Spanish Beginners 2025 HSC exam pack

Students should: 

• be prepared to communicate about a variety of topics relating to their personal world
• elaborate and provide relevant details to address the questions in a way that engages with the examiner
• use a range of vocabulary, expressions and language structures to respond appropriately to the questions
• provide information, express ideas and comment on their personal world
• be prepared to respond to questions from a different perspective
• be prepared to respond to questions that relate to past, present and future aspects of their personal world
• demonstrate the ability to manipulate the language
• be prepared to be interrupted by the examiner
• use Spanish to ask for repetition and/or clarification of the question.

In better responses, students were able to: 

• use a range of vocabulary and adjectives, for example, entretenido, comprensivo, respetada, acogedor
• provide clear responses to questions with minimal hesitation
• provide relevant answers, rather than giving a prepared response
• respond appropriately with correct intonation, including for English cognates, for example, inteligente, profesor, prefiero
• use correct tenses in line with the intent of the question
• conjugate and use a variety of verbs across past, present, future tenses and conditional forms, for example, era, si tuviera, iré, preferiría, podría, tocamos, tuve, he estudiado, mi padre viajó
• demonstrate a good understanding of various grammatical features, including case endings, adjectival endings, and use of modal verbs, for example, quiero viajar, tengo que estudiar, voy a trabajar, habitación cómoda, profesor simpático, suelo trabajar, solía jugar
• develop ideas that combine different tenses to add complexity and elaboration, for example, quiero viajar porque es útil, tocaba la guitarra cuando era joven, me parezco más, me encantaba bailar
• include verb structures with a variety of subject pronouns, for example, nos llevamos bien, me hace reír, mis padres dicen que
• elaborate and expand on answers, using examples relating to past, present and future aspects of their personal world to engage with the examiner in greater depth
• use opinion structures, for example, de mi punto de vista, según, en mi opinión, pienso que, así que, incluyo, considero que
• develop ideas by using connectives, adverbs of frequency and contrasting connectors, for example, por ejemplo, además, sin embargo, aunque, por otro lado to add detail to the response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing detailed description, opinion and reflection on ideas, rather than just listing items
• using correct subject-verb agreement
• incorporating a variety of vocabulary, in particular adjectives. For example, avoiding the overuse of cognates such as interesante, inteligente
• adding detail to their responses such as reasons and justifications for opinions, examples of activities and experiences
• using correct features of sound systems, for example, the letters h, g, j, ll
• using numbers correctly to talk about age and years
• using correct intonation and minimising pauses.

Students should: 

• read each question carefully
• make notes in the Candidate’s Notes column on the right-hand side of the page
• transcribe their response onto the lines, using the space provided for each question
• use the lines provided as a guide to the length of the response required
• ensure that their responses are clear and address all parts of the question
• use their own words and respond in English.

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify all aspects of the purposes of Santi’s message (Q1)
• identify the activities on Roberto’s to-do list (Q2)
• outline both reasons why the Spanish teacher is Vicki’s favourite (Q3)
• outline all reasons why Marisol received the award (Q4)
• identify the home the family will move into (Q5a)
• explain why the family needs a new home (Q5b)
• summarise what Mateo values most in a partner, without including reasons, definitions, or examples such as specific types of water sports (Q6)
• identify detailed reasons why a food enthusiast would enjoy the holiday, including a range of different activities, for example, trying different paellas, shopping for local ingredients, doing a cooking class and eating in a top/five-star restaurant for free (Q7)
• identify detailed reasons to explain why the daughter is frustrated with the father, including a disagreement about a graduation dress, differences of opinion related to fashion and style, for example, he thinks her dress is not fashionable because of the asymmetrical sleeves (Q8)
• provide descriptions of the two different dresses each prefers, for example, a new red dress and a practically new black dress belonging to the older sister, and why each person prefers each dress, for example, the red matches her hair, the black dress has only been worn once (Q8)
• identify and detail the reasons why it is unlikely that Cruz will apply for the job, for example, his pay (he currently earns more), his personality (he is afraid of public speaking) and his schedule (there is a clash with his Wednesday yoga class), and stating that/why he is looking for a new job (his current job is boring) (Q9).

