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    Cambridge IGCSE™ Spanish (for examination from 2021)
    Example Candidate Responses (Paper 3 – Speaking)


    • This resource applies to the following syllabuses, for examination from 2021:

      • Cambridge IGCSE Spanish 0530
      • Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Spanish 7160




    • Introduction

      The main aim of this resource is to exemplify standards of Cambridge IGCSE Spanish, Paper 3 - Speaking, and show how different levels of candidates' performance (high, middle and low) relate to the subject's curriculum and assessment objectives. 

      Candidate responses have been selected from the June 2021 examination series to exemplify a range of answers. 

      The recording of each speaking test is followed by Cambridge moderator comments on how the test was conducted, and where and why marks were awarded or omitted. At the end of the test we provide further comments on how the teacher/examiner and candidate performance could improve. In this way, it is possible for you to understand how to conduct the test successfully and what candidates have to do to gain their marks and what they can do to improve their answers. 

      Common mistakes and misconceptions are also listed for the Cambridge IGCSE Spanish speaking test.  

      A transcript of the audios with additional commentary is also provided. 


  • Now that you have read the speaking assessment criteria grids, you may want to practise marking a speaking test. Listen to the candidate responses below, make a note of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and give a mark, before you read the examiner comments and marks below.

    Please note: Information about the candidate and centre has been removed from the recordings to protect the identity of the candidate.


    • High level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary
      Example candidate response transcript – high

      Role play transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Estás en España después de ir al cine. Estás en casa y no tienes tu jersey. Llamas por teléfono al empleado o a la empleada del cine. Yo soy la empleada. A ver. ¿Cómo es el jersey?

      Candidate: El jersey es de color azul y tiene mi nombre. [Accurate response, good use of connectives and 3rd person verbs].  

      Teacher/examiner: Vamos a ver. ¿En qué número de sala vio la película?

      Candidate: Pienso que veo la película en la sala dos. [Natural response but answer is ambiguous due to the verb VER being in the present tense, not the preterite].   

      Teacher/examiner: La sala dos. ¡Ah! ¡Está aquí! ¿Cuándo va a venir para recogerlo?

      Candidate: Sí se posible. Voy a recogerle a las seis porque soy en el centro comercial. [Correct time frame is used, required information is communicated. Minor issues with the language but these do not impede communication].   

      Teacher/examiner: Fantástico. ¿Qué tipo de película vio en el cine?

      Candidate: Ve una película de acción… con mi padre [Incorrect verb but candidate does answer the question with the appropriate information].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y cuál fue su opinión de la película?

      Candidate: Me gusta mucho… porque la película tiene mi actor favorito… y pienso que está entretenido. [Incorrect tense but communication is not impeded because of this. Good use of connectives to develop ideas with topical vocabulary].  

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Prefiere ver una película en casa o en el cine?

      Candidate: Prefiero ver una película en mi casa [Accurate infinitive structure]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Por qué?

      Candidate: Porque es más fácil y cómodo [Accurate use of opinions and justifications, information is clearly communicated. Good use of connectives to extend answer although one adjective would have been sufficient].   

      Teacher/examiner: Bueno pues hasta la vista. Adiós. Vamos a pasar a la segunda parte del examen que es hablar de temas de conversación. Entonces, sí vamos a empezar con el tema tres cual es comer y beber. [Good, clear end to the first section of the speaking assessment, good example of how to transition to the next stage].


      Topic conversation 1 transcript [Tema 3 – comer y beber]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Cuál es tu comida favorita?

      Candidate: … Mi comida favorita es la cocina italiana. Me gustan mucho las pizzas y pastas. Además me gusta comer pescado porque pienso que es sano… Y finalmente, a veces yo como un depor… un postre, como un postre de mi país, de Bélgica con chocolate o sí, vale…   [Full response with opinions and justifications. Candidate develops answer using connectives and sequencers. Accurate use of me gusta n]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y a qué hora cenas normalmente?

      Candidate: Normalmente, yo ceno con mi familia a las oche de la noche, a veces a la nueve, porque voy al gimnasio con mis amigos antes… normalmente yo ceno con mis padres pero a veces ceno solo porque mis padres trabajan y soy solo en casa. [Some minor errors such as the time and use of ESTAR, but these minor errors do not impede communication. Good range of verb endings and justifications].

      Teacher/examiner: Háblame de la última vez… no … perdón, háblame de una vez que fuiste a un restaurante. ¿Dónde… y con quién?  

      Candidate: Uhm última vez que fui en restaurante fui con mis amigos en un restaurante local de Marbella… Yo pienso que es importante comer nueva comida de restaurantes locales. Yo como paella y me gusto mucho… quiero ir otra vez… está fenomenal.   [Initially responds in the correct time frame repeating the time expression from the question – this is good practice as it signposts correct use of tenses. Student does slip into the present tense (e.g. como instead of comí) so would improve answers further if more command of tenses was evident].

      Teacher/examiner: Me alegra. ¿Qué te gustaría comer en casa el fin de semana próximo?  [Positive examining encouraging the student].

      Candidate: Uhm… puede repetir la pregunta? [Good use of target language]

      Teacher/examiner: Por supuesto. ¿Qué te gustaría comer en casa el fin de semana próximo? [Sustained positive examining which is encouraging to the student].

      Candidate: Me gustaría comer comida de mi país… como por ejemplo una tradición de mi abuela… como tartas de manzanas y además me gustaría comer pastas porque soy un fan de pasta así come mucho [Good use of conditional tense and lesser common connectives (como, así)]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y qué piensas de la dieta vegetariana?

