Edexcel GCSE Spanish Speaking — Foundation Tier

The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Spanish speaking exam (1SP1, first assessed 2026) at Foundation tier has three tasks:

• Task 1 — Read aloud and 2 short unprepared questions: You read a prepared Spanish passage aloud, then answer two short questions you haven't seen before. Assessed on pronunciation and phonics. At Foundation the text uses everyday vocabulary.
• Task 2 — Role play in a transactional setting: A realistic scenario such as buying something, booking a service, or arranging an activity. At Foundation, you produce one question as part of the role play.
• Task 3 — Picture description, 2 short unprepared questions and follow-on conversation: You choose one picture in your pre-selected thematic context, describe it, answer two short questions, then continue into a conversation. At Foundation, the conversation lasts approximately 3–3.5 minutes.

The exam lasts 7–9 minutes at Foundation (50 marks, worth 25% of your GCSE). Preparation time is 15 minutes: 14 minutes supervised silent preparation plus 1 minute to practise the read aloud.

Spanish phonics at Foundation focuses on the most common sound-letter correspondences — the vowels, the j, the ll and ñ, the rolled r. At Foundation you are not expected to handle the full range of less common Spanish sounds.

The picture and conversation task at Foundation is structured to help you respond — the examiner uses guided, predictable questions and will not push you into unexpected territory. Communication is the primary criterion.

Spanish has a very consistent relationship between spelling and pronunciation — almost everything is pronounced exactly as it is written. This makes the Read aloud at Foundation very practisable: learn the core phonics rules (the vowels, the j, the rr, the ll/y, the ñ) and you can apply them reliably to any word.

For the picture and conversation task at Foundation, choose your thematic context early and prepare to describe familiar images within it. Aim to give complete sentences with a reason attached to each opinion. Me gusta porque… is a reliable sentence structure that will work across almost every topic.