Listening (1) (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
📚Revision Notes
Paper 2: Listening (1)
Exam overview
Paper 2 focuses on listening comprehension and dictation skills. This paper is crucial for your GCSE Spanish qualification as it makes up 25% of your total exam grade.
The paper is divided into two main sections:
- Section A: Listening comprehension questions
- Section B: Dictation exercise (worth 10 marks)
Timing and marks:
- Foundation tier: 45 minutes
- Higher tier: 1 hour
- Both papers are worth 50 marks total
The exam includes between 9-11 questions plus six sentences for dictation in Section B. You will hear each recording three times with pauses between playings to give you time to think and write your answers.
Note
The multiple playings are designed to help you catch details you might miss on first hearing. Use the first listening to get the general idea, the second to fill in details, and the third to check your answers.
Key listening strategies
Before each recording begins, you get a 5-minute reading time. Use this time wisely to familiarise yourself with the questions and perhaps jot down Spanish words that might relate to the English options you see.
Important
Critical Exam Tips:
- Questions appear in the same order as the information in the recording
- There is a gradual increase in difficulty throughout the paper
- Use the marks in brackets to guide you - one mark usually means one detail
- The vocabulary for incorrect alternatives will often come from the prescribed vocabulary list, so you can sometimes rule options out
Multiple choice questions
These questions require you to select one correct answer from three given options. The incorrect alternatives will all clearly be wrong, but they use vocabulary from your course specification to test your understanding.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| examen | exam |
| historia | history |
| lunes | Monday |
| educación física | PE/physical education |
| viaje | trip |
| inglés | English |
| diversión | fun/entertainment |
| mejor | best |
| amiga | friend (female) |
| divertida | fun/entertaining |
Example
Worked Example: Multiple Choice Question
Audio: "Tengo un examen de historia el lunes."
What does Miguel have on Monday?
- A PE lesson ❌
- B A history exam ✅
- C An English trip ❌
Analysis: The key words are "examen" (exam), "historia" (history), and "lunes" (Monday), which directly match option B.
Note
Exam Strategy: If you make a mistake, put a single line through the incorrect box and put your cross in the correct place. Sometimes you may not hear the exact word but need to work it out - for example, the audio might say "Mi mejor amiga me hace reír" instead of using "divertida" directly.
Multiple response questions
For these questions, you listen to a slightly longer recording and select three correct answers from six options. You can make notes on the page as you listen, which helps you keep track of multiple pieces of information.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| tiempo libre | free time |
| jugar | to play |
| baloncesto | basketball |
| natación | swimming |
| correr | to run |
| tenis | tennis |
| voleibol | volleyball |
| fútbol | football |
Example
Worked Example: Multiple Response Question
Audio: "En mi tiempo libre me gusta jugar al baloncesto y hacer natación. También salto a correr."
Translation: "In my free time I like playing basketball and swimming. I also go running."
What three activities does Elena like doing?
- A football ❌
- B swimming ✅
- C tennis ❌
- D volleyball ❌
- E basketball ✅
- F running ✅
Key phrases identified:
- "jugar al baloncesto" = playing basketball
- "hacer natación" = swimming
- "salto a correr" = go running
Important
Exam tip: Keep your notes away from the answer boxes to avoid confusion during marking.
Word clouds
These questions require you to complete sentences using words from a given list. All possible answers for each question can be found on the same line of the word cloud.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| castillo | castle |
| mercado | market |
| museo | museum |
| tiendas | shops |
| zapatillas | trainers |
| deportivas | sports (shoes) |
| cerrado | closed |
| comprar | to buy |
Example
Worked Example: Word Cloud Exercise
Audio: "Queríamos visitar el castillo hoy, pero está cerrado. Entonces vamos a ir al mercado. Quiero comprar unas zapatillas de deporte."
Translation: "We wanted to visit the castle today, but it's closed. So we're going to the market. I want to buy some sports trainers."
Word cloud: market | shops | museum | castle | shoes | socks | trainers
Answers:
- They wanted to go to the castle. (1)
- They are going to the market instead. (1)
- He wants to buy some trainers. (1)
Strategy: Listen for the Spanish words first, then match them to the English equivalents in the word cloud.
Note
Practice translations:
Spanish → English:
- Voy al mercado los sábados = I go to the market on Saturdays
- El museo está cerrado = The museum is closed
English → Spanish:
- I want to buy new trainers = Quiero comprar zapatillas nuevas
- The castle is very old = El castillo es muy viejo
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
- Use your 5-minute reading time to familiarise yourself with questions and vocabulary
- Listen for key words rather than trying to understand every single word
- Questions follow the order of information in the recording
- Make notes during multiple response questions to keep track of several details
- Check the marks in brackets - they guide you on how much detail to include