      Candidate: … No me gusta porque pienso que es importante de tener una variación de comida  

      Teacher/examiner: Entonces tú, ¿Qué ventajas o desventajas piensas que tiene esta dieta  

      Candidate: Uhm… es bien… de porque los para los animales pero es importante de tenir una dieta variada… una variaton… carne, pescado y todo. Porque sano. [Communicates answer despite some accuracy issues such as bien vs. bueno and ser vs. estar].

      Teacher/examiner: Pues ahora vamos a pasar a la última parte del examen que es el mundo natural   [Good signposting to indicate clearly to the student that the exam is progressing].

       

      Topic conversation 2 transcript [tema 7 – el mundo natural]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Vives en el campo o en la ciudad?  

      Candidate: … Yo vivo en la ciudad con mis padres en una casa. Mi… yo prefiero la ciudad porque hay muchas cosas… uhm… puede ir al a la playa con tus amigos o ir al cine y pienso que el campo es un poco aburrido.  [Good use of connectives to expand answer. Variety of verbs including 3rd person verbs. Attempt to include the passive which is almost correct. Good use of intensifiers].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y qué tiempo hace normalmente?  

      Candidate: Normalmente hace sol porque soy en España [Claro] A veces … uhm… a veces lleve [Candidate takes a while to think of the vocabulary but the Teacher/examiner doesn’t interrupt – this is very good practice]. pero es raro… y me gusta mucho el tiempo en la ciudad pero es el mismo en el campo pero no me gusta campo porque es aburrido [Good knowledge of weather phrases which students often struggle to remember, although the candidate mis pronounces llueve].

      Teacher/examiner: Nada. Nada nada del campo. 

      Candidate: No nada del campo [Spontaneous exchange with the Teacher/examiner which is positive].

      Teacher/examiner: Háblame de la última vez que pasaste un buen dia en el campo o en la ciudad.   

      Candidate: Vale. Uhm… La semana pasada. Yo fue con mis amigos al centro commercial para comprar nueva ropa.  [Good use of past tense time phrase]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y qué hiciste?  

      Candidate: Compra ropa y además, después, nosotros vimos una película. [Inconsistent use of the preterite but candidate continues to develop his answers which is positive].

      Teacher/examiner: Ah ¿Qué viste?  

      Candidate: Uhm… Nosotros vimos una película de acción. De Fast and Furious ocho. Y nosotros gustamos mucho.   [Attempt at preterite opinions. Incorrect conjugation but a fair attempt. Good use of ‘vimos’].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Te han gustado eh – tenía mucha acción?  

      Candidate: Sí, mucho. 

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Quieres vivir cerca del mar en el futuro? [student’s name] 

      Candidate: Sí quiero vivir cerca del mar porque me gusta el aire libre, el aire. Y me gusta hacer… me gusta caminar en la playa. Me gusta el mar. Me gusta nadar en el mar. Me gusta… el sol.  [Good use of opinion + infinitive structures and use of lesser common vocabulary such as ‘caminar’].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿…Cuáles son las ventajes para los jóvenes vivir en una ciudad grande?  

      Candidate: Yo pienso que las… hay ventajos y desventajas.  

      Teacher/examiner:  ventajas  [Teacher/examiners should avoid correcting candidates].

      Candidate: Los ventajas son que hay muchas cosas para nosotros pa los jóvenes… por ejemplo yo me gusta ir a fiestas con mis amigos y en el campo no hace fiestas. En la ciudad también tiene muchas tiendas para comprar recuerdos para tu familia o puede comer en un restaurante local para comer nueva comida por ejemplo… y … vale [Good development of ideas. Language is basic but well developed with connectives. Good use of ‘para +infinitive’ and correct range of verb endings. Attempt to use the passive again but not quite there. Some inaccuracy with verbs but overall the meaning of the passage isn’t impeded which is positive.

      Teacher/examiner: Fenomenal. Bueno ya hemos terminado. Muchas gracias. Adiós 







    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 3

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner greets the candidate using the prompts provided. She sets the scene for the role play by reading out the role play scenario Card 3 exactly as it is printed in the instructions booklet (Estás en España. Después de ir al cine, estás en casa y no tienes tu jersey. Llamas por teléfono a la empleada del cine. Yo soy la empleada). Where there are two parts to a task, the teacher/examiner pauses and waits for the candidate to respond before asking the second part. The candidate does not require repetition of the role play questions.

      Candidate response

      Task 1: The information is communicated. Two marks are awarded.

      Task 2: The information is partly communication and/or the meaning is ambiguous due to the verb ver in the present tense. One mark is awarded.

      Task 3: The candidate says, ‘Si se es posible voy a recogerle a las seis porque soy en el centro comercial’. The correct time frame is used and the required information is communicated. The language errors do not impede communication. Two marks are awarded.

      Task 4: There are two parts to this task. The candidate replies promptly to the first part with ‘ve’ instead of ’vi’ although he does communicate the information required. In the second part, he responds appropriately despite ‘mi’ instead of ‘me gusto’. Communication is not impeded despite the incorrect verb form in the first part of the response. Two marks are awarded.

      Task 5: The information is communicated. Two marks are awarded.

      Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 1 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 2 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 9 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations


      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner starts by introducing the topic and then proceeds to ask each question exactly as it is printed. The teacher/examiner listens carefully and acknowledges the candidate’s answer to each question. The teacher/examiner repeats Question 4. The teacher/examiner does not need to use the alternative question. The candidate gives full responses to questions. The topic conversation 1 lasts over 3½ minutes. The teacher/examiner does not ask any extension questions because the candidate responds fully with additional information and detail. Topic conversation 2 lasts just over 3½ minutes. It is not necessary for the teacher/examiner to ask further questions.


