KS4 Subject: Spanish (from Year 9)

What topics will you study in KS4 Spanish?

THEME 1: People and lifestyle:

  • Topic 1: Identity and relationships with others
  • Topic 2: Healthy living and lifestyle
  • Topic 3: Education and work

Theme 2: Popular culture:

  • Topic 1: Free time activities
  • Topic 2: Customs, festivals and celebrations
  • Topic 3: Celebrity culture

THEME 3: Communication and the world around us:

  • Topic 1: Travel and tourism, including places of interest
  • Topic 2: Media and technology
  • Topic 3: The environment and where people live

Grammar:

  • Present tense regular and irregular verbs
  • Preterite tense regular and irregular verbs
  • Imperfect tense regular and irregular verbs
  • Present perfect tense
  • Near future
  • Simple future
  • Conditional tense

Do you have a reading list for this subject?

  • Harry Potter (in Spanish) by J.K Rowling
  • La ladrona de libros by Markus Zusak
  • El Principito, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  • Matar a un ruiseñor by Harper Lee
  • Persépolis by Marjane Strapi
  • El extranjero by Albert Camus
  • Cumbres borrascosas by Emily Bronte
  • Las ventajas de ser un marginado by Stephen Chbosky
  • Bajo la misma estrella by John Green
  • El libro de los rostros by Ana Alonso
  • Memorias de Idhún by Laura Gallego
  • Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel
  • Amnesia by José Luis Ocasar Ariza

How will you be assessed during the course?

At KS4, students are assessed three times per year during the DPR assessment periods. This will include topics and grammar from Year 9 all the way until the end of Year 11. For Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 students, assessments will be cumulative, covering topics and grammar studied in the previous terms in order to continually build upon and consolidate their prior learning.

In addition, students will complete weekly vocabulary tests and formative assessment tasks that mirror the mock exams once per term, prior to the DPR assessment.

How can you help your child excel in this subject?

You can support your child by regularly helping them review the key grammar and vocabulary set for homework. A simple and effective way to do this is by using the “look, cover, write, check” method to test their recall.

Encourage your child to also use Quizlet, an online study tool that helps students learn through flashcards, quizzes, and games. On Quizlet, they can access vocabulary and grammar lists linked to their knowledge organisers and the topics covered in lessons, allowing them to practise and reinforce what they have learned in class.

To further develop their language skills, encourage your child to listen to Spanish music or podcasts, watch Spanish films or TV shows with subtitles, and read short articles or stories in Spanish. Engaging with authentic media helps them hear the language in real contexts, improve pronunciation, and build cultural understanding.