AS/A Level GCE (for first teaching in 2008) Spanish - H077 H477

FAQs

Please find below the most frequently asked questions for this qualification. If you have a question that is not answered here or elsewhere on the website please contact the OCR Customer Contact Centre.

Your regional Customer Support Manager is on hand to provide continued support, advice and guidance on what is happening with A Levels from an OCR prospective. This can include, an overview of our assessment approach or signposting to support and training to help you progress with our new A levels. To arrange a support call or visit, please email 14-19alevels@ocr.org.uk.

A. QCA has removed coursework from the subject criteria for Spanish as a means of assessment. This means that A Level Spanish qualifications are 100% exam assessed. The OCR specification provides an opportunity for testing extended writing in the A2 exam.

A. QCA states that learners are still required to study aspects of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of one or more of the countries or communities whose language is being studied, however, this knowledge is no longer specifically tested.

A. Speaking tests can be taken before the main examination period and submitted as digital recordings. For centres with more than 20 students, there is the option of a visiting examiner in the Summer series.

A. No. OCR will change to CDs for all new A Level specifications and candidates will still have individual control of playback.

A. The first assessment and certification for the AS is June 2009.

A. The first assessment for unit 4 of the A2 is January 2010. The first full A2 assessment and certification of the full A Level is June 2010.

A. Yes. In response to centre demand, OCR will be publishing past papers for live specifications on the OCR website. These will be free of charge. Question papers from the June 2008 series will be available to download from OCR Interchange only. Further details are available from OCR Interchange.

A. OCR is working in partnership with individual publishers for different subject groups. Comprehensive resources are being developed by these Publishing Partners and others to support the specification and complement the support available from OCR. For details of our partners view the support page.

A. Schemes of work and lesson plans can be downloaded from the OCR website. The materials are available in fixed PDF format, for reference purposes, and also in Word format, so that teachers can adapt the materials for their own use.

A. The schemes of work contain suggestions on time allocation, teaching activities and resources. The sample lesson plans provide specific ideas on delivery of a few of the topics for some unit options. Both resources are intended to offer teachers a range of practical delivery ideas that they can mould to suit their needs, and their students needs.