      Candidate response

      Topic 3: Comer y beber

      Task 1: The candidate gives a full response adding extra information and detail about the foods he likes and why he likes them.

      Task 2: The candidate answers the question and provides detail. There are a few errors, for example, the time and use of estar, which do not impede communication. He explains why he sometimes eats later, who he usually eats with, and why.

      Task 3: The candidate responds in the correct time frame, occasionally slipping into the present tense for example Yo como instead of comí.

      Task 4: The candidate asks for a repetition of the question. He responds well to both parts of the task.

      Task 5: The candidate responds well to the question although there are inaccuracies in the language, such as the verb ser and estar, bueno and bien, and pronunciation.

       

      Topic 7: El mundo natural

      Task 1: The candidate answers the question and expands by adding an opinion. He explains which he prefers and why.

      Task 2: The candidate communicates the required information. He uses ser instead of estar and mispronounces the present tense of the verb llover.

      Task 3: The candidate responds well to this question. There are some language errors in his response (verbs ir and gustar).

      Task 4: The information is detailed with several explanations.

      Task 5: The candidate responds confidently making a few minor language errors.

      In the topic conversations, the candidate responded confidently to questions and he communicated information that was consistently relevant. He frequently developed his ideas and opinions, justifying and explaining his answers. For Communication, his performance across both topic conversations adequately met the 'Very good' level statement.

      The Quality of Language was good. The candidate used a good range of structures and a good range of vocabulary. He displayed good pronunciation and fluency. For Quality of Language across both topic conversations, the candidate adequately met the 'Good' level statement.

       

      Communication Mark awarded = 14 out of 15

      Quality of Language Mark awarded = 11 out of 15

       

      Total mark awarded = 34 out of 40


      Moderator comments - Whole test

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      The speaking test was conducted well.  The teacher/examiner had familiarised herself with the role plays, the topic conversations and the procedure. The pace was appropriate for the candidate and the teacher/examiner was supportive and encouraging throughout. During the candidate’s response to a question in the second topic conversation, the candidate pauses to think of the word ‘llover’. The teacher/examiner does not interrupt. This is good practice. She does not disrupt the flow of the conversation and allows him to work out what he wants to say. The teacher/examiner could have asked the candidate a few extension questions in the topic conversations to make certain that the conversations would be the required length of between 3½ and 4 minutes. If a topic conversation lasts 3½ minutes or less, even after asking extension questions, the teacher/examiner should ask two further questions on the same topic. In topic conversation El mundo natural a possible extension question for Task 3 might be ¿Qué más viste allí? and a possible further question, ¿Cómo sería tu día ideal en el campo?


      How the candidate performance could improve

      The candidate performed well in all three parts of the test. In the role play, the candidate could improve their performance by focussing on the time frame of the questions, the past tense and the use of ser and estar.

      In the topic conversations, the candidate could improve his performance by paying attention to common verbs in the preterite tense, the use of gustar and the verbs ser and estar.

      This candidate was more successful in the first topic conversation than the second. To attain the highest marks, candidates should make a conscious effort to use language that is more sophisticated and use a variety of tenses, not only in the questions that require a specific tense.

       


       
    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

    • Middle level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary

      Example candidate response transcript – middle

      Role play 4 transcript


      Teacher/examiner: Vamos a empezar con el role play cuatro. ¿Vale? Estás en Madrid. Quieres ir a la piscina con tu amigo/a. Yo soy tu amiga. ¿Vale? [Sí] ¿[student name] Cuánto cuesta entrar en la piscina?   [Positive tone and greeting, setting the tone well. Teacher/examiner reads prompts exactly as printed in the booklet]

      Candidate: Entrar a la piscina dos veces… yeah

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Cuánto cuesta?   [It is clear that the candidate has misunderstood the question so the Teacher/examiner repeats it giving them another chance to secure the marks].

      Candidate: Ah… uhm… Entrar en la piscina cuarenta euros [The candidate is then able to answer the question and is awarded full marks]

      Teacher/examiner: Ooo ¡qué caro! ¿Y qué bebida llevamos a la piscina?   [Short, snappy and relevant comments by the Teacher/examiner to facilitate natural conversation with the student, without going off on a tangent].

      Candidate: Uhm… uhm… a la piscina…uhm beber una zumo de naranja y agua … para mí en mi amiga…  [Student takes a while to respond but the Teacher/examiner does not interrupt her flow which is good. Good recall of drinks vocabulary but the use of ‘beber’ makes the answer ambiguous so only one mark can be awarded].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿En qué medio de transporte vamos [student name] ?   [Use of candidate name to encourage student].

      Candidate: de medio de transporte es … a coche porque es rápido y uhm … y a veces caminar  

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Ah.. por qué?   [when there are two parts to a question, the Teacher/examiner stops and gives time for the student to respond].

      Candidate: Porque… es un bueno tiempo  [Clear that the candidate understands that transport is the topic, but this answer doesn’t clearly relate to said topic. Good that they attempt an answer anyway].

      Teacher/examiner: Ah hace sol ¿Qué vamos a hacer después de nadar?    [Brief relevant phrase to get student back on track with the conversation which is positive].

      Candidate: Después de nadar… después de nadar, fui a la cine y centro comercial y comprar mucho … uhm… comprar mucho pantalones, camisetas… faldas… y uhm… y ver una film de horror porque me gusta y mi amiga gusta film de horror... Sin embargo… me gusta film de comedia porque es divertida y es … y es bueno [Although there is no creditable response due to a lack of conjugated verbs, student attemps to develop the answer regardless. Each element of the exam has timings to follow, so it’s very positive that despite struggling with the question they are able to develop their answer].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Qué hiciste en tu tiempo libre la semana pasada? [student name]  

      Candidate: en mi tiempo libre la semana pasada… fui a la gimnasia con mi … con mi hermana … y mi amigo y… [Good use of the preterite tense and a time expression to signpost this. Good use of connectives to expand answer further].