Areas for students to improve include: 

• using vocabulary related to studies and health, for example, clase de matemáticas, tarea, enfermo (Q1)
• using vocabulary related to school and household chores, for example, estudiar, exámen, biología, limpiar, habitación (Q2)
• recognising phrases used to express likes, for example, me encanta, le gusta (Q3)
• using vocabulary related to hobbies, for example, libros, videojuegos, biblioteca (Q4)
• reviewing vocabulary related to parts of the house, for example, garaje, piscina, balcón (Q5a)
• using vocabulary related to family members, for example, el nuevo bebé and abuela (Q5b)
• recognising that viene a vivir indicates a future action (Q5b)
• summarising only the main points, for example, not including examples, reasons and definitions (Q6)
• using vocabulary related to food and meals, for example, cocinar, mariscos, as well as culturally specific meals, for example, paella (Q7)
• recognising future tense verb endings, for example, podrás, utilizirás, aprenderás and disfrutarás (Q7)
• using vocabulary related to clothing, for example, vestido, mangas, de moda (Q8)
• using preterite past, conditional and immediate future verb conjugations, for example, tuvimos, compré, compraste, utilizó, debería, te vas a poner (Q8)
• using comparative language to compare and contrast different points of view, for example, on the other hand, while, however (Q8)
• using vocabulary related to work and personality, for example, me pagan, soy tímido, me da miedo hablar… (Q9).

Students should:

• read the whole text(s)
• address all parts of each question
• use the lines, table, chart provided for their response
• respond fully to the question by including details as required
• support their responses with evidence from the text where required
• use their own words, rather than giving a literal translation
• use the dictionary appropriately to find the correct meaning of the word(s) in context. 

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide all relevant details in their responses, including both the day and month, and choose the translation to suit the context, for example, party room 3 (Q10a)
• identify that the party was for two people from the one family, for example, twins/two daughters/two sisters (Q10a)
• identify both the problem and the request for help/advice on how to stop it (Q11a)
• summarise the actions, rather than adding detail or examples (Q11b)
• identify word classes accurately, for example, type of noun expectador (Q12)
• demonstrate understanding of the verb acordarse to communicate the fact that people will neither remember David nor his own goal in a few weeks (Q12b)
• identify the full range of available details about each extracurricular activity from the text, and link the reading club to Max’s priority of wellbeing and mental health (Q13b)
• demonstrate an understating of why Danilo says ‘to kill two birds with one stone’ (Q14a)
• identify relevant information from all parts of the text (Q14b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• reviewing vocabulary of numbers and months, for example, 16th (Q10a)
• using vocabulary related to family, for example, gemelas and hijas (Q10a)
• using the text as a whole when responding to a question, for example, considering all details in Magdalena's post, including her questions to the reader (Q11a)
• providing only the necessary information (Q11b)
• identifying the dual purpose of sharing a story and seeking advice/opinions (Q12a)
• deciding on the likelihood of following Estrella Bonita’s advice and supporting the response based on David’s comments (Q12C)
• paraphrasing detailed information required from the text in English (Q12c)
• responding with information extracted from the text only (Q13b)
• using free time vocabulary, for example, lectura and ajedrez (Q13b)
• referencing all possible options in detail, rather than only the most likely option (Q13b)
• using time indicators to distinguish between having participated in an activity since he was 5 years old, rather than for five years (Q13b)
• distinguishing between the subjects of sentences, his/her personality (Q14b).

Students should:

• write to the word count required
• address the audience, purpose and context required by the question
• apply the conventions of the type of text indicated in the question
• use the appropriate register throughout the response
• use a range of tenses and sentence structures and a variety of vocabulary
• use varied expressions throughout the response
• use the dictionary correctly to access vocabulary and expressions that are meaningful in the context of their response
• plan their response prior to writing, and edit their work. 

In better responses, students were able to:

• answer the question with relevant details, including an explanation of or reason for not making it home for dinner (Q15)
• use the correct register consistently (Q15, Q16)
• use ustedes/vosotros for a speech (Q17, Q18)
• provide an introduction and conclusion for the speech (Q17, Q18)
• focus in detail on at least one memory in the response, for example, school camp, family trip, fun day out, school festivals in Year 12 (Q18)
• sequence ideas coherently by organising ideas into paragraphs and using a range of connectives, for example, primero, segundo, finalmete, (Q17, Q18)
• apply a range of past tenses including preterite, imperfect and present perfect and future, including immediate future, simple future and conditional (Q16)
• use a variety of vocabulary and language structures relevant to the questions.

Areas for students to improve include: 

• using dictionaries correctly and recognising the difference between a verb, noun or adjective, and nouns such as experimentar, experiencia
• using accurate language structures and features, for example, verb and adjective agreements, word order, tense formation, gender agreement, possessive adjectives such as nuestro, nuestra, nuestros,nuestras, use of correct prepositions, for example, por, a, de, en, entre, al lado de, cerca de, junto a, and correct use of adjectives, rather than mistakenly using adverbs
• using correct conventions of text types, for example, the greetings and sign-offs differ between a message/postcard (Q15, Q16) and those used in a speech (Q17, Q18)
• developing a range of ideas
• using a range of verb tenses
• spelling words with the correct diacritics, for example, nació, comió, habló, as the accent marks change their meaning.