Which tenses to use, how to structure essays, connectives that impress examiners and the mistakes that cost marks in GCSE Spanish writing.
Practice verb conjugations →Describe your life now. Reflexive verbs for daily routine. Aim for 8+ different present tense forms.
Completed past events. Key irregulars: fui, tuve, hice, puse, vine, dije. Clue words: ayer, la semana pasada.
Habitual past and descriptions. Cuando era niño/a... Siempre... Todos los días... Only 3 irregulars: ser, ir, ver.
Plans and predictions. Add -é/-ás/-á to the infinitive. Irregulars: tendré, haré, podré, vendré, saldré, pondré.
What you would do. Me gustaría..., Sería mejor..., Preferiría... Same stems as future with -ía endings.
Top-mark structures: Es importante que..., Quiero que..., ojalá + subjunctive.
| Section | Content | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Introduce topic + immediate opinion | Present |
| Past | What happened / used to be like | Preterite + Imperfect |
| Present detail | Your current situation on this topic | Present |
| Opinion | Your view with reasons + counter-argument | Conditional + Subjunctive |
| Future | Plans or predictions | Future |
The gap between Grade 6 and Grade 9 is verb accuracy under pressure. Practice daily until conjugations are automatic.
Start practicing free →At minimum: present, preterite and future. For higher grades add imperfect, conditional and at least one subjunctive phrase. Five or more tenses accurately is a key Grade 9 criterion.
90 words minimum for the short task, 150 words minimum for the long task. Accuracy with range matters more than length alone.
Five or more tenses, complex structures including subjunctive, varied vocabulary, justified opinions and very few basic errors.