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien. Pues vamos a pasar a la segunda parte del examen hablar del tema de la televisión y el cine. [Brilliant signposting, showing the next transition].

       

      Topic conversation 1 transcript  [la televisión y el cine]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Precisamente, [student name] Cuándo ves la televisión normalmente?  

      Candidate: Normalmente, ver a la televisión dos veces a la día porque me gusta televisión… y ver una y vi una film de comedia, horror, acción  [Good opinion phrase. Inconsistent use of time phrases to sign post and the preterite tense. More consistency needed].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y qué tipo de programas ves? ¿Qué tipo de programas te gustan?  

      Candidate: … no tipos de programas me gustan porque me gustan me gustan vi un film [Candidate has misunderstood the question]

      Teacher/examiner: Claro. Las películas 

      Candidate: Sí, las películas.

      Teacher/examiner: Describe un programa que viste recientemente  

      Candidate: …. Reciemente, ¿por repetir? [Good use of target language, meaning is clear despite errors]

      Teacher/examiner: Sí. ¿Qué programa viste esta semana?  [As per procedure, Teacher/examiners should first repeat a question before asking alternative questions, however, the Teacher/examiners tone is positive and encouraging and by being given another chance, the student is able to answer the question correctly].

      Candidate: Esta semana, ví una programa de… de… de comer.  [Accurate past tense. Student has been able to answer the alternative question correctly thanks to good examining].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Te gustó?  

      Candidate: Sí, mucho te gustó… [¿por qué?] porque me gusta comer mucho [ah, a mí también] [Responsive and positive examining, building the confidence of the candidate who is obviously nervous and pausing a lot. Teacher/examiner maintains this supportive and encouraging tone throughout].

      Teacher/examiner: Háblame de un actor o una actriz que te gusta 

      Candidate: Uhm… me gusta un actor, actriz como es se llama Selena Gomez porque… es mi favorita porque es bueno actor, es buena actriz… y… [Good self correction with justification]

      Teacher/examiner: Este fin de semana [student name] ¿Te gustaría ver una película en el teléfono móvil… o ir al cine?   [Good use of stress/ intonation to help the candidate access the question].

      Candidate: Esta semana… me gusta me gustaría ir al cine porque es muy divertido a ver… y… es much es más películas [Good self correction and use of the conditional. Good justification and use of ‘a ver’ which makes the conversation sound more natural and authentic.

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Qué ventajas tiene ir al cine?   [Student starts to make some errors after a good answer, so the Teacher/examiner asks the next question. This is good].

      Candidate: te ventajas que ir al cine es es muy grande… es más películas de bueno… es… es mucho comer y bebir [despite lacking the linguistic command to communicate their opinion, the student still tries to develop their response].

      Teacher/examiner: Vale, vale. Pues vamos a pasar a la último tema de conversación que es las tradiciones y las fiestas. [Good signposting].


      Topic conversation 2 transcript [tradiciones y fiestas]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿[student name] con quién celebras el año nueve normalmente?  

      Candidate: Normalmente celebra año nuevo con mi familia porque es muy importante  celebrar con mi familia y algunas veces con mis amigos… sin embargo… normalmente con mi familia. [Despite being unable to conjugate celebrar correctly, the candidate fully communicates their answer and justifies it, as well as giving additional detail.

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Dónde pasas el año nuevo?  

      Candidate: El año nuevo, fui a Iran o Dubai porque … porque mi familia es en Dubai y Iran. Sin embargo, algunas veces nosotros … nosotros ve ser España. [Candidate understands the question and attempts an answer despite not being able to conjugate the verbs correctly.

      Teacher/examiner: ¿El año que viene, te gustaría pasar el año nuevo con tu familia o tus amigos?  

      Candidate: Uhm… Repetir por favor [Good use of target language]

      Teacher/examiner: El año próximo ¿Vas a celebrar el año nuevo con tu familia o con tus amigos?   [Teacher/examiner should repeat the question again before asking the alternative question].

      Candidate: El año próximo, va con mi familia [¿Por qué?] porque fui a Dubai… y es muy divertido y como es muy grande. [Incorrect verb although other elements of the answer are successful.]

      Teacher/examiner: Háblame como celebraste el fin de curso el año pasado [student name]… ¿Qué actividades hiciste?  

      Candidate: El año pasado… actividades … el año pasado… fui a, fui a gimnasia con mis amigas. Fui al centro comercial y com compré muchos, yeah

      Teacher/examiner: Describe una fiesta importante de tu país 

      Candidate: Una fiesta importante de Australia es un día de Australia. Es muy importante para Australia porque es muy grande fiesta y celebra mucho y comer y bebir mucho… comer una en Australia en famoso es comer una pizza… una patatas fritas con pollo… con pescado… y zumo de naranja para beber… y la … la camiseta es blanca y la pantalones es es negro… y uhm… y bailar muchos y escuchar muchos música y es muy divertido para Australia. Y es un tiempo bueno en el día [Good development although the candidate relies heavily on using infinitives. Listing is low level, it would be better to develop ideas with opinions and justifications and a wider range of verb endings and/or idiomatic expressions].

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien pues muchas gracias [student name] [ya hemos terminado].



