How do I say 'I have been studying' for a long time in Spanish?

To express how long you have been doing something, use the 'desde hace' structure. For example, 'Estudio español desde hace tres años' (I have been studying Spanish for three years). Note that Spanish uses the present tense here, unlike the English perfect tense.

What is the difference between 'el colegio' and 'la escuela'?

In most AQA contexts, 'el colegio' (or 'el insti' for short) refers to secondary school, while 'la escuela' is a more general term often used for primary school. Using 'mi insti' is a great way to sound more like a native teenager.

How do I describe my teachers without sounding repetitive?

Avoid using 'es' for everything. Use 'nos hace trabajar duro' (he/she makes us work hard), 'explica bien las cosas' (he/she explains things well), or 'tiene un buen sentido del humor' (he/she has a good sense of humor) to add depth to your descriptions.

Do I need to know the names of all school subjects?

You should prioritize the ones you actually study, but it is vital to recognize others like 'el dibujo' (Art), 'la informática' (ICT), and 'el comercio' (Business Studies) for the listening and reading exams.

How do I talk about school rules using 'must' or 'can't'?

Use the impersonal 'se debe' (one must) or 'no se debe' (one must not). For example, 'se debe llevar uniforme' (one must wear uniform) or 'no se permite usar el móvil' (using mobile phones is not allowed).

What are some high-level adjectives for describing school?

Instead of 'bueno' or 'malo', try 'acogedor' (welcoming), 'anticuado' (old-fashioned), 'exigente' (demanding/challenging), or 'bien equipado' (well-equipped).

Topic 1: My studies

AQA

GCSE

This topic covers personal relationships, including interactions with family and friends, and the concept of marriage or partnership.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

Topic Overview

Topic 1: My Studies (Mis estudios) is a foundational pillar of the AQA GCSE Spanish specification, focusing on your ability to describe your daily academic life, express opinions on school subjects, and discuss your school environment. It requires you to master vocabulary related to subjects, facilities, and school rules, while demonstrating a command of the present tense and the ability to justify your preferences using a range of adjectives and conjunctions.

This topic is crucial because it often forms the basis of the Speaking and Writing exams, where you are frequently asked to compare your current studies with your primary school experience or your future academic plans. Success in this module proves to examiners that you can handle high-frequency vocabulary and transition smoothly between time frames—skills that are essential for achieving the higher grades (7-9).

Beyond the exam, 'My Studies' allows you to practice the 'opinion-reason' structure which is the backbone of Spanish communication. By learning to explain why you prefer Science over History, or why you find your maths teacher strict, you are building the linguistic muscles needed to tackle more complex global and social issues later in the course.

Key Concepts

Core ideas you must understand for this topic

→Subject Agreement and Gender: Ensuring that adjectives describing subjects (e.g., las matemáticas son difíciles) match in gender and number.
→Justifying Opinions: Moving beyond 'porque es divertido' to use sophisticated connectives like 'ya que', 'puesto que', or 'dado que' followed by varied adjectives.
→The Comparative and Superlative: Using structures like 'más/menos... que' to compare subjects and 'el/la mejor/peor' to identify your favorite or least favorite parts of school.
→Describing Facilities and Rules: Using 'hay' (there is/are) and 'se debe' / 'no se permite' to describe the school environment and regulations.
→Time Expressions: Mastering 'los lunes', 'a las diez', and 'durante el recreo' to provide structure to descriptions of a school day.

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Ability to describe family members and friends
Ability to discuss relationships and qualities of people
Ability to express opinions on marriage and partnership
Use of appropriate vocabulary for family and social relationships
Use of accurate verb conjugations for describing people and relationships

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Ability to describe family members and friends
Ability to discuss relationships and qualities of people
Ability to express opinions on marriage and partnership
Use of appropriate vocabulary for family and social relationships
Use of accurate verb conjugations for describing people and relationships

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡Use a variety of adjectives to describe personality and appearance to gain higher marks
💡Include opinions and justifications to demonstrate higher-level language
💡Practice using different tenses (past, present, future) to describe how relationships have changed or might change
💡Use connectives to link ideas and extend sentences
💡Ensure you can spell family members correctly
💡Include an 'idiomatic' expression: Use 'es pan comido' (it's a piece of cake) when describing an easy subject to impress the examiner with your cultural fluency.
💡Vary your verbs: Don't just use 'estudio'; use 'hago', 'asisto a', or 'participo en' to demonstrate a wider vocabulary range in your writing and speaking.
💡Use the 'we' form: Mentioning what you and your friends do (e.g., 'estudiamos juntos en la biblioteca') shows you can conjugate verbs beyond the first person singular.

