Head of Department: Alica Cervero Fornes

Why We Teach Languages

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate in multiple languages is more essential than ever. Linguists are highly sought after across both public and private sectors.

At St Paul’s Academy, we prioritise equipping our pupils with the fundamental skills needed to engage with non-English speakers. In keeping with our Catholic ethos, we believe that understanding and communicating with people of diverse backgrounds embodies the values of unity, respect, and compassion. Through language learning, we encourage our pupils to recognise the dignity of every individual, as reflected in Catholic teachings.

Learning a language is not merely an academic exercise but a gateway to broader opportunities and a way of addressing social inequalities. Our commitment to language education as a universal right is reinforced by national data indicating a link between socio-economic challenges and limited language learning opportunities.

Our language programmes foster curiosity and deepen pupils’ understanding of the world by exploring a variety of cultures, histories, literatures, and art. We challenge our pupils to reflect on their own identity and their connection to others, promoting empathy, appreciation of difference, and a broader worldview—qualities that resonate with our Catholic foundations.

We aim to empower pupils with the confidence and skills necessary for effective communication, focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By nurturing their linguistic, communicative, and intercultural abilities within a setting guided by faith, we prepare them for lifelong language learning and the responsibility to contribute to a global, collaborative, and peaceful society.

Spanish GCSE

Exam board: Edexcel

What will I study? 

Being able to speak a foreign language will open doors for you. This course will equip you with language to communicate in a variety of contexts with confidence, from having informal conversations and making friends to using the language in a business environment. In Spanish GCSE, you will build on language skills and vocabulary you have learnt in KS3, and will learn how to express more ideas in greater detail. You will broaden your horizons, enjoy developing an understanding of other cultures and other ways of seeing the world, and making links with other languages, making it easier to learn another one in the future. You will also develop a set of skills you can make use of in your adult life, such as analytical thinking, creativity, memorisation techniques, effective communication and active listening. 

What skills will I develop? 

You will improve your linguistic competence and develop Spanish speaking, listening, reading and writing skills across a range of interesting themes, such as: 

• My personal world 
• Lifestyle and wellbeing 
• My neighbourhood 
• Media and technology 
• Studying and my future 
• Travel and tourism 

You will learn to apply your skills in new contexts, express your opinions and discuss current issues confidently. 

How will I be assessed? 

GCSE Spanish is 100% assessed by examination and will consist of four papers. 

Paper 1: Speaking 50 marks, 25% of GCSE

Paper 2: Listening 50 marks, 25% of GCSE

Paper 3: Reading 50 marks, 25% of GCSE 

Paper 4: Writing 50 marks, 25% of GCSE 

Where can this course take me? 

Learning a language at GCSE will help you in almost any career and will open up many opportunities in the future. You might want to use your language skills to pursue a career in a related field, such as translator, interpreter or diplomatic service officer. However, many other fields like marketing, finance or aviation make use of language skills, so having a GCSE in a language would put you at an advantage over other candidates. Top universities expect students to have studied a language at GCSE level. With a GCSE in a language, you can continue your language studies in the sixth form by taking an A Level or International Baccalaureate. Alternatively, you could also take an A Level at a later date at higher education level to combine with other subjects.