Paper 1 Listening — AQA Spanish 8692
Paper 1 tests your ability to understand spoken Spanish from a range of speakers, accents and contexts.
Paper structure
| Tier | Duration | Marks | % of GCSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 35 min + 5 min reading time | 50 | 25% |
| Higher | 45 min + 5 min reading time | 50 | 25% |
Section A — questions in English, answers in English
Students listen to Spanish recordings and answer questions in English (or non-verbally for some questions). Texts include:
- Short monologues and dialogues
- Announcements, news clips, interviews
- A range of accents (Spanish and Latin American)
Section B — dictation
Students listen to a short passage (Foundation: a few sentences; Higher: a longer passage) and write it down in Spanish, word for word. This section tests spelling, accent placement and ability to process spoken Spanish in real time.
Dictation tips:
- Use the 5-minute reading time to read Section A questions and anticipate vocabulary.
- Write on first listen; check and correct on second listen.
- Accent marks matter — el/él, si/sí, mas/más, tu/tú.
Common accents on the paper
AQA uses speakers from Spain (Castilian, including Madrid and Andalusia) and Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Colombia). Key differences:
- Seseo/Ceceo: In Latin America, "c" (before e/i) and "z" are pronounced like "s". In Castilian, "c" (before e/i) and "z" = /θ/ (like English "th").
- Voseo: In Argentina and some other countries, "vos" replaces "tú" with different verb endings.
- Speed: Latin American accents often sound slightly slower to UK students; Andalusian can drop final consonants.
Exam technique
- Use the 5 minutes to read all questions and predict vocabulary.
- Answer in the language asked — English answers for Section A.
- Don't leave blanks — a wrong answer scores zero, a lucky guess might score.
- Watch for negatives in questions: "What does she NOT do?" — common trap.
- Section B dictation: write everything you hear; go back on the second play.
- Numbers and times are commonly tested — revise cardinal numbers and clock time.
Model exam phrases (for knowing what you've heard)
- a pesar de eso — despite that
- sin embargo — however
- por eso — that's why
- lo más importante — the most important thing
- hay que + infinitive — you/one must
- según el informe — according to the report
⚠Common mistakes
- Answering in Spanish when the question asks for English.
- Writing the Spanish word heard rather than an English answer.
- Mishearing numbers — especially 15/50, 17/70 (quince/cincuenta, diecisiete/setenta).
- Ignoring negatives in answers: "No le gusta la música" → the answer is she does NOT like music.
- Running out of time in dictation — practise writing at listening speed.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-spanish