Welcome to GCSE Spanish: 3 Stories for AQA Exam Practice—a comprehensive, practical, and enjoyable resource designed to prepare students for success in the new GCSE AQA Spanish exams starting in 2026. This textbook combines fun storytelling, interactive activities, and vivid AI-generated illustrations (using Freepik and Bitmoji) to make learning Spanish both enjoyable and effective.
Each of the three fictional stories has been carefully crafted to match the GCSE Spanish themes for AQA: the first story is aimed at the Foundation level, while the other two are aimed at the Higher tier. The first two illustrated stories feature real celebrities: young Spanish footballer Nico Williams and Colombian singer Shakira, adding a fun twist to students’ learning. The third story focuses on twin siblings from Pamplona, who discuss festivals in Spain and share their likes and differences.
Packed with clear explanations and practical exercises, this textbook will help AQA GCSE students develop their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills with confidence. Suggested model answers are provided, and students can self-assess their work and grade themselves using the 2025 AQA Grade Boundary as a guideline.
• Reading Exam Practice: Reading comprehension activities include completing sentences in English, answering questions in English, and identifying whether statements relating to the stories are in the Past, Present, or Future tense.
• Speaking Exam Practice: The book includes exam-like activities, such as describing two pictures using the PALMW technique (People, Action, Location, Mood, and Weather), along with Read-Aloud tasks and follow-up oral questions that match the GCSE Spanish specifications, helping students build confidence in conversation. Throughout the textbook, there are also many exam and pronunciation tips.
• Listening Exam Skills: The three stories are available for listening on the YouTube channel GCSE Spanish: 3 Stories for Exam Practice, allowing students to improve their pronunciation skills. After listening, students can answer comprehension questions displayed on-screen.
• Translation Skills: Students can translate parts of the stories from Spanish into English and also translate the English transcripts (found at the back of the book) into Spanish.
• Writing Tasks: Students can respond to oral questions in written form to reinforce grammar and vocabulary. From key vocabulary and grammar to cultural insights, every chapter supports their progress and prepares them for success in their GCSE exams.
Written by Jose I Ermina, January 2026