New GCSE Spanish – Edexcel – First exam in 2026.

The new GCSE Spanish exam will be assessed for the first time in 2026. It introduces several changes compared to the 2018–2025 examinations. Here, we provide a clear overview of each section of the exam, along with the key updates featured in the new GCSE Spanish.

For this blog post, we have selected the specification for the Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Spanish (2024). All examples, time references, marks, and information presented here have been taken from documents published by the examination board itself.

1. Paper 1 – Speaking - GCSE Spanish Edexcel.

This part of the exam is divided into three sections: Read Aloud, Role-play, and Picture task with conversation. The Read Aloud task is a new addition compared to previous exam formats.

1.1. Read aloud.

In this new task within the speaking exam (Foundation or Higher), students are required to read a short text aloud. After completing the reading, they will then answer two questions set by the examiner, which are linked in some way to the text they have just read

Here are some examples or texts and questions.

Questions related to task "Read aloud" for "Foundation Tier":

• P1. ¿Qué te gusta comer?

• P2. ¿Qué piensas de hacer actividades deportivas con amigos?

Questions related to task "Read aloud" for "Higher Tier":

• P1. ¿Qué te gusta hacer para relajarte?

• P2. ¿Cuál es tu opinión de los exámenes?

1.2. Role Play.

As in the previous specification, students will take part in an interaction by responding in Spanish to a series of questions within a given situation. The only new feature in this updated exam is that the student’s preparation sheet is provided in English.

Example of a Role play question for the Foundation Tier.

1.3. Picture task with conversation.

The Picture task, followed by the subsequent conversation, also includes some minor variations compared to previous exams. In this task, students must choose 1 photo from the 2 photos provided. In their description, they are required to mention who is in the photo, what they are doing and where they are.

For this task, students will choose the theme on which the photos, related questions and the conversation will be based. Prior to the day of the exam, students will select one theme from two possible options within the six thematic areas set by the exam board.

Here is an example of the main themes of the exam, along with their corresponding sub-themes, as outlined in the Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Spanish (2024) specification.

2. Paper 2 – Listening - GCSE Spanish Edexcel.

This part of the exam is divided into two sections: Section A, which consists of traditional listening tasks, and Section B, which is a dictation. This is one of the new additions to the updated listening exam. The audio recording will be played three times, with each sentence repeated. In the first set of sentences (3 for F – 2 for H) students will be required to fill in the gaps in the sentences provided. In the following set (3 for F – 4 for H) , they will need to write the full sentence in Spanish. Here are some examples of sentences for this new part of the exam:

3. Paper 3 and 4 – Reading and Writing.

For these last two parts of the exam, there are no significant changes compared to the previous specification. The only modification is a five-minute increase in the written paper time.

Good luck with your exam preparation. Remember that at Spanish Exeter we always recommend focused practice in reading and listening to Spanish in contextualised situations.