How many papers are in AQA GCSE Spanish?

Four papers, one per skill. Paper 1 (Listening, 40 marks Foundation / 50 marks Higher) is 25%. Paper 2 (Speaking) is 25%. Paper 3 (Reading, including translation from Spanish) is 25%. Paper 4 (Writing, including translation into Spanish) is 25%. All sat at the end of Year 11.

Foundation or Higher?

Two tiers. Foundation covers grades 5-1; Higher covers grades 9-4 with a safety net grade 3. All 4 papers must be sat at the same tier. Your school picks based on your predicted grade.

What's the defined vocabulary list?

From 2024, AQA publishes a defined vocabulary list per tier: ~1200 words Foundation, ~1700 Higher. Every word in the exam is drawn from these lists. Learn the list systematically. You can still produce vocabulary outside the list in writing/speaking for extra credit.

How does the speaking exam work?

Speaking is conducted 1-to-1 with your teacher and recorded, after 15 minutes' supervised preparation. Three tasks: role-play (1-1.5 min), reading aloud plus a short conversation (2-2.5 min Foundation, 3-3.5 min Higher) and photo card discussion (4-5 min Foundation, 6-7 min Higher). Total 7-9 mins Foundation, 10-12 mins Higher. Externally marked by AQA.

How does AQA differ from Edexcel?

Both are 4 papers at 25% each covering the 4 skills. AQA introduced a defined vocabulary and grammar list from 2024. Both boards' Listening papers now include a dictation section, in AQA it is Section B of Paper 1 (8 marks Foundation / 10 marks Higher). Content depth is comparable. Your school picks based on preference.

Does Cognito cover AQA GCSE Spanish?

Cognito has past papers and mark schemes for AQA GCSE Spanish (8692). Use them for timed practice and check your answers against the official mark schemes as you go.

AQA GCSE Spanish (8692) Specification

AQA GCSE Spanish (8692) is a two-tier linear qualification (Foundation and Higher) with four externally-marked papers covering listening, speaking, reading and writing across three defined themes. Each skill is worth 25% of the qualification and all four papers are sat at the end of Year 11.

Download the official spec (PDF)

specification overview

1. People and lifestyle
All papers
- Identity and relationships with others
- Healthy living and lifestyle
- Education and work
2. Popular culture
All papers
- Free-time activities (music, sport, film, TV)
- Customs, festivals and celebrations
- Celebrity culture
3. Communication and the world around us
All papers
- Travel and tourism, including places of interest
- Media and technology
- The environment and where people live
4. Grammar
All papers
- Foundation: present, preterite, imperfect, near future, conditional (basic)
- Higher additional: subjunctive, complex sentences
5. Vocabulary
All papers
- AQA-defined vocabulary list per tier (~1200 words Foundation, ~1700 Higher)
- Both receptive and productive use expected

subject content

Paper	What's assessed	Length	Marks	Weight	Question types
Paper 1 (Listening)	Listening comprehension across 3 themes (includes dictation of short spoken extracts)	35m F / 45m H	40 F / 50 H	25%	Multiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions in English and Spanish
Paper 2 (Speaking)	Speaking across 3 themes	7-9m F / 10-12m H	50	25%	Role-play (1-1.5 min, 10 marks), reading aloud task plus short unprepared conversation (2-2.5 min F / 3-3.5 min H, 15 marks), photo card discussion (4-5 min F / 6-7 min H, 25 marks)
Paper 3 (Reading)	Reading comprehension + translation into English across 3 themes	45m F / 1h H	50	25%	Multiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions. Translation from Spanish to English (~35 words F, ~50 words H)
Paper 4 (Writing)	Written production across 3 themes + translation into Spanish	1h 10m F / 1h 15m H	50	25%	Foundation: five sentences on a photo (10), ~50-word message with five bullets (10), five grammar completion items (5), translation into Spanish (10), ~90-word structured task with three bullets (15). Higher: translation into Spanish (10), ~90-word structured task with three bullets (15), open-ended ~150-word task (25)

PaperPaper 1 (Listening)

What's assessedListening comprehension across 3 themes (includes dictation of short spoken extracts)

