IGCSE · Spanish · reading

For Years 9–11 · Learn, try, check

IGCSE Spanish Reading: From Text to Precise Answers

Scan for evidence, separate intentions from outcomes and try an original passage with explained answers.

Scan first. Translate only when it helps.

Read the questions before the passage. Circle the kind of information each needs: a person, a place, a reason, a date or an attitude. Skim for the topic, then scan for the evidence for one question at a time.

  1. Identify who is speaking and who each pronoun refers to.
  2. Locate the relevant sentence, then read just before and after it.
  3. Notice whether the question is about the past, the present or a plan.
  4. Answer with the requested detail, not everything you can translate.

A familiar keyword is a signpost, not automatically the answer. The sentence may reject that option or describe another person.

Small words change the whole answer

No rejects an idea; nunca means never; ya no means no longer. Antes often introduces past background, ayer a completed event and mañana a future context.

Quería ir a la piscina, pero al final me quedé en casa.

The pool was the intention; staying home was the outcome. Inference must fit the text: you can infer the plan changed, but not why unless a reason is given.

Cognates such as importante can help, but actualmente means currently, not actually. Una librería is a bookshop; una biblioteca is a library.

Read a short original passage

Original practice · not an exam paper

An idea for a quieter town

En mi pueblo, algunos vecinos quieren cerrar la plaza al tráfico los domingos. Así, las familias podrían pasear y los niños tendrían más espacio para jugar. Mi tío, que tiene una tienda allí, estaba preocupado porque pensaba que perdería clientes. Sin embargo, el domingo pasado vendió más que de costumbre. Todavía no hay una decisión definitiva. El ayuntamiento preguntará a los vecinos qué opinan antes de cambiar las normas.
  1. What change do some residents want?
  2. Give two intended benefits.
  3. Why was the writer’s uncle worried?
  4. What evidence challenges his concern?
  5. Answer briefly in Spanish: ¿Qué hará el ayuntamiento antes de cambiar las normas?

Try the questions before opening the answers. Underline evidence in the passage rather than guessing from your own experience.

Reveal answers and explanations
  1. To close the square to traffic on Sundays. Los domingos limits the proposal to those days.
  2. Families could walk and children would have more space to play. Podrían and tendrían describe possible benefits, not existing facts.
  3. He thought he would lose customers at his shop.
  4. He sold more than usual last Sunday. Sin embargo signals the contrast.
  5. Preguntará a los vecinos qué opinan. Todavía no confirms that no final decision has been made.

Work around an unfamiliar word

First decide its job. Is it a thing, an action or a description? Use articles, endings and the surrounding sentence. A contrast may tell you whether a description is positive or negative even if you cannot translate it exactly.

Original practice · not an exam paper

Use context, not a dictionary

El trayecto fue agotador: el autobús estaba lleno y hacía mucho calor.

Does the unknown description of the journey suggest comfort or difficulty? Which two details support your choice?

Reveal answers and explanations

Difficulty: the bus was full and it was very hot. French pénible means difficult / unpleasant; Spanish agotador means exhausting. The context supports a negative meaning, not an exact guessed translation of every word.

Give concise answers in the requested language

Both of the IGCSE courses discussed here include some reading responses in the target language. Follow each question’s instructions. Find the shortest phrase that answers it accurately; copying a whole paragraph can introduce contradictions.

Translation can be a useful learning exercise, but do not assume a UK GCSE-style translation section is part of your IGCSE reading assessment. See the board guidance below.

Common traps: answering in the wrong language, giving an intention instead of an outcome, confusing a wish with an event and adding your own explanation without textual evidence.

Check the assessment for your board

Confirm your board with your teacher. These are original learning resources, not official papers or a grade prediction.

Cambridge exam year matters: 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 are different syllabuses. The PDF above is for 2025–2027; for a later exam, choose your year on the official Cambridge Spanish qualification page. Pearson guidance here concerns the linear 2017 International GCSE specifications (4FR1 / 4SP1); check the precise qualification your school enters.

Carry the skill into your next answer

Move between understanding language and using it. Pick a related resource rather than starting another long checklist.

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