Mark Scheme

Section A — Structured Questions (27 marks)

Exercise 1

(a) Valencia / in Valencia / on the Mediterranean coast [1]

(b) 8 / eight (students) [1]

(c) Any TWO of:

• 20 hours of classes (per week)
• Cultural excursions/trips (on Saturdays)
• Accommodation with Spanish families
• Sports/sporting activities (in the afternoon)

[1 mark each, maximum 2 marks]

(d) (On) Saturdays / at the weekend [1]

(e) Any TWO of:

• They have international experience
• They speak English perfectly/very well
• They are experienced

[1 mark each, maximum 2 marks]

Total for Exercise 1: 7 marks

Exercise 2

(a) Engineer / he works as an engineer [1]

(b) He doesn't mind / it doesn't matter to him / he doesn't care [1] [Accept: "he says it's okay" or similar. Reject: "he likes it" – this is too strong]

(c) Medicine [1]

(d) Because she works/studies too much / she doesn't go out with friends / she doesn't have a social life [1] [Accept any ONE valid reason]

(e) (In) a clothes shop / clothing store / in the centre/town centre [1] [Accept: "a shop" alone for 1 mark]

(f) Any TWO of:

• She meets lots of new people
• She gets a discount (20% / twenty percent) on clothes
• She likes it (even though she doesn't earn much)

[1 mark each, maximum 2 marks]

Total for Exercise 2: 7 marks

Exercise 3

(a) Traffic / (motor) vehicles / cars [1]

(b) Electric or hybrid cars / electric cars / hybrid cars [1] [Accept: "electric vehicles". Reject: "just electric" or "just hybrid" without mention of cars/vehicles]

(c) Any TWO of:

• Extended/increased/expanded the bicycle lane network / added more bike lanes
• Reduced the speed limit (on many streets)

[1 mark each, 2 marks total]

(d) Because they have paid taxes (for years) / it is unfair when they have paid taxes [1] [Accept variations on this theme. Reject answers that don't mention taxes]

(e) Customers cannot reach/get to their shops easily / it affects their business negatively / they lose customers [1]

(f) Any TWO of:

• Improve public transport / make public transport cheaper
• Make public transport more frequent
• Plant more trees (in cities) / increase trees (to clean the air)

[1 mark each, maximum 2 marks]

Total for Exercise 3: 8 marks

Exercise 4

(a) Because he gets home late (at midnight) and has to get up early (for school) / because of his working hours/schedule [1] [Must refer to both late nights AND early mornings for the mark]

(b) Any ONE of:

• Does her homework
• Watches television/TV

[1 mark]

(c) Because his parents say it is his responsibility (to help the family) / because he works for his parents/family business [1] [Accept: "his parents don't pay him". Reject: "because it's boring" – this doesn't answer why he doesn't get paid]

(d) A new computer / a computer [1]

(e) Laura [1] [Reject: Isabel – while positive about some aspects, she mentions problems. Laura is entirely positive]

(f) David [1]

Total for Exercise 4: 5 marks

Section B — Extended Response (18 marks)

Exercise 5

Communication and Content: 15 marks

Candidates must write 130-140 words. Responses significantly under or over this limit should be penalised.

Mark Band Descriptors:

13-15 marks (Outstanding):

• All four bullet points covered fully and developed
• Opinions clearly expressed and justified with reasons
• Excellent range of relevant vocabulary and expressions
• Natural and sophisticated use of Spanish
• May contain very minor errors that do not impede communication
• Well-structured response with clear paragraphing/development of ideas

10-12 marks (Very good):

• All four bullet points covered, most developed
• Opinions expressed and usually justified
• Good range of relevant vocabulary
• Generally accurate Spanish with few errors
• Mostly well-structured with clear progression

7-9 marks (Good/Satisfactory):

• All four bullet points covered, some development
• Opinions expressed but not always justified
• Adequate vocabulary, though may be some repetition
• Generally comprehensible despite errors
• Some structure apparent

4-6 marks (Limited):

• Three bullet points covered OR all four covered minimally
• Opinions stated but little justification
• Limited vocabulary with noticeable repetition
• Errors may impede communication at times
• Limited structure

1-3 marks (Poor):

• Only one or two bullet points addressed
• Very limited opinions
• Very restricted vocabulary with frequent errors
• Errors frequently impede communication
• Little or no structure

0 marks: No creditable response / entirely off-topic / entirely in English

Language (Variety of Structures and Verb Forms): 3 marks

3 marks:

• Variety of tenses used accurately (at least two different tenses beyond present)
• Complex structures attempted (e.g. subjunctive, conditional, comparatives)
• Good range of conjunctions and connectives
• Accurate verb forms throughout

2 marks:

• At least two tenses used with general accuracy
• Some variety in sentence structure
• Some use of conjunctions
• Mostly accurate verb forms with minor errors

1 mark:

• Mainly present tense, limited variety
• Simple sentence structures
• Few connectives
• Frequent errors in verb forms

0 marks: No creditable language / entirely incomprehensible

Total for Exercise 5: 18 marks

Sample Answers with Examiner Commentary

Question 5 (Section B) — Sample Answers

Grade A (high distinction) answer*

En mi opinión, es mejor continuar estudiando después del colegio aunque entiendo que muchos jóvenes quieren trabajar inmediatamente.

Las ventajas de seguir con la educación son numerosas. Primero, con más cualificaciones tendrás mejores oportunidades en el futuro y podrás ganar un sueldo más alto. Además, la universidad es una experiencia maravillosa donde conoces a gente nueva y desarrollas tu independencia.

