APPENDIX

Sample translations used for ab initio exams

1. I’m hungry but I have nothing in my fridge. Yesterday I wanted to go shopping but it started to rain and I didn’t feel like getting wet. I need milk, eggs, chicken and lots of vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, onion, garlic and maybe some fruit too. I love bananas. I’m a bit allergic to cheese but I can drink milk. It’s strange. Today it’s also raining but I don’t have a choice, I really need to go to the supermarket.

I’m flying to Spain next week. I’m so excited. It will be my first time abroad and also I will be able to practice my Spanish. I want to talk to everybody in Spanish, but I’m sure that I will feel shy and speak in English. I am going to spend a week in Granada. I will visit all the tourist attractions and eat the local food. I have heard that it is a beautiful city. I was walking around Galway yesterday, thinking about the streets and the sun in Granada. I like walking in the mountains as well and I read yesterday on the internet that there are lovely mountains near the city. I have to go there. Last weekend, I was in Connemara and the sun was shining and it was beautiful. I walked for 8 kilometres and I was exhausted at the end, but it was a beautiful experience.

1. This is the first time I’ve lived with other people who aren’t my family. I live with a German guy and an Irish girl. They both work and I’m in my third year in Galway. We are very different but we get on well. He likes cleaning and I like cooking. The other girl likes shopping, so we work well together. We also get up at different times so there is no problem when we need to use the bathroom. I have a shower at 7 a.m. and they are still asleep.

Last summer, I was very nervous about this year abroad. My English is not great and I was worried. But I actually understand everybody and when I speak, the people here are very patient with me. In August, I went to a school to improve my English. We started at 9.30 and finished at 12.45. By lunch time, my brain was very tired, but after a few weeks, I realized that I was still thinking in English when I was walking back home. I was very hungry and my mom always had lovely food ready so I wouldn’t speak in Spanish for a while until my belly was full.

Sample composition topics used for ab initio exam

Redacción. Escribe una redacción de 200 palabras sobre uno de los siguientes temas. (25 puntos). Por favor especifica tu género. MASCULINO_____ FEMENINO ______:

1. ¿Qué te ha gustado de tu primer año en la universidad? ¿Qué te ha gustado menos de tu primer año?
2. ¿Tienes planes para el verano? ¿Te vas a cambiar de casa? Cuenta tus planes en detalle.
3. ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre? ¿Y cuando eras pequeña hacías lo mismo?
4. ¿Qué cosas te han gustado de tu primer año en la universidad y qué cosas no te han gustado?
5. ¿Qué vas a hacer al terminar los exámenes este verano?
6. ¿Qué hiciste en tus últimas vacaciones? ¿Qué tipo de ropa llevabas? ¿Qué tiempo hacía?

Ensure you include the following elements:

Vocabulary topics / Temas de vocabulario: Familia, ciudad, casa, comida, ropa, trabajo, cuerpo humano, tiempo, deportes, viajes y vacaciones, enseñanza y aprendizaje.

Grammar items / Elementos de la gramática:

1. Verbos irregulares del presente
2. Verbos regulares e irregulares en tiempos pasados
   1. Pretérito Indefinido
   2. Pretérito Imperfecto

• Pretérito Perfecto

1. Algún verbo en futuro.
2. Pronombres de objeto directo e indirecto
3. Verbos del tipo ‘gustar’
4. Algún verbo reflexivo

Sample translations used  for Ex-Leaving Certificate students level A2/B1 exam

1. I’m starving but there’s nothing I want to eat in the fridge. We have run out of cereal. Last night I wanted to go to the supermarket but I didn’t feel like walking in the rain. I need some milk, a few eggs and flour, because I’d like to make pancakes; but I would rather have chicken and vegetables for dinner. Let’s see: tomatoes, lettuce, onion, garlic and maybe some fruit. I’d like some bananas and ice cream. Today it’s also raining but I don’t have a choice.

I’m flying to Mexico next week. I’m so excited. It will be my first time and I will be able to practise my Spanish. I want to talk to everybody in Spanish, but I’m sure that when I arrive, I will feel shy. They told me that most Mexicans speak English but I don’t know if it’s true. I am going to spend a week in Mexico city. I will visit all the tourist attractions and eat the local food. I have heard that it is a beautiful city. While I was walking around Galway yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about my holiday. It’s going to be great!

1. I am fascinated by languages. I am learning three at the moment but I plan on having 12 by the time I’m thirty years old. Maybe it’s a little bit ambitious but I don’t mind. I love the different ways in which people say things and think about the world. Last night, I was listening to the radio and they were talking about Basque. It seems to be one of the oldest languages on earth. It would be amazing to speak it. Then, my friend rang me and told me she was having a drink with some Spanish people and there were some Basque people among them too. I put on my coat and left my house immediately. Needless to say, they were lovely people and we had a great time. I hope we can meet up more often and maybe I can even learn a bit of their language, which, by the way, sounds fantastic.

Sample composition topics used for Ex-Leaving Certificate students level A2/B1

Redacción. Escribe una redacción de 200 palabras sobre uno de los siguientes temas. (30 puntos). Por favor especifica tu género. MASCULINO_____ FEMENINO ______:

1. Relata tu primera experiencia hablando español con una persona nativa.
2. En tu opinión ¿es importante hacer deporte? Relata tu experiencia y por qué piensas así.
3. ¿Qué planes tienes para el año que viene? ¿Qué has aprendido de tu primer año aquí?
4. Relata tu primera experiencia hablando español con una persona nativa.
5. En tu opinión ¿es importante hacer deporte? Relata tu experiencia y por qué piensas así.
6. ¿Qué planes tienes para el año que viene? ¿Qué has aprendido de tu primer año aquí?

Ensure you include the following elements:

Vocabulary topics / Temas de vocabulario: Familia, ciudad, casa, comida, ropa, trabajo, cuerpo humano, tiempo, deportes, viajes y vacaciones, enseñanza y aprendizaje.

Grammar items / Elementos de la gramática:

1. Verbos irregulares del presente
2. Verbos regulares e irregulares en tiempos pasados
   1. Pretérito Indefinido
   2. Pretérito Imperfecto

• Pretérito Perfecto

1. Algún verbo en futuro.
2. Pronombres de objeto directo e indirecto
3. Verbos del tipo ‘gustar’
4. Algún verbo reflexivo
5. Algún verbo en presente de subjuntivo