del]

Foundation Tier

Translate the following sentences into English. (Minimum 35 words required).

1. La ventana del dormitorio está abierta por las mañanas.

2. Mi familia va al mercado y compra fruta todos los fines de semana.

3. El pueblo es pequeño pero está cerca de la capital y de mis abuelos.

[6 marks]

Answer:

1. The window of the bedroom is open in the mornings.

2. My family goes to the market and buys fruit every weekend.

3. The village is small but it is near the capital and my grandparents.

When you see del or al in the Spanish text, ensure your English translation reflects the full phrase: del translates as "of the" (or "from the") and al translates as "to the".

Higher Tier

Translate the following sentences into English. (Minimum 50 words required).

1. El parque grande está cerca de la casa del dueño.

2. Hay que limpiar la cocina pequeña hoy.

3. Acabo de encontrar la llave de la puerta.

4. El piso es tranquilo, aunque está al lado de la calle.

5. El edificio tiene un ascensor moderno, pero no podemos vivir sin calefacción.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. The large park is near the house of the owner.

2. One must clean the small kitchen today.

3. I have just found the key of the door.

4. The flat is quiet, even though it is next to the street.

5. The building has a modern lift, but we cannot live without heating.

• Uses cerca de and H vocab dueño

• Uses impersonal Hay que

• Uses acabar de + infinitive (multi-word complex fixed phrase)

• Uses H connector aunque and al lado de

• Uses H vocab ascensor and calefacción

Foundation Tier

Describe the photo. Write five short sentences in Spanish.

[10 marks]

Answer:

1. Veo una cocina moderna en un piso. (I see a modern kitchen in a flat.)

2. La cocina es muy limpia y ordenada. (The kitchen is very clean and tidy.)

3. Hay una mesa en el centro de la habitación. (There is a table in the middle of the room.)

4. Pienso que es un lugar cómodo para vivir. (I think that it is a comfortable place to live.)

5. La ventana está al lado de la puerta. (The window is next to the door.)

Ensure your descriptive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. If describing la casa (feminine), you must use pequeña, not pequeño.

Higher Tier

Write a short post about your life and plans. Write approximately 90 words in Spanish. You must write something about each bullet point.

• Describe your local neighbourhood and one disadvantage it has.

• Say what you did last weekend in your city.

• Say what improvements you would like to make to your home.

[15 marks]

Answer:

Mi barrio es bastante tranquilo, aunque a veces hay demasiado tráfico en la calle, lo que me molesta mucho porque hace ruido. El sábado pasado, fui a la ciudad con mi mejor amigo para comprar regalos de Navidad. Comimos en un restaurante típico cerca del centro y bebimos café caliente. Lo pasamos genial juntos. Cuando tenga más dinero, me gustaría viajar a Sudamérica o a algún lugar lejos del ruido para descansar. Finalmente, voy a ir a la costa con mi familia durante el verano porque me encanta la playa y me gusta nadar en el mar con mis hermanos.

My neighbourhood is quite calm, although sometimes there is too much traffic in the street, which annoys me because it's noisy. Last Saturday, I went to the city with my best friend in order to buy Christmas presents/gifts. We ate at a local restaurant near the centre and we drank hot coffee. We had a great time together. When I have more money, I would like to travel to South America or somewhere far away from the noise to relax. Finally, I am going to go to the coast with my family during the summer because I love the beach and I like to swim in the sea with my brothers.

The writing demonstrates a wide variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures:

• Secure command of Present, Preterite (Past), Future (Near Future: voy a ir), and Conditional (me gustaría)

• Incorporates vocabulary beyond basic items, including the cultural item Sudamérica

• Uses complex connectives and multi-clause units to extend sentences, which demonstrates higher complexity

• Contractions del centro (of the center)