Sin embargo, trabajar desde los dieciséis años también tiene beneficios. Ganarás tu propio dinero y serás independiente económicamente. También conseguirás experiencia práctica que puede ser muy valiosa.

Personalmente, planeo ir a la universidad para estudiar ingeniería. Aunque tendré que esperar varios años antes de ganar dinero, creo que valdrá la pena porque podré encontrar un trabajo mejor y más interesante en el futuro. Si fuera posible, me gustaría trabajar a tiempo parcial durante mis estudios.

(Word count: 138 words)

Mark: 18/18 (15/15 Communication and Content + 3/3 Language)

Examiner commentary: This is an exemplary response that fully addresses all four bullet points with sophisticated development. The candidate presents a balanced argument, uses complex structures including the future tense ("tendrás", "valdrá"), conditional ("podré"), and imperfect subjunctive ("si fuera posible"). Vocabulary is varied and precise ("cualificaciones", "económicamente", "experiencia práctica"). The response is well-structured with clear paragraphing and excellent use of connectives ("aunque", "además", "sin embargo", "personalmente"). This demonstrates the linguistic maturity expected of an A* candidate.

Grade C (pass) answer

Creo que es mejor estudiar después del colegio porque puedes conseguir un trabajo mejor en el futuro.

Las ventajas de continuar la educación son que aprendes más cosas y puedes ir a la universidad. También conoces a muchos amigos nuevos y es divertido. Con una educación buena puedes ganar más dinero después.

Pero trabajar es bueno también. Puedes ganar dinero ahora y no tienes que estudiar más. Muchas personas no les gusta estudiar y prefieren trabajar. También consigues experiencia de trabajo.

Yo quiero ir a la universidad para estudiar español y inglés. Me gustan los idiomas y quiero ser profesora. Necesito estudiar mucho para ir a la universidad porque es difícil. Después de la universidad voy a buscar un trabajo en un colegio.

(Word count: 132 words)

Mark: 11/18 (9/15 Communication and Content + 2/3 Language)

Examiner commentary: This response addresses all four bullet points but with limited development. The candidate expresses clear opinions but justifications are basic ("es divertido", "puedes ganar más dinero"). Vocabulary is adequate but repetitive (overuse of "puedes" and "trabajo"). Language is mainly accurate but restricted to present and near future tenses with simple structures. The error "muchas personas no les gusta" shows incomplete control of grammar. More sophisticated vocabulary and complex structures are needed to reach higher bands, along with better development of advantages/disadvantages.

Grade E (near miss) answer

Yo pienso que trabajar es mejor que estudiar porque ganas dinero.

Si estudias más puedes aprender cosas nuevas. Es bueno para el futuro. Vas a universidad y hacer amigos.

Trabajar es bueno porque tienes dinero para comprar cosas. No me gusta estudiar mucho y es aburrido a veces. Mi hermano trabaja y tiene dinero.

En el futuro quiero trabajo en una tienda o un oficina. No sé todavía. Quizás voy a estudiar más pero no estoy seguro. Depende de mis notas en los exámenes.

Me gusta jugar al fútbol y salir con mis amigos. También me gusta escuchar música. Mi familia es muy importante para mí.

(Word count: 115 words)

Mark: 6/18 (4/15 Communication and Content + 2/3 Language)

Examiner commentary: This response falls short of the pass threshold for several reasons. While the candidate attempts all bullet points, development is minimal and the final paragraph drifts off-topic entirely (personal hobbies are not relevant). The word count is significantly below the requirement. There are grammatical errors ("hacer amigos" instead of "hacer/conocer a amigos", "trabajo" instead of "trabajar", "un oficina" instead of "una oficina"). The response uses mainly present tense with very limited variety. To improve, the candidate needs to write the required word count, stay on-topic throughout, develop each bullet point more fully with reasons and examples, and use a greater variety of tenses and sentence structures.

Question 3(f) (Section A) — Sample Answers

This question asks: "What TWO solutions do environmental groups propose?"

Grade A (high distinction) answer*

1. Improve public transport/make it cheaper and more frequent
2. Plant more trees in cities (to clean the air)

Mark: 2/2

Examiner commentary: Both points are extracted accurately from the text with sufficient detail. The candidate has identified the two specific proposals mentioned in the final paragraph and expressed them clearly in English. The addition of purpose "(to clean the air)" shows careful reading but is not essential for the mark. This demonstrates the precision and attention to detail expected at the highest level.

Grade C (pass) answer

1. Better public transport
2. More trees

Mark: 2/2

Examiner commentary: While less detailed than the A* response, these answers are sufficiently accurate to receive full marks. "Better public transport" captures the essence of "mejorar el transporte público" and "more trees" correctly identifies "plantar más árboles". At IGCSE level, answers do not need to be elaborately phrased to gain full credit, provided they demonstrate clear understanding of the text. This candidate has extracted the key information efficiently.

Grade E (near miss) answer

1. They want to stop all cars
2. Make everything cheaper

Mark: 0/2

Examiner commentary: Neither answer receives credit. "Stop all cars" is not mentioned in the text and represents a misinterpretation – the text discusses restricting certain vehicles, not banning all cars, and this is about existing measures, not the environmental groups' proposals. "Make everything cheaper" is too vague; while the text mentions making public transport cheaper, "everything" is inaccurate and loses the specific focus on transport. This demonstrates a common weakness: reading comprehension errors through skimming rather than careful analysis. The candidate should practice identifying specific details and avoiding assumptions not supported by the text. They also need to distinguish between what has already been done (earlier paragraphs) versus what is being proposed for the future (final paragraph).