A-LEVEL SPANISH. Unit 4 Speaking Report on the Examination. SPA2T/V June Version: 1.0

Transcription

1 A-LEVEL SPANISH Unit 4 Speaking Report on the Examination SPA2T/V June 2015 Version: 1.0

2 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2015 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.

3 Administration The overwhelming majority of tests were administered appropriately. Schools and colleges should, however, take note of the following: Where students are allowed to fill in their own STMS forms, care needs be taken with legibility of names and candidate numbers. It is the responsibility of the school or college to ensure that suitably quiet accommodation is provided for the tests. Examiners reported that students were often distracted by noise from outside the preparation and testing rooms, not infrequently caused by invigilators and even teaching staff chatting close by. Teachers who conduct their own tests are advised to check their recordings before sending them off. On several occasions, blank CDs or inadequately labelled CDs were received. It is essential that the student s choice of card and Opinión to be defended be clearly announced before starting the timer and inviting the student to begin. Part 1 Discussion of a Stimulus Card The timing of the initial outline and the discussion were observed in most cases, but there were some instances of Part 1 lasting longer than the maximum 5 minutes. Nearly all students are well prepared for this task. Some number their 4-5 points as they present their initial outline and this helps both themselves and the examiner to clarify their ideas. Weaker students tended to waste time reading out what was written in the speech bubble, and went on to repeat the same ideas using different language, thinking that they were making new points. There was a tendency among students of all abilities to pay insufficient attention to the specific question, preferring to address the general sub-topic using familiar material. This was noted especially in cards B and E on the Multicultural Society. The Notes for Examiners are provided to suggest ideas that may be used to provoke a discussion. They are neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and they are most emphatically not a script for the teacher examiner to use verbatim. Examiners are required to listen to the points made by the student in the first minute of the test and these should form the basis of the discussion. It is the student s ideas that are to be debated, not the Notes for Teachers. Sadly, a good number of students were let down by teacher examiners who simply read from the notes and paid no attention to what the student was saying. Tarjeta A Los grupos de presión, tienen un papel importante? The role of pressure groups is one of the bullet points in the specification under Protecting the Planet. It was surprising therefore that this was the least chosen card and those who did it had few detailed ideas that they could use in the discussion. The majority opted for Opinión 1 and relied heavily on the suggestions offered in the speech bubble. There were some who had an interest in the activities of Greenpeace, for example, and argued passionately in favour of breaking the law in the interest of making people aware of threats to the environment. Some students just ignored the specific question posed and took the opportunity to deliver prepared material about fossil fuels, public transport and recycling. The phrase grabar la atención was commonly used. Tarjeta B Soy racista porque prefiero estar con gente como yo? This was a popular card and most students chose to defend Opinión 2. Many positive views were expressed about the benefits of living in a multicultural society, usually relating to food, music and the opportunities to learn from other cultures, but these were largely superficial and did not stand 3 of 6

4 up to challenges by the examiner, if indeed they were challenged at all. It was disappointing that the question in the title was hardly ever addressed and many discussions drifted away from the topic of racism to dwell on received ideas about multiculturalism in general. It was not uncommon to hear that forced marriages are acceptable because they are part of a particular culture. It seems that students (and their teachers) are unwilling to express views that they fear may be politically incorrect even though the nature of the topics and the demands of the task itself often invite an exploration of unpleasant realities. One teacher examiner did ask a question about la ablación (female circumcision) but on the whole discussions remained rather bland and unoriginal. Tarjeta C Se debe legalizar la eutanasia? This card probably produced the most well-argued and interesting discussions and it is clear that in some schools the topic has been thoroughly studied and that students were familiar with the film Mar Adentro. Perhaps because of the film, students were largely in favour of euthanasia (often pronounced utanasia) and cited reasons of compassion, human rights and free will. On this topic, many students were less reserved and said it was right to reduce the burden on the NHS by dispatching individuals deemed not worth keeping alive. Little concern was expressed for sick and elderly people whose relatives may wish to speed their departure for financial reasons. Some weaker students failed to distinguish clearly between euthanasia and suicide, and missed the point that it was the intervention of a third party in ending someone s life that was the real issue. The words enfermo, enfermedad and enfermero were frequently confused as were médico, medicina, and medicamento. Many students were unable to conjugate the verb morir or to distinguish it from matar. Tarjeta D Son necesarios los trenes de alta velocidad? Although not as popular as some of the other cards, it was well done by the better-informed students who were able to weigh the need for progress against possible damage to the environment. There were convincing arguments offered on both sides but those who chose Opinión 1 tended to base their arguments on mistaken beliefs. Some thought that the new trains would produce more pollution than existing ones or that they would be powered by fossil fuels. Others opposed rail travel in general and recommended the use of the car and even the bicycle as more environmentally friendly modes of transport. Some poorly-learnt vocabulary was evident, such as los gases verdaderos, el calamento global and energía ejólica. Tarjeta E Necesitamos más inmigrantes? This was by far the most popular card and it produced a wide variety of responses. Those who scored highly were the ones who focussed their arguments on the economic benefits or otherwise of immigration. Weaker students treated the topic of immigration in general terms and often drifted off the topic onto the reasons for migration or aspects of cultural integration. Opinión 2 seemed to many students to offer the opportunity to regurgitate pre-learnt material about the positive contribution made by immigrants. Attempts by examiners to talk about the black economy or pressure on schools and hospitals were lightly dismissed and English people labelled lazy in comparison with ambitious immigrants. There was frequent confusion of the words culpa and falta. Tarjeta F Hay pobreza en todo el mundo? This card probably elicited the most thoughtful and interesting discussions from students on both sides of the argument. Many were able to explain the difference between relative and absolute poverty, giving examples of what constitutes poverty in the developed world and how this contrasts 4 of 6