Length35m F / 45m H

Marks40 F / 50 H

Weight25%

Question typesMultiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions in English and Spanish

PaperPaper 2 (Speaking)

What's assessedSpeaking across 3 themes

Length7-9m F / 10-12m H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesRole-play (1-1.5 min, 10 marks), reading aloud task plus short unprepared conversation (2-2.5 min F / 3-3.5 min H, 15 marks), photo card discussion (4-5 min F / 6-7 min H, 25 marks)

PaperPaper 3 (Reading)

What's assessedReading comprehension + translation into English across 3 themes

Length45m F / 1h H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesMultiple-choice, matching, short-answer questions. Translation from Spanish to English (~35 words F, ~50 words H)

PaperPaper 4 (Writing)

What's assessedWritten production across 3 themes + translation into Spanish

Length1h 10m F / 1h 15m H

Marks50

Weight25%

Question typesFoundation: five sentences on a photo (10), ~50-word message with five bullets (10), five grammar completion items (5), translation into Spanish (10), ~90-word structured task with three bullets (15). Higher: translation into Spanish (10), ~90-word structured task with three bullets (15), open-ended ~150-word task (25)

All four papers must be sat at the same tier. AQA's post-2024 spec introduces a defined vocabulary list and grammar list per tier. Speaking is conducted by the teacher and recorded, then externally marked by AQA.

assessment structure

AO	What it means	Overall
AO1	Understand and respond to spoken language in speaking and in writing.	35%
AO2	Understand and respond to written language in speaking and in writing.	45%
AO3	Demonstrate understanding and accurate application of the grammar and vocabulary prescribed in the specification.	20%

AOAO1

What it meansUnderstand and respond to spoken language in speaking and in writing.

Overall35%

AOAO2

What it meansUnderstand and respond to written language in speaking and in writing.

Overall45%

AOAO3

What it meansDemonstrate understanding and accurate application of the grammar and vocabulary prescribed in the specification.

Overall20%

assessment objectives

Aspect	Foundation tier	Higher tier
Grades available	5-1	9-4 (with safety net grade 3)
Vocabulary list	~1200 defined words	~1700 defined words
Grammar range	Present, preterite, imperfect, near future, basic conditional	Full range including subjunctive, pluperfect, more complex sentence structures
Speaking length	7-9 mins total	10-12 mins total

AspectGrades available

Foundation tier5-1

Higher tier9-4 (with safety net grade 3)

AspectVocabulary list

Foundation tier~1200 defined words

Higher tier~1700 defined words

AspectGrammar range

Foundation tierPresent, preterite, imperfect, near future, basic conditional

Higher tierFull range including subjunctive, pluperfect, more complex sentence structures

AspectSpeaking length

Foundation tier7-9 mins total

Higher tier10-12 mins total

higher vs foundation

Learn the defined vocabulary list
AQA publishes a defined vocab list per tier (~1200 F, ~1700 H). Every exam word is drawn from this list. Drill using apps like Quizlet.
Master the tenses on your tier
Foundation: present, preterite, imperfect, perfect, near future, inflectional future and conditional. Higher adds the present subjunctive and more complex structures. Learn -ar, -er, -ir regular endings plus key irregulars (ser, estar, tener, ir, hacer).
Practise speaking every day
Speaking is 25%. Do 10 minutes daily: photo descriptions, role-plays, general conversation. Record yourself for pronunciation (rolling r, ñ, ll).
Practise translation both ways
Papers 3 and 4 include translation. Practise weekly, focus on tense accuracy, gender agreement, ser vs estar, por vs para.
Learn ser vs estar cold
Spanish uses two verbs for 'to be'. Ser = permanent/essential (job, nationality, time). Estar = temporary/location. Drill the distinction until automatic.
Learn opinion phrases
Higher writing rewards opinions with justification. Learn: en mi opinión, creo que, pienso que, me parece que, lo que me gusta/molesta.

key tips for success

Start your learning journey today...

Practise with Cognito's free past papers for this spec – or browse grade boundaries and related specifications.

GCSE Spanish (AQA)

Free past papers

GCSE Spanish (AQA) grade boundaries

Where to next

GCSE Spanish (8692) Specification

Frequently asked questions

Past papers for this spec, free