Guide

Everything you need to study Leaving Cert Spanish

- 1 minute read

Spanish is a little different to other Leaving Cert subjects as it can’t be crammed. A language is more like a skill rather than a subject because it has to be practised and grammar and vocabulary need to be memorised. Here is how Studyclix can help you ace your Spanish exam.

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What's involved?

Studying Spanish for the Leaving Cert helps students become more fluent in the language and gain a deep understanding of Spanish literature, culture and geography.

The Spanish course consists of two sections: the oral exam and the written exam. Here's a breakdown:

Oral exam

The Spanish oral exam usually takes fifteen minutes and is worth 25% of your grade. It has two parts:

  • Personal questions: you will be asked personal questions to check you know your tenses. Make sure you respond in the correct tense (present, past and future and/or conditional tenses). Don't worry if you make a mistake, just say "lo siento" (I'm sorry) and then give the correct tense.
  • Role-plays: you will have prepared five role-plays and the examiner will pick one. Do your best to avoid reading off a learned piece monotonously, instead, try to learn a series of phrases for each of the role-plays.
Written exam

The written exam in June is worth 75% of your grade. Here is a breakdown of what to expect on the exam:

  • Listening comprehensions: at higher level, this is worth 20% of your grade. Practice makes perfect with the aural. Many students forget to prepare for the listening comprehension (Aural) exam which takes up the first 30 minutes of the exam. You will find all the past recordings along with questions and answers in the Studyclix aural topics.
  • Reading comprehensions and written exam: this is worth 30% and the writing examination is worth 25% of your grade. In this part of the exam, you will be tested on your ability to understand written Spanish as well as to write your own pieces in Spanish. Having a good vocabulary is vital here so you should try to get into the habit of writing down any new words you come across and revise them regularly.

The Spanish oral exam usually takes fifteen minutes and is worth 25% of your grade. It has two parts:

  • Personal questions: you will be asked personal questions to check you know your tenses. Make sure you respond in the correct tense (present, past and future and/or conditional tenses). Don't worry if you make a mistake, just say "lo siento" (I'm sorry) and then give the correct tense.
  • Role-plays: you will have prepared five role-plays and the examiner will pick one. Do your best to avoid reading off a learned piece monotonously, instead, try to learn a series of phrases for each of the role-plays.

How Studyclix can help you study Spanish

H1 guide

Languages may not be your thing (and that's okay) or you may absolutely love them. Regardless of how you feel about languages, this H1 Spanish guide has everything you need to know about excelling in this subject. 

Oral exam guide

The idea of a conversation in a language that isn't English is daunting for any student. This is why we have created loads of resources to make the oral exams easier for you. In this guide, you will find a detailed walk-through of the Spanish oral exam.

Also, in this Studyclix advice video, Gabrielle (who did 3 oral exams) goes through her top tips for the orals. Check it out here:

Sample answers

If you are struggling with writing any of the written Spanish questions, we have the perfect resource for you. Studyclix offers H1 Spanish sample answers for past exam paper questions. Here is why reading sample answers is going to revolutionise your essay-writing ability:

  • You can get inspiration for what to write in your exam.

  • You can discover new vocabulary and phrases.

  • You can learn how to structure your own answers.

There are loads of benefits to reading sample answers so don't hesitate to check them out. You can find them under relevant questions from our Questions by Topic list.

Top tip

Stuck on a question? Not sure about a topic? Looking for some more notes? Try asking our community page for some tips and advice. There are plenty of students and teachers there who are more than willing to help you out. 

Aural revision tool

Studyclix makes revising listening comprehension questions much easier. You will find an audio player above every listening question. 

Have some ideas for more resources?

We are always looking for new ways to improve our site so we would love to hear your feedback. Get in touch by emailing info@studyclix.ie 😊

 

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