GCSE Spanish: Foundation or Higher tier?
Foundation tier allows grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier grades 4 to 9. You sit all four papers at the same tier.
| Foundation | Grades 1 to 5 |
|---|---|
| Higher | Grades 4 to 9 |
| Foundation words | About 1,200 |
| Higher words | About 1,700 |
What changes at Higher
Higher papers use the 500 extra Higher words and more of the grammar, such as the plural forms of the future and conditional, the present subjunctive with a few common verbs, acabar de and desde hace, and the writing paper asks for a 150-word answer instead of the photo, 50-word and grammar questions.
What stays the same
Both tiers share the 90-word writing task, the themes and topics, and the type of reading questions. Some reading questions are common to both tiers.
Next step
Who decides my tier?
Your school enters you for a tier. Ask your teacher if you are unsure which one.