Total marks: 100 · Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes
Instructions to candidates
- This paper has FOUR sections. Answer ALL questions.
- Section I (Directed Situations) is worth 30 marks, Section II (Letter) 30 marks, Section III (Contextual Dialogue) 20 marks and Section IV (Reading Comprehension) 20 marks.
- Write in SPANISH in Sections I, II and III. Answer Section IV in ENGLISH.
- Keep to the word limits given. You will be penalised for disregarding the instructions in each section.
- In the January 2027 sitting this paper is "hybrid": you read the questions on screen and write your answers in the answer booklet.
- Dictionaries are NOT allowed.
Paper
Section I — Directed Situations (30 marks)
Question 1
Write in SPANISH the information required for EACH of the situations below. Do NOT write more than ONE sentence for each situation; for some situations a complete sentence may not be necessary. Do NOT translate the situations. Do NOT use abbreviations.
(a) You have gone to volleyball practice after school. Write the note you leave for your mother saying where you are and what time you will be home. (3 marks)
(b) Write the text message inviting a friend to your birthday party, giving the day and the place. (3 marks)
(c) You are planning a family holiday at a hotel in Barbados. Write the question you email the hotel about a discount for your young brother. (3 marks)
(d) The hotel pool is closed for the morning. Write the sign at the pool, giving the reason and when it will reopen. (3 marks)
(e) Write the note you give your teacher explaining why you were absent from school yesterday. (3 marks)
(f) You want a friend to buy you something at the supermarket for a school campaign against plastic. Write the message you send. (3 marks)
(g) Your class is organising a beach clean-up. Write the notice on the school board giving the day and ONE thing volunteers should bring. (3 marks)
(h) A chef is training a new kitchen assistant. Write the hygiene instruction she gives him before he starts work. (3 marks)
(i) Write the sentence on the postcard you send your grandmother telling her TWO things you did yesterday at the beach. (3 marks)
(j) Your school bus has not arrived. Write the text message asking your father to collect you, saying where and when. (3 marks)
Total 30 marks
Section II — Letter (30 marks)
Question 2
Using the following outline as a guide, write a letter in SPANISH of NO MORE THAN 130–150 words.
You have just spent a memorable day at the beach with your family. Write a letter to your Venezuelan friend and include:
(i) when and where you went, and with whom
(ii) what you did during the day
(iii) something unexpected that happened
(iv) how you felt and why the day was memorable.
(Do NOT write your real name and address, but include the date in SPANISH and use an appropriate beginning and ending.) (30 marks)
Total 30 marks
Section III — Contextual Dialogue (20 marks)
Question 3
Use 80–100 words to complete the dialogue between Sofía and her grandmother by giving Sofía's responses in SPANISH.
Sofía, aged sixteen, lives in Santo Domingo. She has not visited her grandmother in the countryside for two months. She telephones her. Responses to ALL of the cues must be included:
(i) a greeting and an enquiry about her grandmother's health
(ii) the reason she has not visited recently
(iii) TWO things she does on a normal school day
(iv) news of something that happened at school last week
(v) a plan to visit: when, and how she will travel (20 marks)
Abuela: ¿Aló? ¿Quién habla?
Sofía: …
Abuela: Estoy bien, gracias a Dios, pero te extraño. Hace dos meses que no vienes a verme. ¿Por qué?
Sofía: …
Abuela: ¡Siempre ocupada! ¿Y cómo es un día normal para ti ahora?
Sofía: …
Abuela: ¿Y qué noticias tienes del colegio?
Sofía: …
Abuela: ¡Qué bien! Estoy muy orgullosa. ¿Cuándo vas a venir a visitarme?
Sofía: …
Abuela: Perfecto. Te voy a preparar un sancocho. ¡Un beso, mi amor!
Total 20 marks
Section IV — Reading Comprehension (20 marks)
Question 4
Read the following selection carefully. Do NOT translate it, but answer the questions in ENGLISH. Use a complete sentence for EACH answer.
El problema de la contaminación plástica en el Caribe
La contaminación por plástico es uno de los mayores desafíos ambientales para la región del Caribe. Cada año, miles de toneladas de desechos plásticos terminan en nuestras playas y océanos, y afectan gravemente la vida marina y el turismo.
En Jamaica, un grupo de jóvenes estudiantes ha iniciado una campaña llamada "Caribe Limpio" para reducir el uso de plásticos de un solo uso. Estos estudiantes visitan escuelas y comunidades para educar a las personas sobre los peligros del plástico, y promueven alternativas como bolsas de tela y botellas reutilizables.
María, una estudiante de diecisiete años de Puerto Rico, explica: "Cuando veo las tortugas marinas enredadas en bolsas plásticas, me siento muy triste. Nosotros, los jóvenes, tenemos la responsabilidad de proteger nuestro medio ambiente para las futuras generaciones."
Muchos gobiernos caribeños han comenzado a tomar medidas. En Barbados, por ejemplo, está prohibido importar o vender ciertos artículos plásticos de un solo uso, como platos, vasos y cubiertos. En Trinidad y Tobago, varios supermercados ya no ofrecen bolsas plásticas gratuitas.
Sin embargo, los expertos advierten que se necesita hacer mucho más. Un científico marino comenta: "La educación es fundamental, pero también necesitamos mejor infraestructura para el reciclaje y leyes más estrictas en toda la región."
(a) What problem does the selection describe, and what TWO things does it harm? (3 marks)
(b) What is the name of the campaign started by students in Jamaica, and what is its aim? (2 marks)
(c) Name TWO places the students visit. (2 marks)
(d) Name TWO alternatives to plastic that the students promote. (2 marks)
(e) How does María feel when she sees sea turtles, and why? (2 marks)
(f) According to María, what responsibility do young people have? (2 marks)
(g) Name TWO kinds of article that cannot be imported or sold in Barbados. (2 marks)
(h) What have several supermarkets in Trinidad and Tobago stopped doing? (1 mark)
(i) According to the marine scientist, what TWO things are needed besides education? (2 marks)
(j) What does the scientist say about education, and why does he think it is not enough on its own? (2 marks)
Total 20 marks