Literature and Film (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes

How to Write an Essay

Writing essays in Spanish about literature and film is a key skill for your A-Level Spanish exam. You'll need to write structured, analytical essays that demonstrate both your language abilities and your understanding of Hispanic cultural works. This guide covers both AS-level essays (about films) and A-level essays (about literature or films), with practical strategies to help you succeed.

Understanding the exam requirements

At AS-level, you'll write one essay of approximately 250 words about a film you've studied in class. At A-level, you'll write two essays of approximately 300 words each – one must be about a book you've studied, while the other can be about a film or another book. In both cases, you'll be given a list of works with different question options, and you must choose the question that best suits what you've studied.

Essential vocabulary for essay writing

Spanish	English
la redacción	essay, composition
el argumento	plot, argument
el personaje	character
el protagonista	main character
el desarrollo	development
la trama	plot
el tema	theme
el género	genre
la escena	scene
el suceso	event
el desenlace	ending, outcome
la cita	quotation
la prueba	evidence
el punto de vista	point of view
el contexto histórico	historical context

Example sentences:

• El protagonista enfrenta varios desafíos a lo largo de la película. (The main character faces several challenges throughout the film.)
• El director utiliza esta escena clave para desarrollar el tema principal. (The director uses this key scene to develop the main theme.)
• El argumento se desarrolla en Barcelona durante los años cuarenta. (The plot unfolds in Barcelona during the 1940s.)
• Este suceso representa un punto de inflexión en la trama. (This event represents a turning point in the plot.)

Planning your essay

For AS-level essays (films)

Begin by reading all the bullet points in the question carefully. Each bullet point should become a paragraph in your essay. Don't try to memorise your essay word-for-word – instead, make brief notes on your exam paper (you can cross them out later so they're not marked).

For each bullet point, jot down:

• An example from the film that illustrates this point
• The key scenes or moments you'll discuss
• A potential quotation you could use
• How this point relates to the title

Once you have notes for all points, decide the most logical order to present them. You don't have to follow the exact order of the bullet points in the question – arrange them in whatever way makes most sense for your argument.

For A-level essays (literature)

The planning process for A-level is similar but requires deeper analysis. Start by taking the essay question from the exam paper – this becomes your title. A highly effective planning technique is to draw a simple diagram.

Write the question in the middle of your rough paper and underline the most important words. These key words tell you exactly what the examiners want you to discuss. Then, around this central question, add boxes with your main points. Aim for three to five substantial points that directly address the question. You can write these in Spanish or English – whatever is quickest for you.

Decide on a sensible order for these points, ensuring they flow logically from one to another. Write a simple topic sentence for each one – this will help you stay focused when you're writing the full essay.

Analytical vocabulary

Spanish	English
analizar	to analyse
interpretar	to interpret
representar	to represent
simbolizar	to symbolise
enfatizar	to emphasise
destacar	to highlight
sugerir	to suggest
reflejar	to reflect
contrastar	to contrast
criticar	to criticise
evaluar	to evaluate
demostrar	to demonstrate
explorar	to explore
desarrollar	to develop
plantear	to raise (an issue)

Example sentences:

• El autor utiliza este símbolo para representar la pérdida de inocencia. (The author uses this symbol to represent the loss of innocence.)
• La directora contrasta estas dos escenas para enfatizar el cambio del protagonista. (The director contrasts these two scenes to emphasise the protagonist's change.)
• Esta novela explora temas complejos como la identidad y la memoria. (This novel explores complex themes such as identity and memory.)
• El escritor plantea cuestiones importantes sobre la sociedad española de la época. (The writer raises important questions about Spanish society of the time.)

Writing the introduction

Your introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire essay and shows the examiner that you understand the question and have relevant background knowledge. It should be concise but purposeful – aim for about 3-4 sentences.

For AS-level, you might start with something like: "Volver, película de intriga dirigida por Pedro Almódóvar, presenta temas importantes sobre la familia y el pasado." (Volver, a mystery film directed by Pedro Almódóvar, presents important themes about family and the past.)

For A-level, you need slightly more sophistication. For example: "Leyendo Réquiem por un campesino español, novela de Ramón Sender escrita en 1953, uno se da cuenta de que el autor critica la sociedad española de la posguerra." (Reading Requiem for a Spanish Peasant, a novel by Ramón Sender written in 1953, one realises that the author criticises post-war Spanish society.)

Notice how these introductions provide context (who directed/wrote it, when, what genre) while also indicating what you'll discuss. Be concise and structure your sentences carefully – this isn't the place for long, rambling descriptions.

Writing the main body paragraphs

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one of the points from your plan. Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that links logically and smoothly from the previous paragraph or introduction.

Using evidence effectively

At both AS and A-level, you must support your points with specific evidence from the text or film. This could be:

• Descriptions of key scenes or moments
• Character actions or dialogue
• Plot developments
• Visual or stylistic techniques

For AS-level, focus on clear examples that illustrate your points. For instance, if discussing how the setting influences the action: "El director utiliza las calles estrechas de Barcelona para crear una atmósfera de tensión y claustrofobia." (The director uses the narrow streets of Barcelona to create an atmosphere of tension and claustrophobia.)