    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 4 

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner greets the candidate using the prompts provided. She sets the scene for the role play Card 4, by reading out the role play scenario exactly as it is printed in the instructions booklet (Estás en Madrid. Quieres ir a la piscina con tu amigo/a. Yo soy tu amiga). Where there are two parts to a task, the teacher/examiner pauses and waits for the candidate to respond before asking the second part. The teacher/examiner can repeat the role play questions if the candidate does not understand or does not hear the question. The candidate requires repetition of the first role play task. The teacher/examiner should repeat the question in full if required to do so.

       

      Candidate response

      Task 1: The candidate initially misunderstands the question. The teacher/examiner repeats the question. It is clear that the candidate has now understood the question. 

      Task 2: The candidate mentions two drinks however, the use of the infinitive beber results in the response being ambiguous. On this basis, one mark is awarded rather than two marks.

      Task 3: The candidate understands that the question is about transport, however, it is unclear whether she is talking generally or with reference to the planned trip to the swimming pool with her friend. 

      Task 4: The candidate uses an incorrect time frame – what she did instead of what they will do after going swimming. She also uses infinitives instead of appropriate verb forms and tenses. No creditable response.

      Task 5: The information is communicated. 

      Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 1 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 1 out of 2  

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 0 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 2 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 6 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner starts by introducing the topic and then proceeds to ask each question exactly as it is printed. The teacher/examiner listens carefully and acknowledges the candidate’s answer to each question. The teacher/examiner uses the alternative question in Task 3. The candidate does provide additional information. Topic conversation 1 lasts 3 minutes whereas topic conversation 2 lasts over 3½ minutes as required. In topic conversation 1, the teacher/examiner could have asked extension questions during the conversation. Where the topic conversation lasts 3½ minutes or less, even after asking extension questions, the teacher/examiner should ask up two further questions on the same topic.

       

      Candidate response

      Topic 1: La televisión y el cine

      Task 1: The candidate communicates the information. She uses the infinitive ‘ver’ instead of the present tense ‘veo’ before adding an explanation. She adds some additional information about a film that she watched using a correct past tense but without a time marker. It is unclear whether she intended to talk about a film that she had watched or more generally about films.

      Task 2: The candidate appears to misunderstand the question. Towards the end of her response it becomes evident that the candidate is trying to communicate the fact that she likes films rather than other television programmes.

      Task 3: The candidate asks for a repetition of the question. The teacher/examiner should follow the procedure outlined on the teacher/teacher/examiner script. The teacher/examiner asks the alternative question. The candidate understands and is able to respond. The teacher/examiner acknowledges the candidate’s response in a supportive and encouraging manner.

      Task 4: The candidate responds well and corrects herself when she makes a mistake.

      Task 5: The candidate provides a reason but does not quite have the command of language to communicate her meaning clearly and without language errors.

       

      Topic 4: Las tradiciones y las fiestas

      Task 1: The candidate responds fully and communicates the information, despite using the infinitive celebrar instead of the correct verb form and tense ‘celebro’. She develops her response with an explanation and additional detail.

      Task 2: The candidate uses the past form of ir instead of the present ‘voy’. She understands the question and provides an explanation.

      Task 3: The candidate asks for a repetition. As in topic conversation La televisión y el cine, Task 3, the teacher/examiner should follow the procedure outlined on the teacher/teacher/examiner script and repeat the question once before asking the alternative question. The candidate starts her answer with ‘va’ and then lapses into a past time frame.

      Task 4: The candidate communicates the information in the correct time frame.

      Task 5: The candidate responds fully with additional detail and some explanation. She relies heavily on the use of infinitives. Despite the lack of verb forms and tenses, she is able to display a range of vocabulary.

      In the topic conversations, the candidate responded satisfactorily to questions and communicated most of the required information. She conveyed simple straightforward opinions. For communication, her performance across both topic conversations adequately met the Satisfactory level statement.

      The quality of language was satisfactory. The candidate used some structures, with frequent errors, and displayed a satisfactory use of vocabulary. She displayed satisfactory pronunciation and fluency. For quality of language across both topic conversations, the candidate just met the Satisfactory level statement.


      Communication Mark awarded = 8 out of 15

      Quality of Language Mark awarded =7 out of 15

       

      Total mark awarded = 21 out of 40


      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      In the topic conversations, the teacher/examiner could have made greater use of extension questions. In topic conversation 1 task 4 for example, the teacher/examiner could have invited the candidate to expand with ¿Puedes decirme algo más sobre Selena Gómez? Topic conversation 1 was 3 minutes. The instructions state that if the topic conversation lasts 3½ minutes or less, even after asking extension questions, the teacher/examiner should ask up two further questions on the same topic. Topic conversation 2 was the required length of between 3½ and 4 minutes. In topic conversation 1 and 2 task 3, the candidate requests a repetition. When the candidate asks for a repetition, the teacher/examiner should follow the procedure outlined on the teacher/teacher/examiner script and repeat the question once before asking the alternative question. The repetition allows time for the candidate to hear and think about the question again, leading to a response or an improved response to the alternative question if needed. The teacher/examiner should be prepared to ask further questions if necessary for example, in topic conversation Las tradiciones y las fiestas, the teacher/examiner could ask, Si tuvieras más tiempo ¿Te gustaría celebrar el Año Nuevo en otro país? 


      How the candidate performance could improve

      The candidate was awarded 6 out of the possible 10 marks for the role play. She lost marks through lack of accurate verb forms and time frames. The candidate should take her time to respond and communicate the information giving a clear, correct response, with particular attention to verb tenses and verb forms. There is no need to give lengthy responses in the role play. The candidate should respond as succinctly as possible.

      The candidate could improve her performance by using verbs in the correct time frame. There are instances of correct verb tenses, however, there need to be more instances to raise the level of her performance. The candidate, in most cases, understands the question and has an adequate range of vocabulary.