5 with poorer countries. The preferred option was Opinión 2 and it was defended relentlessly with, in some cases, a degree of exaggeration of the plight of homeless people in this country, including claims that people did actually die of hunger. Surprisingly, many students said that the government should spend its money helping the poor in this country rather than sending it abroad, a view that contrasts starkly with opinions expressed in previous series on the issue of charity and international aid. Part 2 Conversation Examiners reported hearing some excellent, spontaneous exchanges in which students showed their ability to discuss their Cultural Topics fluently and enthusiastically. However, the same shortcomings were noted as in previous series. The most serious was the failure of many teacher examiners to enable their students to access the highest band for Interaction by providing opportunities to react spontaneously, develop ideas and counter views. Discussions in which only factual information is elicited cannot be awarded more than 6/10 for Interaction. Particular thought is needed when students have studied a region or a period of history as to how their personal reaction to the topic may be invited and challenged in the speaking test. Only in a minority of cases was this done effectively, the result being that some able linguists who had thoroughly studied their topic and had much factual detail at their disposal nevertheless did not achieve the mark they deserved. Disappointingly, it was also in discussions of literary works and films that some examiners were satisfied with allowing their students to deliver long, pre-learnt, mainly factual material with little or no attempt to explore their ideas or challenge their views. Before undertaking the tests, teacher examiners must ensure that they are fully familiar with the Instructions for the Conduct of the Examinations, pages and in particular paragraph 19. This essential document can be downloaded at On the positive side, timings were generally adhered to and recordings were usually of good quality. Schools are reminded that recordings should be saved as.mp3 files and each separate test labelled using the format shown on page 35 of the Instructions. The most popular Cultural topics again were La casa de Bernarda Alba, El laberinto del fauno and Volver. It was clear that most students had enjoyed studying these and many were able to engage in thoughtful and interesting discussions. Other favourite topics included: A region or community Andalucía, Cataluña, Valencia, Galicia, Chile, Mexico, Colombia A period of history La Guerra Civil, la Transición, la dictadura franquista, la revolución cubana An author García Márquez, Sender, Esquivel, Almudena Grandes A dramatist, poet Lorca 5 of 6

6 Director/painter Almodóvar, Del Toro, Amenábar, Frida Khalo, Dalí, Picasso Pronunciation Most students were awarded 4 or 5 marks but there were still mispronunciations of muy, fácil, difícil, and Estados Unidos. There were numerous examples of the stress placed on the wrong syllable in words such as tragedia, democracia and eutanasia. Grammar There were no indications that grammar is getting better or worse at this level. It was reported that many students show a good command of language and can use a variety of tenses and more complex structures with fewer errors. Expressions using the subjunctive are often handled with confidence and topic-specific vocabulary used appropriately when discussing the Cultural topics. The following weaknesses were noted: Confusion of words: ser/estar; morir/matar; crear/creer; soportar/apoyar; hablar/decir; realizar/darse cuenta de; mejor/mayor; mixta/mezcla; razas/raíces Anglicised inventions: expectar; copar; realístico; idealístico; ridiculoso; obvioso; el facto; capable. It is commendable that students are attempting to use idiomatic expressions. However, these are not always used effectively and may even have a negative impact on the authenticity of the language when they are added inappropriately or used to excess. Many students, especially in Part 1, are advised to avoid such over-elaborate and redundant phrases. Favourites include: Su argumento no tiene ni pies ni cabeza/carece de sustancia No estoy persuadido de que sea el caso La verdad lisa y llana es.. Sigo manteniendo mi postura Vale la pena recordar que Es imprescindible que tengamos en cuenta el hecho de que. In extreme cases, it can be difficult for the listener to make out the points that are being made and such phrases, if over-used, can give an impression of insincerity. This report focusses on negative points in order to help future students perform well. However, this year s students and their teachers are to be congratulated on their hard work throughout the year and the high degree of success achieved in these speaking tests. Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 6 of 6