Matters

General Spanish Course

Exams

At iTutors all our teachers are qualified and specialized examiners familiar with the exams that International Schools take in Hong Kong. Over 90% of our students manage to achieve the top grades in the following exams:

• Dele for young learners(11-17yo): The DELE for Young Learners has been designed for teenagers who want to get their Spanish level certified. It has 2 levels A1 and A2/B1. Students should learn Spanish for around 1.5 years before taking the DELE escolar A1 exam. Also it is very important to note that although there is a big interest for young kids to take some Spanish exam to certify their level, currently no official public exam has been developed for kids to certify their level. The DELE for Young Learners is intended for students who are 11 to 17 years old. The exam must be completed in a fixed time, making young kids incapable for example of reading 4 lengthy texts within 45 minutes and reply to the questions on time. The qualification is valid indefinitely and internationally recognized. Both, A1 and A2/B1 topics are adapted to children and both exams are divided into the following four skill sets, including oral and written tests: reading comprehension, written expression and interaction, listening comprehension, oral expression and interaction.

• IGCSE/GCSE (14-16yo): The IGCSE exam is widely used in international schools. Students in Hong Kong can take the Cambridge exam board as well as the Edexcel exam board, either at their school or registering through the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) as individual candidates. GCSEs are awarded on a graded scale, and cross two levels of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF): Level 1 and Level 2. These two levels roughly correspond, respectively, to foundation and higher tier in tiered GCSE qualifications. Level 1 qualifications constitute GCSEs at grades G, F, E, and D or 1, 2, and 3. Level 2 qualifications are those at grades C, B, A, and A* or 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The International General Certificate of Secondary Education has the same grading as GCSE. The change from a A*-G grading system to a 9-1 grading system has led to 9-1 grade International General Certificate of Secondary Education being made available.

• A levels & IB (16-18yo): The International Baccalaureate® (IB) programmes are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills, nurture their curiosity and develop their ability to solve complex problems. As part of the Diploma programme, students have to take at least one subject from the Studies in Language and Literature category. Modern Languages falls under the Language Acquisition section within that. There are Language ab initio courses for students who have little or no experience of their chosen language. These are only available at Standard level and focus on the themes from the Primary Years and Middle Years programmes. You’ll need to show that you’ve learnt the language and can use it in a range of contexts whilst also demonstrating an understanding of Spanish culture. The IB is considerably harder than A-levels. In the IB, students must study six subjects plus extras whereas with A-levels students study three subjects. There are two levels of IB: IB Spanish B SL (Standard level) / HL (Higher level).

• HKDSE: The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), is an academic system carried out by the Hong Kong government. Students can take HKDSE Spanish under the Category C: Other Language Subjects. Students are suggested to study for six years before sitting for the exam. Category C subjects are generally accepted due to them being also an AS-Level subject. Spanish is graded by CAIE, on grades “A” to “E” (with grade “E” being the lowest and grade “A” the highest). An achievement below grade “E” is called ‘Ungraded’, and is not recorded on the diploma awarded to candidate.