Spanish 1 (Level 5)

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Dr Mari-Paz Balibrea Enriquez
• Assessment: two pieces of coursework (10%), a written in-class assessment (20%), written and listening in-class assessment (35%), oral in-class assessment (15%), 1000-word reflexive essay in English (15%) and class participation (5%)

Designed for complete beginners of Spanish, this 24-week course leads to CEFR A2 (Elementary)/GCSE level*. You will learn to interact with native speakers at a basic level in a range of everyday situations, such as speaking about yourself and your family, your home, your home town, your everyday routine, likes and dislikes, future and past events. You will gain a basic knowledge of a range of grammatical structures, including different tenses, and will acquire enough vocabulary to 'survive' and deal with predictable and/or specific information in simple everyday situations. You will learn to listen for general and specific information in everyday contexts and acquire basic skills in reading and writing. You will also gain some awareness of everyday life and the diversity of cultures in the Spanish-speaking world, and will develop independent learning skills through the use of online resources.

* Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Please note: this is only an approximate equivalence.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment), and catch the main points in short, clear, simple messages and announcements
• read very short, simple texts
• find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables
• understand short simple personal letters
• communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities
• use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms family and other people, living conditions, educational background and present or most recent job
• write short, simple notes and messages relating to matters in areas relating to immediate needs
• write simple personal letters, for example, thanking someone for something.