Teacher Guide - Translation into Spanish

Edexcel A Level Spanish (9SP0) — Paper 2, Section A: Translation

Teacher Guide: Translation from English into Spanish (Question 1)

How the 20 marks are awarded, where students lose them, and which grammar comes up most often from 2018 to 2025

This guide is based on the Paper 2 question papers, mark schemes and Principal Examiner reports for all eight series from June 2018 to June 2025. All of them are saved in Spanish/A Level/Past Papers. References such as (ER 2024) mean the examiner report for that year, (MS 2023) the mark scheme and (QP 2019) the question paper. The October 2020 question paper is dated June 2020 on its cover; it is the paper sat in October 2020, and this guide calls it 2020. “Box” means one of the 20 numbered sections in the mark scheme grid (the examiner reports also call them “sections” or “points”).

The counts in Section 3 are ours. We went through every box of every mark scheme and recorded what it tests, using the model answer, the Accept and Reject columns and the examiners’ comments. The teaching suggestions in Section 4 are also ours. Everything else comes from Pearson’s documents.

1. The task

• Paper 2 (Written response to works and translation) lasts 2 hours 40 minutes and is worth 120 marks (QP 2018–2025). Section A is Question 1, the translation, worth 20 marks. Every candidate must answer it (QP 2018–2025).

• The instruction is always the same: “Traduce el texto siguiente al español.” The front cover says: “We recommend you spend 30 minutes on Section A: Translation.” Dictionaries are not allowed (QP 2018–2025).

• The passage is a short English text of about 106–109 words in every series (our word count of each QP). The 2018–2021 reports describe it as “made up of 5 sentences” (ER 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), and the 2022, 2023 and 2025 reports say each year’s text was “of a similar length and demand as last year”.

• The topic always comes from one of the four themes of the specification, and “The grammatical structures tested corresponded to those listed in Appendix 3 of the specification” (ER 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). “The translation will always be inspired from the grammatical list provided in the A Level specification” (ER 2018, 2019).

• The rest of the paper is two essays on set works, worth 50 marks each (QP 2018–2025). Section A is therefore one sixth of the paper’s marks.

1.1 How the 20 marks are awarded

The mark scheme is the same in every series (MS 2018–2025):

• “This task is a points-based mark scheme in which 1 mark is given for each correct individual section of language.” The passage is split into 20 boxes, 1 mark each. There is no mark for overall quality or style.

• Each box has a model answer, an Acceptable Answers column and a Reject column. Examiners must also “Accept any appropriate alternatives that do not already appear in the acceptable answers column.”

• “The language offered in each box had to be completely correct for the point to be gained” (ER 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). One grammatical error in a box loses that box.

The marking principles printed above every grid (MS 2018–2025):

• Paraphrase does not score. “Although there were different, acceptable ways of rendering some items, the Spanish given had to be a faithful rendering of the English. Quite a number of candidates altered the meaning of the original or paraphrased it in some way and this does not gain credit” (ER 2018; almost the same wording in ER 2019, 2020, 2021).

• Extra words are usually ignored if they do not make the box wrong: an extra se was disregarded (ER 2018); “que pueda” was ignored (ER 2021); “ignore any additional information such as completa / entera” (MS 2023, box 16); “Ignore ‘ahora’” (MS 2025, box 9).

• Boxes can depend on each other. An answer in one box can decide what is accepted in the next: para que ella in box 13 needs the imperfect subjunctive in box 14 (MS 2021); si planearan must not be followed by the conditional (MS 2024, box 12); one relative clause can earn boxes 5 and 6 together (MS 2024).

• English words and near-English spellings score nothing: heritago and comprehensión (ER 2018), professional, progression (ER 2023), inhabitantes (ER 2025). “Spellings do not have to be perfect, but when they make the word into an English word, the mark is withheld” (ER 2023).

2. What examiners are looking for

The examples below are taken from the examiners’ box-by-box comments, the notes on sample scripts and the Reject columns of the mark schemes.

2.1 Every word has to be translated

Boxes are often lost for one small word left out or changed. The 2024 report says students “sometimes forget to translate some words as perhaps they think it does not affect the overall meaning of the phrase” (ER 2024).

2.2 Verb forms and tenses

This is where most of the harder boxes are. The examiners name the tense each box needs, and a different tense loses the mark even when the verb is right.

2.3 English -ing: infinitive, que-clause or gerund?

Examiners mention this in seven of the eight reports (see 3.4). The mark scheme reject columns show it clearly: most English -ing forms are not translated with a Spanish gerund, but some must be.

2.4 Agreement, articles, capitals, accents and prepositions

“I would, however, draw attention to basic grammatical rules, such agreements, and attention to details as being essential if candidates are to score highly” (ER 2018; the same sentence in ER 2019, and in ER 2020 with “the use of definite articles and capital letters” added). These small points cost more boxes than anything else.