Quotations and references

Using quotations can strengthen your argument, but they must be used carefully. Don't quote excessively – quotations should support your argument, not replace it. When you do use a quotation, integrate it smoothly into your sentence and then explain its significance.

Be particularly careful not to let quotations become a substitute for your own analysis. The examiner wants to see your understanding and interpretation, illustrated by evidence, not just a collection of quotes.

Connective phrases

Spanish	English
además	moreover, furthermore
sin embargo	however
por lo tanto	therefore
por otra parte	on the other hand
en primer lugar	firstly
asimismo	likewise, also
no obstante	nevertheless
es decir	that is to say
por consiguiente	consequently
en cuanto a	regarding, as for
a pesar de	despite
con respecto a	with regard to
de hecho	in fact
en contraste	in contrast
en resumen	in summary

Example sentences:

• En primer lugar, el director establece el contexto histórico. Además, utiliza flashbacks para revelar el pasado de los personajes. (Firstly, the director establishes the historical context. Furthermore, he uses flashbacks to reveal the characters' past.)
• El protagonista parece feliz al principio. Sin embargo, descubrimos que oculta un secreto doloroso. (The protagonist seems happy at first. However, we discover that he's hiding a painful secret.)
• La novela critica la sociedad de la época. Por lo tanto, algunos la consideran una obra política. (The novel criticises the society of the time. Therefore, some consider it a political work.)

Writing the conclusion

Your conclusion should bring your essay to a satisfying close by summarising what you've discussed and presenting your overall opinion or evaluation. It typically takes 2-3 sentences.

For example: "En conclusión, aunque la película utiliza elementos fantásticos, la base histórica es realista. Esta mezcla de realidad y fantasía es lo que hace la obra tan efectiva." (In conclusion, although the film uses fantastic elements, the historical basis is realistic. This mixture of reality and fantasy is what makes the work so effective.)

Read through your entire essay before writing the conclusion to ensure you're accurately summarising what you've said. Your conclusion should feel like a natural ending to your argument, not an abrupt stop.

Opinion and evaluation vocabulary

Spanish	English
en mi opinión	in my opinion
creo que	I believe that
me parece que	it seems to me that
desde mi punto de vista	from my point of view
considero que	I consider that
es evidente que	it's evident that
resulta claro que	it's clear that
se puede argumentar que	one can argue that
cabe destacar que	it's worth noting that
es discutible que	it's debatable that
lo más importante es	the most important thing is
hay que reconocer que	one must recognise that
no se puede negar que	one cannot deny that
merece la pena señalar	it's worth pointing out

Example sentences:

• En mi opinión, el autor logra crear personajes creíbles y complejos. (In my opinion, the author succeeds in creating believable and complex characters.)
• Desde mi punto de vista, esta escena es la más importante de toda la película. (From my point of view, this scene is the most important in the entire film.)
• No se puede negar que la novela refleja las tensiones políticas de la época. (One cannot deny that the novel reflects the political tensions of the time.)
• Es evidente que el director ha sido influenciado por el cine neorrealista italiano. (It's evident that the director has been influenced by Italian neorealist cinema.)

Checking your work

Length check

Count your words to ensure you've written approximately the right amount:

• AS-level: approximately 250 words
• A-level: approximately 300 words

If you're significantly under or over, you may need to add or cut material, but be strategic about this – don't just pad out or randomly delete sentences.

Accuracy check

Read through your essay looking specifically for:

Verb endings, tenses, and moods: Have you used the correct verb forms throughout? Check that your verbs agree with their subjects and that you've used appropriate tenses. Be particularly careful with irregular verbs and subjunctive forms.

Adjective agreement: Do all your adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe? This is one of the most common errors students make.

Sentence variety: Have you used a range of sentence structures, not just simple sentences? Include some complex sentences with subordinate clauses, using connectives to link ideas.

Vocabulary range: Have you used varied and sophisticated vocabulary? Avoid repeating the same basic words – show the examiner the breadth of your vocabulary by using more advanced terms where appropriate.

Spelling and accents: Check for spelling errors and ensure you've included all necessary accent marks. Remember that missing accents count as spelling mistakes.

Content check

Finally, re-read the essay question and make sure you've actually answered it. It's surprisingly easy to drift off-topic, so verify that each paragraph relates directly to what was asked. Check that you've given your own opinion and justified it, not just described the work.

Time management in the exam

Effective time management is crucial for success. Here's how to allocate your time:

Don't skip the planning or checking stages to give yourself more writing time. Planning makes your writing faster and more focused, while checking catches mistakes that could cost you marks. If you find you're running short on time, it's better to write a slightly shorter essay that's well-structured and accurate than to rush through a longer one full of errors.

Practice writing essays within these time limits before your exam so you get a feel for the pace you need to maintain.

Common mistakes and tips