Learn Spanish
GCSE Preparation Course
Studying Spanish for G.C.S.E.? Why not come and take our exclusive G.C.S.E. Preparation Course specially designed for UK students and gain a real advantage for the forthcoming exams...
Having worked with so many school groups over the past 20 years, don Quijote has become the leader in offering the highest quality Spanish language tuition to student groups and individuals from all over the world. We are now proud to present our GCSE Preparation Course in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid exclusive to UK students in Year 10 or 11 who want to improve their skills in the Spanish language in preparation for the G.C.S.E. examination.
This particular programme has been specially developed and is tailored to the syllabus and examination content in accordance with the AQA, OCR and EdExcel examination boards. All the students will be encouraged to participate in class in order to develop their communicative skills as well as do practice exercises directly related to the exam.
Two levels of teaching are offered depending on whether the student is 1st or 2nd year GCSE.
The G.C.S.E. programme is open to all students in Years 10 and 11. Individual students to the programme will be assigned to a group of no more than 12 people; group bookings to this programme can be allocated together in their own group. Each group will receive 20 hours of tuition through a specially designed, detailed teaching syllabus.
The GCSE Spanish course is structured to help the student achieve the following objectives:
- To acquire proficiency in the core grammar, vocabulary, and level of communication demanded by the G.C.S.E. exam.
- To further develop basic skills such as oral communication, reading, and writing.
- To advance communicative flexibility by exposure and practice in different situations and fields as reflected in the curriculum.
- To acquire a level of inter-cultural awareness; understanding the relation between the Hispanic community and the rest of the world and using alternative perspectives to challenge existing social stereotypes.
- 09.00 - 10.45: 2 Spanish classes
- 10.45 - 11.15: Break
- 11.15 - 13.00: 2 Spanish classes
Programme content:
- Sun: (Arrival at host)
- Mon: My World
- Tues: Travel and Holidays
- Wed: Work and Lifestyle
- Thur: Young People in Society
- Fri: Mock exam and Review
- Sun: (Departure)
In the GCSE Spanish language programme shown above, the subject content of each day will be subdivided into 5 different themes, all of which have specific vocabulary and strategies of communication, helping the student consolidate the grammar and adapt in order to express himself coherently in each situation.
Class activities are implemented to help the student acquire and assimilate the knowledge learnt in each lesson, such as specific reading texts to consolidate grammatical and contextual structures; role play to develop communicative skills; debates to help the student interact naturally with contrasts of opinion; grammar exercises to consolidate key grammatical and structural rules; memory games to help retain key points learnt throughout the day; aural tests from telephone conversations or other audio sources to improve aural comprehension and perfect Spanish pronunciation; an outside visit will be arranged to obtain linguistic confidence and to practice and develop key phrases in real life situations.
On the last day of the GCSE Spanish programme there is a mock exam that covers everything studied during the course lessons. Once completed the teacher will go through the marking criteria and give recommendations on the weaker areas and those aspects that students need to focus on.
Materials: Academic study material for the GCSE Preparation Course is provided. Authentic written and audiovisual sources are taken from across selected media according to the course, including newspaper articles, magazines, advertisements, radio, television, and cinema.
Each student receives a school student ID card on arrival with his/her identity, school information, and contact number in case of emergency. It can be also be used to gain discounts on entries to museums, etc.
Your accommodation will be with a host family (homestay). You will be in a shared twin room with another don Quijote student. Nowhere else will students so directly experience real Spanish life, and nothing could be better in helping improve their language skills. It is also good to know that most of the host families have worked with us for many years; the families know from experience what the role of a host is. However, the word 'family' should not be taken too literally since family could mean a single parent taking in students because he or she enjoys the company.
Families are selected after a long interview and are made aware of the peculiarities, customs, and rights of foreign students, and of their own rights and obligations in facilitating the family-student-school relationship. In choosing host families, we look for Spanish families who appreciate receiving foreign students. All host families are carefully selected and have particular experience in accommodating students from the UK.
The school is always in close contact with the family and visits their accommodation at least twice a year. Students fill in a feedback form of their stay at the end of the course. It is always possible for the student to change families should there be any difficulties in adapting to the lifestyle of one particular household.
House rules: The student will naturally have to adjust a little to the rules of the house. There are some (reasonable) house rules which the student must take into consideration:
- leaving their room tidy
- respecting the agreed curfew time
- not using any family belongings without permission
- not preparing meals by themselves
- not washing personal belongings by themselves.
Meals: Accommodation is homestay full board and this includes 3 meals a day.
Meals will be together with the family but the student should be aware that Spanish eating times can be rather different: Breakfast usually consists of coffee and biscuits; Lunch is the most important meal of the day, usually served between 2-4 pm; Dinner is a lighter meal normally served in the late evening.
It is possible for an agreed curfew time to be arranged between the parents and the school, which the host family can enforce without any difficulty. Please make this known when booking.
Accommodation prices include the Sunday immediately before the start of the course until the Saturday immediately after the end of the course. If the student would like to arrive or leave on different dates or stay longer, they must contact the programme coordinator and pay an extra fee for any additional days. We can notify the family in advance in case of medical instructions or any other special needs required by the student.
A return transfer service between the airport and chosen accommodation is included in the price and available on the arrival day, usually a Sunday, and the departure day, usually the following Saturday. A GCSE Spanish course representative will be waiting at the airport to meet the student and take them to their homestay.
The G.C.S.E. preparation course is available in either Barcelona, Valencia or Madrid.
Prices include 20 GCSE preparation course Spanish classes, full board homestay accommodation in a shared twin room and return transfers from the airport to the selected accommodation:
- All GCSE Spanish language courses cost £450 per person.
- For Barcelona and Madrid there is a £34 per person accommodation supplement.
- April 13 is a holiday in Barcelona and Valencia and the school will be closed, lessons lost will be recovered during the week.
- Optional extras:
- Extra nights homestay £35 a night
All our schools have attained recognised standards of teaching and conditions suitable for accommodating adolescent students. Regarding quality, don Quijote has attained certificates of quality in teaching Spanish as a foreign language in the context of teaching European languages.
don Quijote Barcelona is a full member of CEELE (Calidad en la Enseñanza del Español), FEDELE (Federación de Escuelas de Español como Lengua Extranjera), ELITE, ACELE (Asociación Catalana de Enseñanza del Español) and Ideal.
don Quijote Madrid is a full member of CEELE (Calidad en la Enseñanza del Español), FEDELE (Federación de Escuelas de Español como Lengua Extranjera), ELITE, Ideal and Asociación de escuelas de español de Madrid.
don Quijote Valencia is a full member of CEELE (Calidad en la Enseñanza del Español), FEDELE (Federación de Escuelas de Español como Lengua Extranjera), ELITE, Ideal, ame-ele (Asociación Mediterránea de Escuelas de Español de la Comunidad Valenciana) and the Instituto Cervantes.