       
    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • In the role play, candidates do not always communicate the information requested as succinctly as possible, using the correct verb tenses and forms. 
      • Candidates should be encouraged to attempt a verb form and tense rather than resorting to infinitives, which often lead to ambiguity. It is not necessary to develop responses by providing additional information.
      • In the topic conversations, candidates do not always provide sufficient detail. To attain the higher marks, candidates should be prepared to provide three or four additional pieces of information whenever possible. E.g. Háblame de un actor/una actriz que te gusta was an invitation for candidates to develop their response not only by naming the actor or actress and explaining why they like them, but also providing a description of their physical appearance, their character and any other relevant information.
      • Candidates do not always introduce different tenses.

      For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.



    • Low level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

      show/hide  Transcript and commentary

      Example candidate response transcript – low

      Role play 2 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: Vamos a empezar con la prueba. Est as en Panama. Vas a la comisaría porque te han robado el pasaporte. Hablas con el agente de policía. Yo soy el agente de policía.  ¿Cómo se llama?   [Teacher/examiner sets the scene using the prompts provided and doesn’t stray from the booklet script]

      Candidate: Uhm… ¿Puedes repetir por favor? [Good use of target language]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Cómo se llama?  [Teacher/examiner repeats the question as per procedure. The Teacher/examiner can repeat any role play question if the candidate does not understand or does not hear the question].

      Candidate: Me llama Nathan [slight error with verb ending but this does not impede communication due to the reflexive pronoun and name given, it’s clear he’s understood the question].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿De qué país es usted?   [Teacher/examiner asks first part of the question only, allowing the student to respond before reading the second part].

      Candidate: Mi país es en Panama

      Teacher/examiner: Vale ¿Con quién está en Panama?   [Student hasn’t understood the question, Teacher/examiner reads the next part]

      Candidate: Uhm… en Panama estoy…

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Con quién está en Panama?   [Teacher/examiner repeats the question as it’s clear the candidate hasn’t understood. This is good practice].

      Candidate: En Panama quiero…

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y cuántos días va a pasar aquí?   [When it is clear the candidate is unable to respond, the Teacher/examiner moves on].

      Candidate: seis días [Appropriate vocabulary. Short answers are perfectly acceptable for the first two role play questions. Students are encouraged to develop answers in questions 3-5 to meet the time specified].

      Teacher/examiner: Vale ¿Cuándo le robaron el pasaporte?  

      Candidate: … La semana pasada [Accurate time phrase]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Y dónde?   [Good delivery of the separate elements of the question]

      Candidate: A la playa [Accurate location]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Qué va a hacer aquí en Panama?  

      Candidate: En Panama… fui… fui en el mar con mi familia [Accurate activity but incorrect time phrase]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Qué va a hacer aquí en Panama? [Teacher/examiner repeats the question with added stress/ intonation on the future tense to help the student]

      Candidate: En Panama, voy a hacer, voy a visitor en montañas [¿por qué?] porque es muy interesante. [Student is able to answer the question correctly thanks to sympathetic and patient examining. Student is able to secure two marks for this question despite needing prompts].

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. Y ahora vamos a seguir a la conversación y la primera parte…  [Good signposting]

       

      Topic conversation 1 transcript  [la televisión y el cine]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Cuándo ves la televisión normalmente? 

      Candidate: Normalmente veo la tele a las ocho horas al día porque es muy interesante para mí  [Good repetition of the time phrase and use of the present tense. Second half of the answer is ambiguous].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Puedes decir un poquito más de eso? [Teacher/examiner gives student an opportunity to clarify their ambiguous response].

      Candidate: ¿Puedes repetir por favor?

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Puedes decir algo más?

      Candidate: Uhm… mi favorita película ver la tele es de horror, porque es me encanta lo horror  [Good use of opinion phrases. Inaccuracy with verbs but these do not impede communication. Good that student continues to attempt questions despite struggling with the questions].  

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien ¿Qué tipos de programas te gustan?  [Positive encouragement]

      Candidate: Uhm… me gusta la programa de… de drama porque es… muy divertido y me gusta mucho

      Teacher/examiner: Describe un programa que viste recientemente  

      Candidate: recientemente… la programa en la tele es muy aburrido… porque… la caractor es muy abr es muy antipático y no me gustan mucho [Not clear candidate has understood the question due to lack of time phrases/ past tense verbs.

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. ¿Fue interesante?  

      Candidate: No. No es interesante [¿Por qué no?] porque no me gusta la comedia…

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Puedes decirme un poquito más de eso? [Teacher/examiner gives student an opportunity to clarify his ambiguous response].

      Candidate: Uhm…  [Candidate is unable to answer the question so the Teacher/examiner moves on to save the pace and avoid the student re-attempting the same question for the third time – this is good practice].

      Teacher/examiner: Bueno, está bien. Háblame de un actor o una actriz que te gusta.

      Candidate: Me gusta la actor es Amanda Seyfried porque es muy guapo y divertido. [Student is able to answer with relevant vocabulary and using the correct tense, with justifications. Adjectival agreement isn’t correct but this doesn’t impede communication].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Me puedes decir un poquito más de eso?  

      Candidate: Uhm… es… uhm…  [Candidate could have added more detail such as name, age, personality, physical description, etc.].

      Teacher/examiner: Bueno. ¿Este fin de semana te gustaría ver una película en el teléfono móvil o ir al cine?  

      Candidate: En la vista sana, en la semana pasada, es veo la película en el móvil [Student has clearly misunderstood the question].

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien. ¿Y qué ventajas tiene ir al cine? 

      Candidate: Uhm… venta ir al cine con mi familia y con mi amigo porque la película en el cine es muy interesante para mí y es muy importante por en el futuro. [References to other time frames, use of porque to develop answer, use of connectives to link ideas].