2.5 Vocabulary, false friends and topic words

Every report tells students to “Learn specific vocabulary from the 4 themes and consider the context in which a word is used to choose the correct translation” (ER 2018–2025). From 2022 the reports add “Identify false friends” (ER 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).

2.6 Sample scripts in the reports

Each report marks two to four real scripts. Their totals show how quickly boxes are lost:

* Our count from the boxes the report says were or were not awarded; the report does not state the total.

3. Patterns from 2018 to 2025

3.1 The passages

• Themes 1, 2 and 3 have each been used twice. Theme 4 (Franco and the transition) was confirmed in 2022; the 2024 passage is also set under Franco, but the 2024 report does not name its theme.

• Spain is the setting in five of the eight passages (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024). Latin America appears in 2019 (Mexico, Colombia) and 2025 (Puerto Rico), and “Hispanic countries” in general in 2023.

• Six of the eight passages include a number, date or statistic (see 3.2). The 2020 passage has three: 2017, 3.7 per 1,000 and 4.3.

3.2 The most tested constructions: frequency table

Each figure is the number of boxes (out of 20) in that year’s mark scheme that test the construction. A box can test more than one thing, so the columns add up to more than 20. “Years” is the number of the eight series in which it appears. Rows are sorted by total.

Our classification of all 160 boxes (MS 2018–2025), using the model answer, the Accept/Reject columns and the examiners’ comments on each box. Rows marked “flagged” only count boxes where the MS or ER draws attention to that point. The box numbers are listed in 3.6.

What stands out:

• Grammar you might call basic costs most marks. Definite articles (20 boxes, 7 of 8 years) and agreement (17 boxes, every year) are tested more than any tense. Agreement is criticised in all eight reports and definite articles in seven (3.4).

• Adverbs are in 16 boxes, every year. The problem is usually that they are left out or weakened: even (ER 2020), recently written as an adjective (ER 2019), often as a veces (ER 2023), perhaps, almost, very and quite (ER 2024).

• Relative pronouns come up in 16 boxes, in every year except 2022. cuyo appeared twice (2018 cuyo objetivo, 2025 cuyas letras), and the 2025 report called it “very challenging for most candidates”. lo cual has been the model answer in 2020, 2023 and 2024 (twice).

• The subjunctive is in the model answer for 15 boxes, at least once every year. In 6 of those boxes (2018 ×2, 2020, 2021, 2023 ×2) the mark scheme accepts only a subjunctive; in the other 9 another structure was also accepted (see 3.3).

• The passive appears in 11 boxes and 6 of 8 years, and the report often says it can be done either with ser + participle or with se (ER 2018, 2020, 2024, 2025). The participle must agree (ER 2024, 2025).

• Past tenses: preterite 9 boxes, imperfect 9, perfect 7, pluperfect only once (2018). 2022 (Juan Carlos) needed the preterite five times; 2024 (Franco-era mothers) needed the imperfect four times.

• Conditional structures appear in five of the eight years: a si-clause (2018, 2021, 2023 ×2, 2024) and/or a conditional or conditional perfect (2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). None was needed in 2019 (apart from would like), 2020 or 2025. The conditional perfect (habría sido / tenido / comenzado) has been tested three times (2021, 2022, 2024).

• Rare or never tested so far (from the list of structures teachers often expect): the future only twice (2019, 2022); the pluperfect indicative once (2018); desde hace once (2025); llevar + time, acabar de, cuando + subjunctive, para que as the model answer and the personal a never. soler has never been required, but suelen was accepted in 2023 (MS 2023, box 1). gustar appeared once, as an accepted alternative (les gustaría, MS 2019, box 7).

3.3 The subjunctive: every trigger used

MS 2018–2025; ER 2019–2025. Total: 15 boxes, 6 where only a subjunctive scored.

• If-sentences are the most reliable subjunctive trigger: 4 of the 6 subjunctive-only boxes are in si-clauses. Note that not every if needs a subjunctive: so if companies want to attract took the present indicative (si … quieren) (MS 2023, box 19), and If women planned their daily tasks in a habitual past took the imperfect (si … planeaban) (ER 2024).

• English ‘will’ after a subjunctive trigger has been tested twice in the same passage: It is possible that this will be positive and hopefully this will improve (2020).

3.4 What the examiners criticise, and how often

Counted across the eight examiner reports (Question 1 comments, examiner tips and paper summary). A report is counted once however many times it mentions the point.

ER 2018–2025. The examiner tips box is almost word for word the same each year, so some counts reflect that repeated list; the “Which years” column shows where the point is also made in the box-by-box comments.

