SACE Stage 2 Spanish (beginners) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

School assessment

Internal tasks set and marked by the school against SACE performance standards, then quality-assured and moderated externally. It contributes to the final grade alongside external assessment.

Performance standards A–E

Five-level descriptions of achievement used to judge student work. Each level describes the quality of evidence for a criterion, from excellent (A) to minimal (E).

Assessment criteria in Languages

The dimensions used to mark work: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and knowledge and understanding of language and culture. Each is graded separately against the standards.

Beginners-level assumption

Assessment assumes no prior study of Spanish. Tasks use high-frequency vocabulary and familiar topics such as self, family, school, food, and daily routine.

Oral interaction marking

Judged on communication (task completion, fluency, pronunciation) and accuracy (grammar, vocabulary range). Strong ideas with weak grammar cannot reach the top level.

Written task marking

Marked on content and task completion, organisation, and language accuracy. Answering only part of the prompt limits the content criterion regardless of grammar quality.

Evidence retention

Schools keep recordings and written scripts of school assessment so samples can be moderated against the standards before final results are confirmed.

Folio of tasks

A collection of school-assessed responses, often mixing written and spoken modes, showing progress across the year. Confirm the exact number and weighting in the subject outline.

External assessment

Tasks set and marked by the SACE Board, contributing the larger share of the final grade. It typically includes an examination and an externally assessed oral or investigation.

Examination structure

The external exam usually combines listening, reading, and writing sections. The writing section requires connected Spanish text, not isolated sentences or lists.

Authentic-style texts

Exam listening and reading use realistic materials such as announcements, dialogues, notices, and short articles. Question language may be English or Spanish, so check instructions.

Negation distractors

Words such as no, nunca, nada, and nadie often reverse meaning in listening and reading items. Missing them leads to selecting the opposite of the correct answer.

Inferential questions

Items asking what is implied rather than stated. Answers must be supported by evidence in the text, not by general knowledge or personal opinion.

Numbers and times

Listening texts frequently carry key information in numbers, prices, and clock times. Note them while listening, since they are often the target of the question.

Writing task criteria

Assessed on content relevance, range and accuracy of language, and structure. Memorised phrases unrelated to the prompt earn no content marks.

Externally assessed oral

A recorded interaction marked by the SACE Board. Candidates must sustain conversation, ask questions, and handle unpredictable turns rather than deliver a prepared monologue.

Skimming before listening

Reading the questions during the allowed preparation time lets you predict vocabulary and topics, improving the chance of catching the relevant detail on the first hearing.

Final accuracy check

Reserve time at the end of writing tasks to verify noun-adjective agreement, verb endings, and accents, which are common sources of lost marks.

Ser versus estar

Ser describes identity, origin, and inherent traits (soy estudiante, es español). Estar describes location, states, and temporary conditions (estoy cansado, está en casa).

Present tense regular endings

-ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. -er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. -ir verbs follow -er except nosotros/vosotros: -imos, -ís.

Near future ir + a

Form the near future with ir (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van) plus a plus infinitive: voy a estudiar. Beginners courses rely on this instead of the true future tense.

Gustar construction

Gustar agrees with the thing liked, not the person: me gusta el libro, me gustan los libros. Indirect object pronouns are me, te, le, nos, os, les.

Noun-adjective agreement

Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun: un chico alto, una chica alta, unos chicos altos. Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant add only -s or -es.

Definite and indefinite articles

Definite: el, la, los, las. Indefinite: un, una, unos, unas. Match the article to the noun's gender and number, including irregulars like el problema.

Question words

Qué (what), quién (who), dónde (where), cuándo (when), cómo (how), cuánto (how much), por qué (why). All carry written accents in questions.

Telling the time

Use son las for two o'clock onward and es la una for one o'clock: son las tres, es la una. Add y cuarto, y media, menos cuarto for quarters and halves.

Numbers in prices

Prices use comma for decimals in Spanish: 3,50 euros. Listening items often contrast similar-sounding numbers such as quince (15) and cincuenta (50).

Formal versus informal address

Use tú with friends and peers, usted with strangers and adults in formal contexts. Verb forms differ: ¿cómo estás? versus ¿cómo está usted?

Reflexive daily routine verbs

Verbs like levantarse, ducharse, vestirse describe daily routine: me levanto, te duchas, se viste. The reflexive pronoun changes with the subject.

Preterite regular endings

-ar: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron. -er/-ir: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Used for completed past actions with time markers like ayer.

Hay versus está

Hay states existence: hay un banco aquí. Está states location of a known object: el banco está en la esquina. Do not pluralise hay to hayn.

Connectors for writing

Use pero, porque, aunque, sin embargo, and por eso to link ideas. Connectors raise the organisation and range criteria in written tasks.