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. Pues, vamos a cambiar de tema un poquito. Y vamos a... [inaudible]

       

      Topic conversation 2 transcript

      Teacher/examiner: ¿De qué color y tamaño es tu teléfono móvil?  

      Candidate: Uhm… mi teléfono móvil es … azul… y rojo  [Good use of colours but size is not communicated]

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien. ¿Y puedes decirme un poquito más de eso?  

      Candidate: Uhm… en el futuro me gustaría… compro… el móvil naranja porque naranja es me encanta la naranja. [Student is able to develop answer further but unfortunately not with the size of the phone].

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien. ¿Y qué miembros de tu familia tienen teléfono móvil?   [When student is still unable to answer, the Teacher/examiner moves on].

      Candidate: Uhm… mi madre y padre y hermano tiene un móvil… porque es muy importante para trabaja

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Puedes decir un poquito más de eso?  

      Candidate: Mi padre me gusta mucho es móvil porque es muy rápido. Y es más importante por la… en el… vacaciones por… comunicación de comunicación con la recepcionista. [Struggles to manipulate common language such as me gusta, but is able to develop his point].

      Teacher/examiner: Muy bien. Ok. Háblame de la última vez que utilizaste tu móvil. 

      Candidate: La último es ocho horas porque es muchas deberes y no no tiempo para tu móvil. [Good repetition of the time phrase from the question, but answer is ambiguous due to a lack of verb/ time phrase]

      Teacher/examiner: Vale… ¿Y piensas que los jóvenes usan demasiado el móvil?  

      Candidate: Uhm… piensa que… es pienso que mi móvil es…

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Piensas que los jóvenes usan demasiado el móvil? [Good repetition of the question].

      Candidate: En las jóvenes demasiado es

      Teacher/examiner: O sea ¿En tu opinion, los jóvenes pasan mucho tiempo en el móvil? [In topic conversations, the Teacher/examiner should only repeat the question if the candidate does not answer the question. The alternative question should not be used if the candidate has misunderstood].

      Candidate: En mi opinión… sí… tiene muchas horas al día en el móvil [¿Por qué?] Es muy muy importante para los deberes porque es los deberes es muy difícil y aburrido.

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. ¿Y qué sitio web visitarás este fin de semana?  

      Candidate: Uhm… en los fin de semana pasada, en los fin de semana uhm… me gustaría visitar Madrid  [Correct use of the conditional but the candidate has misunderstood the question, so the context is incorrect].

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Pero… qué sitio web visitarás este fin de semana?   [Repeats the question once as per procedure]

      Candidate: Uhm… sitio es Barcelona. [Student attempts a different response with a place]

      Teacher/examiner: ¿Pero… qué página web vas a visitar este fin de semana? [as above re. use of the alternative question].

      Candidate: Oh… lo página veinte seis 

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. ¿Por qué?  

      Candidate: Uhm… porque la página veinteséis tiene las informaciones de Barcelona y es muy importante para las vacaciones. [Relevant development to his answer but unfortunately incorrect for the original question].

      Teacher/examiner: Vale. Muchas gracias. End of test.    


       




       

       

       

       

       


    • Moderator comments - Role play

      Role play card 2 

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner greets the candidate using the prompts provided. He sets the scene for the role play Card 2, by reading out the role play scenario exactly as it is printed in the instructions booklet (Estás en Panamá. Vas a la comisaría porque te han robado el pasaporte. Hablas con un agente de policía. Yo soy el agente de policía). Where there are two parts to a task, the teacher/examiner pauses and waits for the candidate to respond before asking the second part. The teacher/examiner can repeat any role play question if the candidate does not understand or did not hear the question.  The candidate requires frequent repetition of the first role play task.


      Candidate response

      Task 1: The candidate asks for repetition of the question. The teacher/examiner can repeat any role play question if the candidate does not understand or does not hear the question. The information is communicated. Two marks are awarded despite the incorrect verb ending, me llama instead of me llamo. The meaning is clear and this error does not impede communication.

      Task 2: The candidate does not understand the question. No creditable response.

      Task 3: The teacher/examiner asks the first part of the task and pauses. The candidate is unable to respond. The teacher/examiner repeats the question. The candidate does not respond and the teacher/examiner moves onto the second part. The candidate answers the second part with a short response. This is perfectly acceptable. The information for the two-part task is partly communicated.

      Task 4: The candidate answers both parts of the task with short responses. 

      Task 5: The candidate misunderstands and answers using an incorrect time frame. The teacher/examiner repeats the first part of the task. The candidate answers using a correct time frame, ‘voy a visitar en montañas’ and is able to answer the second part of the task. The information is communicated. 


      Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 2 = 0 out of 2

      Mark awarded for task 3 = 1 out of 2  

      Mark awarded for task 4 = 2 out of 2 

      Mark awarded for task 5 = 2 out of 2 

      Total mark awarded = 7 out of 10


      Moderator comments - Topic conversations


      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner starts by introducing the topic and then proceeds to ask each question exactly as it is printed. The teacher/examiner listens carefully and acknowledges the candidate’s answer to each question. The teacher/examiner uses the alternative question in topic conversation 2, tasks 3 and 4. Alternative questions should only be used if the candidate does not answer after the question has been repeated. When a candidate has misunderstood, the teacher/examiner should move on to the next task and be prepared to ask up to two further questions on the same topic to ensure that the conversation lasts 4 minutes. Topic conversation 1 lasts nearly 4 minutes and topic conversation 2 lasts just over 4 minutes. In the topic conversations, the teacher/examiner makes good use of extension questions to encourage longer responses.

