Lately, I have been thinking a lot about A Level teaching. There are so many activities and ideas to help us teach languages from KS3 to GCSE, but hardly anything for A Level teaching. In the case of Spanish, I have always loved Neil Jones' Blog, Ollie's Boletín and the weekly news from Fiona's A Level news, which have always inspired me with ideas and resources fo which I am extremely grateful!
In this short post I want to exemplify how gamification can successfully and easily take place at A Level too, to practise those elements of the A Level exam which are vital to score the highest grades. For AQA, these are the six skills that students need to have command of:
- Listening for key information / summarising texts from audio input
- Reading for key information / summarising texts from written input
- Accurate translation skills = Command of application of grammar
- Essay writing skills: analytical and critical skills + vocabulary + accurate application of grammar
- Knowledge of culture and society to be applied to the essay and oral exam
- Oral skills: Fluency + development of ideas + knowledge of culture and society + vocabulary + accurate application of grammar + analytical and critical skills
Most of these skills can be practised with simple, interactive, fun games.
I use Wheel of Names (Yes! my favourite app!) to develop oral follow-up ideas, containing analytical thinking in my students, orally, or in writing, to start with, using MWBs in a competition format between two teams. The questions in the wheel have been taken from several Stimulus Cards from AQA past exams. When a question pops up, a student in the correspondent team needs to answer such question, backing up their ideas with specific examples (data, facts, events) showing their knowledge of Spanish society. Students need to answer on the spot, developing fluency.
The same technique can be used with a proper Stimulus card. In this case, students need to respond to the information in the stimulus card, giving a critical opinion and making sure they make reference to all the information printed in the card. This is an essential skill to have if students want to score marks from the top band in the exam. Again, giving an element of competition between a team A/B works well after doing work with the whole class with MWBs: How do you react to this information?
The same principle can be used to practise reading summarising skills in a fun way as an activity embedded in our lessons:
Preparing students for A-level exams requires more than memorising vocabulary; regular practice, quick thinking, and the ability to express ideas clearly are equally important. I like how interactive resources can make revision feel less repetitive while encouraging students to participate more actively. Randomised prompts and topic-based activities are particularly useful for practising under different conditions. For a different kind of interactive experience, SpinWheelToday offers a spinning-wheel format that can inspire creative ways to select discussion topics, introduce variety, and make group activities more engaging.
ReplyDeletePreparing students for language exams works best when they have regular opportunities to practise in ways that feel purposeful and engaging. I like the idea of using varied activities to build confidence, reinforce vocabulary, and help learners become more comfortable with different exam tasks. Giving students repeated chances to respond to questions, explain their ideas, and review key concepts can make exam preparation feel less overwhelming. Interactive activities can also introduce variety into revision lessons and encourage more students to participate. For example, teachers can use a random spinner to select speaking prompts, choose vocabulary for translation practice, or decide which exam-style question the class will tackle next. A resource such as Wheel Spinner can help organise these activities and make revision sessions a little more dynamic. Of course, the activities should always match the students’ level and the skills they need to develop. Combining structured exam practice with engaging classroom tasks can help learners stay motivated while making steady progress. Thanks for sharing these useful teaching ideas; practical resources like these can be valuable additions to a language teacher’s revision toolkit.
ReplyDeletePractising exam skills regularly is a great way to build confidence and help students feel more prepared. I think mixing traditional revision with interactive activities can make learning a little less stressful and encourage students to participate more actively. For quick speaking exercises or revision games, this random choice wheel can be a useful addition. Teachers can add topics, questions, or student names and spin the wheel to choose what to practise next. It’s a simple way to introduce variety into lessons while keeping students involved.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post about practising exam skills at A-level! Providing students with engaging resources and effective practice activities is a great way to build confidence and improve their language skills. Tools like Spin the Wheels can also add an interactive element to revision sessions, helping students practise vocabulary, review key topics, and make learning more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing these helpful ideas!
ReplyDeleteLas actividades de escritura son una buena manera de desarrollar la imaginación y aprender nuevas formas de expresión. Me parece interesante cómo un pequeño reto puede inspirar ideas diferentes en cada estudiante. Además, descubrir bonitas frases de buenos dias puede aportar inspiración para crear mensajes positivos y compartirlos con los demás. ¡Gracias por compartir esta idea!
ReplyDeleteMFL Craft @BotonesSalgado offers creative ideas and useful resources for language learning and classroom activities. Explore engaging educational materials and stay organized with the help of Colombia’s holiday calendar.
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