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Confusing 'ser' and 'estar' when describing personality vs. temporary states
Incorrect adjective agreement with gender and number
Misuse of possessive adjectives
Over-reliance on simple sentences without connectives
Failure to use reflexive verbs correctly when describing daily routines or relationships
Using 'la asignatura' incorrectly: Students often confuse this with 'the signature' (la firma). Remember that 'la asignatura' is the academic subject you study.
Gender of 'el problema' or 'el sistema': While many school words ending in 'a' are feminine, words like 'el tema' or 'el problema' are masculine, which is vital when discussing school issues.
Misusing 'estudiar' vs 'aprender': Students often use them interchangeably, but 'estudiar' refers to the act of studying a subject, while 'aprender' refers to the process of gaining the knowledge.

Revision Plan

How to revise this topic in 1–2 weeks

1Week 1, Day 1-2: Memorize 20 key school subjects and 10 school facilities, ensuring you know the correct definite article (el/la/los/las) for each.
2Week 1, Day 3-5: Practice 'opinion + justification' strings. Write five sentences comparing two subjects using 'más... que' and 'menos... que'.
3Week 2, Day 1-2: Review school rules and the 'se debe' / 'no se permite' structures. Create a poster of your 'ideal school' rules in Spanish.
4Week 2, Day 3-5: Record yourself speaking for 1 minute about your school day. Listen back and check for adjective agreement and verb ending accuracy.

Exam Question Types

How this topic typically appears in the exam

📋Photo Card (Speaking): You may see a picture of students in a classroom. Be prepared to describe what they are doing and answer a follow-up question about your favorite subject.
📋Role Play (Speaking): You might act as a student talking to a Spanish exchange partner about your school timetable or rules.
📋90/150 Word Writing Task: You will likely be asked to describe your school, your teachers, and what you would change about your school uniform or buildings.
📋Listening/Reading Comprehension: Identifying specific details about a student's school life, such as which subjects they find difficult or what they think of their new headteacher.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions students ask about this topic

Before You Start

Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

•Present tense conjugation of regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
•Basic opinion verbs such as 'me gusta', 'me encanta', 'odio', and 'prefiero'.
•Common adjectives for personality and description (e.g., aburrido, severo, moderno).

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Evaluation of school subjects and teachers using qualitative adjectives and intensifiers (e.g., 'fascinating', 'demanding', 'approachable') - include idiomatic expressions such as 'to be a bookworm' or 'to have a head for numbers'
Description of school infrastructure and rules, focusing on the use of impersonal expressions (e.g., 'it is forbidden to', 'one must') and modal verbs - focus on cultural nuance regarding school uniforms and discipline
Discussion of the school day and extracurricular activities, incorporating time markers and frequency adverbs to detail routine

Likely Command Words

How questions on this topic are typically asked

Describe

Explica

Da tu opinión

Compara

Escribe

Ready to test yourself?

Practice questions tailored to this topic

Topic 1: My studies

Topic Overview

Key Concepts

What You Need to Demonstrate

Marking Points

Examiner Tips

Common Mistakes

Revision Plan

Exam Question Types

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Start

Key Terminology

Likely Command Words

Ready to test yourself?

Related Topics in AQA GCSE Spanish

Theme 1: Identity and culture

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

Topic 1: Home, town, neighbourhood and region

How to Revise Topic 1: My studies — AQA GCSE Spanish

Overview & Synopsis

Examiner Tips for Topic 1: My studies

Common Mistakes in Topic 1: My studies

Key Marking Points

Topic 1: My studies

Topic Overview

Key Concepts

What You Need to Demonstrate

Marking Points

Examiner Tips

Common Mistakes

Revision Plan

Exam Question Types

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I say 'I have been studying' for a long time in Spanish?

What is the difference between 'el colegio' and 'la escuela'?

How do I describe my teachers without sounding repetitive?

Do I need to know the names of all school subjects?

How do I talk about school rules using 'must' or 'can't'?

What are some high-level adjectives for describing school?

Before You Start

Key Terminology

Likely Command Words

Ready to test yourself?

Related Topics in AQA GCSE Spanish

Theme 1: Identity and culture

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

Topic 1: Home, town, neighbourhood and region