       

      Candidate response

      Topic 1: La televisión y el cine

      Task 1: The candidate gives an ambiguous response. The candidate starts well with ‘Normalmente veo la tele a las ocho’ but then adds ‘al día porque es interestane’. The teacher/examiner gives the candidate an opportunity to clarify, ¿Puedes decirme un poquito más de eso?  

      Task 2: The candidate communicates the information, justifying his response. There was an opportunity here for the teacher/examiner to ask an extension question or for the candidate to provide more details.

      Task 3: The first part of the response is difficult to follow. It is not clear whether he is referring to programmes in general or a specific programme and whether the opinion he gives is related to a specific programme. His command of language and the incorrect use of tenses impede communication. The teacher/examiner gives him an opportunity to provide some more detail and clarify, ¿Puedes decirme un poquito más de eso? There is a pause. The candidate does not add any further detail and the teacher/examiner moves on to the next task.

      Task 4: The candidate communicates the information including a reason for his choice. The teacher/examiner gives him an opportunity to provide some more detail. Here the candidate could have given some more details such as age, nationality and/or physical description.

      Task 5: The candidate initially misunderstands the question and responds with ’En la semana pasada’, reverting to the present tense. He makes a good attempt at explaining his viewpoint.


      Topic 5: Los teléfonos móviles

      Task 1: The candidate communicates the colour of his phone but not the size. The teacher/examiner uses an extension question to elicit some more information. The candidate is able to provide some more information about the colour of a future mobile phone purchase and a reason. There are language errors that do not impede communication.

      Task 2: The candidate communicates the required information, adding more information following the use of an extension question by the teacher/examiner. He struggles to manipulate the language, for example his use of the verb gustar.

      Task 3: The candidate gives a brief answer saying ‘la última’ without using a verb. There is some detail, the time and a reason. The explanation is not communicated clearly with a suitable verb and past time frame.

      Task 4: The candidate starts to respond but is unable to continue. The teacher/examiner repeats the question and waits for a response. The teacher/examiner then asks the alternative question. The candidate is able to give a good reason why he thinks that young people spend time on their mobile phones. He does not state his opinion clearly.

      Task 5: The candidate does not appear to notice the future time frame starting with ‘la semana pasada’ and later using the correct ‘me gustaría’. He hears visitar and sitio but not sitio de web. The teacher/examiner repeats the question. The teacher/examiner asks the alternative question. The candidate provides an answer. It is unclear whether he has understood the question. In this instance, when a candidate has misunderstood, the teacher/examiner should move on to the next task or in this case ask up to two further questions on the same topic to ensure that the conversation lasts 4 minutes.


      In the topic conversations, the candidate had difficulty with many questions and communicated some information relevant to the questions. For communication, his performance across both topic conversations adequately met the Weak level statement.

      The quality of language was weak. The candidate used a limited range of structures and vocabulary, with frequent errors and ambiguity. His pronunciation and fluency were satisfactory. For quality of language across both topic conversations, the candidate just met the Weak level statement.

      The candidate’s performance was uneven. He gave explanations and there was some good use of adjectives.

       

      Communication Mark awarded = 5 out of 15

      Quality of Language Mark awarded = 5 out of 15

       

      Total mark awarded = 17 out of 40


      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      Teacher/examiners should introduce the topics of the conversations by saying: ‘Primero vamos a hablar de…’ (topic 1) and ‘Ahora, vamos a hablar de…’ (topic 2) before starting each topic conversation. Generally, the speaking test was conducted well. The teacher/examiner had familiarised himself with the role play and the topic conversations. The pace was appropriate for the candidate and the teacher/examiner asked extension questions to give the candidate the opportunity to develop his responses. The topic conversations were the correct length of time. In topic conversations, the teacher/examiner should only repeat the question if the candidate does not answer the question. 

       

      How the candidate performance could improve

      The candidate was awarded 7 out of the possible 10 marks for the role play. He lost marks through a lack of accurate verb forms and time frames. The candidate should take his time to respond and communicate the information, giving a clear, correct response with particular attention to verb tenses and verb forms.

      The candidate could have improved his performance by concentrating on verb forms and tenses. Candidates should be prepared to give two or three sentences in response to the questions in the topic conversations and expand and develop their responses wherever possible. 


    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • In the role play, candidates do not always concentrate on communicating the information requested as succinctly as possible using the correct verb tenses and forms. Candidates should listen carefully and take their time. A short response, if it communicates the information requested, is perfectly acceptable. Candidates do not need to respond at length to be awarded two marks.
      • In the topic conversations candidates do not always supply sufficient detail. To attain the higher marks, candidates should be prepared to provide three or four additional pieces of information whenever possible. 
      • Candidates do not always introduce different tenses. ‘Describe un programa que viste recientemente’ was an invitation for candidates to develop their response not only by naming the programme and explaining why they like it but also to provide information about the programme itself and possibly to include when they watched it, the day, the time, how often they watch it and where. 
      • In topic conversation La televisión y el cine, some candidates did not understand ‘ventajas’ and in topic conversation Los teléfonos móviles, ‘tamaño’ was often misunderstood.
      • Candidates are not always prepared to understand and respond to questions in different time frames. Candidates will be expected to show that they can use a variety of tenses. 
      • Candidates should be, but are not always, familiar with common and irregular verbs in the preterite tense for example, recognising ‘viste’ as the verb ver and knowing the correct form to use in their response ‘vi’. Quality of Language is important. 
      • Candidates are not always familiar with the way the teacher/examiner asks them to expand their responses, for example ¿Puedes decirme un algo más? , candidates should know that they may be asked up to two further questions.

       

      For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.