CSEC Spanish case studies
CSEC Spanish · Put your knowledge to work in context.
CSEC Spanish is a Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) subject examination within the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® suite, one of the qualifications listed on the CXC® website alongside CPEA, CCSLC, CVQ and CAPE. It is designed for secondary-school candidates in the region who are completing a formal course of study in Spanish, and it also serves private candidates preparing for the same standard. The CSEC Spanish case studies are 5 cases and about 2,986 words.
1The Memorised Answer in the Oral Exam
At a secondary school in Trinidad, the CSEC Spanish oral practice exam has two parts: a three-minute conversation with the teacher-examiner, then a two-minute presentation. Candidate Aisha, predicted Grade III, has memorised a 90-word response about her family.
562 words, about 3 min2False Friends and Instruction Words in a Transport Notice
Reading Comprehension practice in a Jamaican school uses a short authentic-style notice: 'Aviso a los usuarios del transporte escolar: A partir del lunes 6 de mayo, el autobús de las 7:15 saldrá a las 7:30. Los estudiantes que ya compraron un boleto para las 7:15 deben cambiarlo en la oficina antes del viernes.
596 words, about 3 min3Register and Task Achievement in a Formal Hotel Email
CSEC Paper 3 practice: students must write an email of 120-150 words to the manager of a hotel in Spanish, complaining about a recent stay and including four bullet points: (1) dates and room number, (2) a problem with the air conditioning, (3) a request for a partial refund, (4) a question about compensation. Ken's draft is 185 words.
607 words, about 3 min4Preterite and Imperfect: When a Non-Target Form Is Not an Error
In a Grade 10 Spanish class in Guyana, students wrote a short narrative about a visit to a market. The teacher displays five underlined verb forms from one paragraph: 'Ayer, mientras (1) caminaba por el mercado, (2) vi a una señora que (3) vendía mangos.
625 words, about 3 min5Cohesion and Range in a Free-Response Article
The free-response section of the school's mock CSEC Spanish Paper 3 asks students to write a short article of about 150 words for the school magazine: '¿Por qué es útil aprender español?' Ravi's draft has six short paragraphs, each one or two sentences. He writes: 'Aprender español es bueno.
596 words, about 3 min