MATSEC AM Spanish study plan
MATSEC AM Spanish · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Listening & Speaking
Transcribe 8 short Spanish audio clips (1-2 minutes each) and mark every word you miss
Build a personal list of 40 high-frequency connectives and discourse markers and use 15 of them aloud
Record a 2-minute monologue about your daily routine and identify 3 recurring pronunciation errors
Shadow one 90-second news bulletin daily, matching rhythm and intonation
Practise the past tense (pretérito indefinido vs imperfecto) in 20 spoken sentences
Your checkpoint
A 3-minute self-recording on a familiar topic plus a written error log listing at least 15 listening and pronunciation issues
Listening & Speaking
Listen to 6 opinion-based podcasts (5-8 minutes) and note the speaker's stance and two supporting arguments
Answer 10 comprehension questions per clip without replaying more than once
Role-play 5 exam-style speaking situations (giving advice, complaining, describing a photo) with a partner or recording
Drill the subjunctive present in 25 spoken sentences expressing wishes, doubt and opinion
Expand vocabulary on work, education and environment to 60 active items
Your checkpoint
A table of 30 listening comprehension answers scored against transcripts, with the subjunctive forms highlighted
Listening & Speaking
Complete 3 full timed listening mock sections under exam conditions
Identify and correct your top 5 recurring listening traps (numbers, negation, false friends, rapid speech, distractors)
Sustain a 5-minute uninterrupted monologue with structured introduction, development and conclusion
Practise 10 follow-up questions and give extended answers of 30 seconds each
Refine intonation for questions, exclamations and contrastive emphasis
Your checkpoint
One full listening mock scored and annotated, plus a 5-minute monologue recording with self-assessment against a 4-criterion rubric
Reading & Writing
Read 4 Spanish articles (400-600 words) and summarise each in 60 words
Infer meaning of 30 unknown words from context before checking a dictionary
Write 2 informal emails (120-150 words) using appropriate register and formulaic openings/closings
Practise the contrast between ser/estar and por/para in 30 written sentences
Build a personal bank of 25 linking expressions for argumentation
Your checkpoint
Two corrected 140-word informal emails plus a vocabulary log of 30 context-inferred words with definitions
Reading & Writing
Read 3 opinion columns and identify thesis, evidence and counterargument in each
Complete 2 timed reading mock sections and analyse every wrong answer
Write one formal letter or article (180-200 words) with clear paragraphing and connectors
Apply reported speech and the imperfect subjunctive in 15 written transformations
Self-edit two drafts focusing on agreement, accents and verb tense consistency
Your checkpoint
A 200-word formal piece in final draft with a tracked list of corrections made between draft one and draft two
Reading & Writing
Complete 2 full timed reading mocks and reach at least 70% accuracy
Summarise 3 longer texts (700+ words) in exactly 80 words each
Write 2 timed essays (200 words in 45 minutes) on exam-style prompts
Use 8 different subordinating structures accurately in written work
Review and fix your 10 most frequent written errors from weeks 4-5
Your checkpoint
Two timed 200-word essays marked against a checklist of task achievement, range, accuracy and organisation
Listening & Speaking & Reading & Writing
Sit 2 complete timed mock exams covering all four skills
Log every error by skill and error type into a single tracker
Re-record your weakest speaking task and compare against week 3
Rewrite your weakest written task with targeted improvements
Review 100 accumulated vocabulary items using spaced repetition
Your checkpoint
A consolidated error tracker covering both mocks, with counts per skill and a prioritised fix list
Listening & Speaking & Reading & Writing
Redo the highest-frequency error types from the tracker and verify improvement
Complete 1 final timed mock in each skill under strict exam timing
Rehearse the full speaking test sequence twice end to end
Consolidate 20 memorised structures for formal writing and debate
Finalise a one-page exam-day strategy sheet covering timing, order of tasks and checking routines
Your checkpoint
A final mock scorecard across all four skills plus a one-page exam-day strategy sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 60% on 30 listening comprehension questions and sustain a 3-minute monologue without long pauses
Week 4: Write two 140-word informal emails in under 30 minutes each with fewer than 6 errors per 100 words
Week 6: Reach at least 70% on two timed reading mocks and complete a 200-word essay within 45 minutes
Week 8: Achieve at least 75% overall on final mocks in all four skills with a documented reduction in your top three error types