3.5 How students performed and how the reports have changed

• No averages are published for Question 1. The early reports say “the performance was quite encouraging, and most candidates showed that they could transfer the meaning of an unseen piece of English with acceptable accuracy” (ER 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). Later reports: “Most candidates were able to access a reasonable proportion of the marks” (ER 2022, 2023, 2025).

• 2022: “it was pleasing to see how many candidates were much more accurate using complex structures such as: the subjunctive mood, subjunctive triggers, the passive voice, preterite and imperfect tenses” (ER 2022).

• “More able candidates produced translations that communicated most of the gist, but in some cases, the accuracy of language in the most complex structures was less successful” (ER 2022, 2023, 2025).

• Hardest boxes named by the examiners: 2019 high viewing figures; 2020 registering and EU; 2021 boxes 9, 11, 16, 18; 2022 boxes 5, 6, 12, 15, 16, 19; 2023 boxes 7, 11 (“a real challenge for candidates, as intended”) and 18; 2024 boxes 3, 5, 14, 15; 2025 box 6 (cuyas) and 13 (growing concerns).

• The reports have become more detailed. 2018–2020 describe the passage sentence by sentence and 2021 names the hardest boxes. From 2022, the reports comment on every one of the 20 boxes, and from 2022 the tips add false friends, capital letters and “Read more – the more you read, the better your exposure to a wide variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary” (ER 2022–2025).

3.6 Where each construction appears (box numbers)

Use this to find real examples for teaching. Numbers are boxes in that year’s mark scheme.

4. How to support students

These are our suggestions, not Pearson’s. Each one is aimed at a way students lose marks in Sections 2 and 3. Where Pearson gives the same advice, we say so.

4.1 A routine for the 30 minutes

Pearson recommends 30 minutes for Section A (QP 2018–2025). How to split the time is our suggestion.

1. Read the whole passage first (about 3 minutes). Pearson advises this too: “Make sure you read the whole text carefully before starting a translation” (ER 2018–2025). Underline every verb and decide its tense before writing anything.

2. Mark the traps in pencil: every if, would, had, -ing, ’s, whose / which / who, it is possible / hopefully / perhaps, number and nationality.

3. Translate sentence by sentence (about 20 minutes), keeping every word. Do not improve or shorten the English.

4. Check in separate passes (about 7 minutes), one thing at a time: (a) every noun has its article; (b) every adjective and participle agrees; (c) every verb ending matches its subject; (d) no capital letters on nationalities; (e) accents on él, más, está, preterites and futures; (f) no English words left.

4.2 Teach in order of frequency

Based on the counts in 3.2, we would give most lesson time to:

5. Articles and agreement. Short daily drills: English noun phrases with no article (Women look for jobs; Christian families were) that need one in Spanish. Longer phrases where the adjective is far from the noun (set working hours → horas de trabajo fijas).

6. Relative pronouns, especially lo cual / lo que referring to a whole idea, quien(es) after a person, and cuyo agreeing with the thing owned, not the owner.

7. Subjunctive triggers from 3.3, with si-clauses first. Practise changing will into a subjunctive after es posible que and ojalá.

8. The -ing decision. A three-way sort: infinitive (after a preposition or as the subject), que + verb (describing a noun), or gerund (seguir / continuar + gerund, and ‘by doing / which reduces’ type phrases). Use the rejected and accepted answers in 2.3 as the examples.

9. Passive two ways: fue fomentado and se fomentó; serán vistos and se verán. Always check that the participle agrees.

10. Past tenses in context: one event (he came to the throne → preterite) vs description or habit (a mother did not have → imperfect), plus estado (not sido) in has been -ing.

4.3 Practice that matches the marking

• Box-by-box marking. Split any 100–110-word practice text into 20 chunks and mark each chunk right or wrong, exactly as Pearson does. Students soon see that one wrong article costs as much as one wrong subjunctive.

• Use the real Accept and Reject columns. Give students a past passage, then the mark scheme grid, and let them mark their own work. Ask them to explain each Reject entry.

• Error-hunt with the sample scripts. The examiner reports list exactly why boxes were lost (2.6). Rewrite a weak script’s errors as a correction exercise.

• Theme word lists built from the passages and the words students got wrong: patrimonio cultural, orígenes, televidentes, pareja de hecho, techo de cristal, brecha salarial, a tiempo parcial, golpe de estado, abdicar, régimen autoritario, maternidad, desigualdad, intercambio cultural. Add everyday words that let students down (hard-working, dozen, smile, tasks) and false friends and near-misses from the reports (eventually, to value, to access, expectations).

• Reading: Pearson’s own tip is to “Read more” (ER 2022–2025). Short Spanish news articles on the four themes give students models for the article and preposition patterns that English does not have.

4.4 A checklist students can learn

5. Materials

There are no practice translations in this folder yet.