Speaking and writing · GCSE Spanish
Photo card
Describe both photos, then keep talking: location, clothes, weather, opinions, and the unprepared conversation that follows.
Name what you see in both photos. Then say what you think. Then keep going when the teacher leaves the card behind.
The important bits
What you need to know
- 1
Current GCSE photo cards show two photos. You must say at least one thing about each. Coverage does not need to be equal.
- 2
Foundation: about one minute on the photos, then three to four minutes of unprepared conversation. Higher: about 90 seconds, then longer conversation.
- 3
Open with En la primera foto hay… En la segunda foto hay… so the examiner hears both images immediately.
- 4
Stock but accurate language: se ve, hay, está, están, lleva, llevan, parece, a la izquierda, al fondo, en el centro.
- 5
Add weather, clothes and a guess: Hace sol. El chico lleva una camiseta azul. Creo que están en un parque.
- 6
Then an opinion: Me gusta más la primera foto porque la gente parece más feliz.
- 7
You may use notes from the 15-minute supervised preparation. Do not write a script you will read word for word.
- 8
The follow-up conversation can use any topic from the theme on the card. Prepare two past and two future sentences for that theme.
Quotations worth analysing
Short evidence. Real method.
“En la primera foto hay una familia en la playa. En la segunda foto se ve un parque y un chico lleva una camiseta roja.”
Primera and segunda guarantee both photos. Hay and se ve describe. Lleva adds a precise detail examiners can credit.
Go deeper
How do I describe a GCSE photo card?
Start with people, then place, then clothes, then a guess. En la primera foto hay dos chicas. Están en un café. Llevan vaqueros y parecen contentas. Creo que es verano porque hace sol. Move to the second photo with en la segunda foto or por otro lado. Say at least one concrete detail that is actually in the image: a colour, an object, a dog, a bus, a football. Vague es interesante scores little. If you dry up, count: hay tres personas, hay un árbol, hay una mesa. Quantity is still description. Finish the photo minute with a preference: Prefiero la segunda foto porque es más animada.
Go deeper
What happens after I describe the photos?
The teacher moves into an unprepared conversation on the theme printed on the card. That is the bigger mark. Photo description is the launch; conversation is the flight. Prepare the theme, not a caption. If the photos are about sport, be ready for ¿haces deporte?, ¿qué hiciste el fin de semana pasado? and ¿qué harás el año que viene? Short answers die. Use the opinion-porque pattern, then a past sentence, then a future sentence. You may glance at notes, but look up. If you do not understand, say ¿Puede repetir, por favor? and answer the bit you did catch rather than sitting in silence.
Go deeper
Which structures lift a photo-card mark?
Comparatives between the two photos: En la primera foto hay menos gente que en la segunda. A justified opinion: Me parece que están de vacaciones porque llevan bañadores. A relative clause: El chico que está a la izquierda lleva gafas. A past memory linked to the image: El año pasado fui a una playa similar. A future: El verano que viene iré a la costa. You will not fit all of those into one minute, so pick three. Accuracy beats a pile of broken complexity. Hay, está, lleva and parece, said clearly, already beat a mumbled subjunctive you do not control.
See the idea in action
En la primera foto hay una familia. Están en la cocina y la madre lleva un delantal. En la segunda foto se ve un restaurante. Hay más gente y parece una celebración. Prefiero la primera foto porque es más casera. El sábado pasado cociné con mi padre y el año que viene quiero aprender más recetas. Description, comparison, past, future.
Exam technique
Turn knowledge into marks
In preparation, write five bullets: photo 1 people, photo 2 people, one comparison, one past, one future. That pack covers the photo minute and the first follow-up questions.
Common mistakes
Do not give these marks away
- 01
Describing only one photo. The minimum is one idea about each image.
- 02
Inventing a story that ignores what is on the card. Marks go to relevant content you can actually see, then to the conversation.
- 03
One-word answers in the follow-up: sí, no, me gusta. Add porque and a verb.
What is the minimum photo coverage on current GCSE cards?
AAt least one thing about each of the two photos
BA full story about one photo only
CReading the English title on the card
Show the answer
At least one thing about each of the two photos. Cards show two photos. You must mention both. Equal time is not required, but one photo of silence is a gift of marks thrown away.
Quick questions
If this is the bit you searched
Can I use English on the photo card?
No. If you are stuck, recycle hay, está, lleva and me gusta. Silence in English scores nothing. Silence in Spanish at least stays in the language.
Do I have to ask the teacher a question?
The compulsory first question is the teacher asking you about the photos. Your job to ask a question sits on the role-play. On the photo card, keep answering and developing.