MATSEC IM Spanish cheat sheet

The listening paper is played twice in most MATSEC IM Spanish sittings; the first hearing is for global meaning, the second for specific detail and numbers.

Signpost words that signal the answer: sin embargo, aunque, por lo tanto, en cambio, además, por ejemplo, es decir.

Numbers, prices, times and dates are the highest-frequency trap: Spanish uses coma for decimals (3,50 €) and punto for thousands (1.000).

Times: Son las tres y cuarto (3:15), y media (3:30), menos cuarto (2:45); from 1:00 to 1:59 use es la una, not son las.

Distractors are usually stated first and corrected later with pero, en realidad, or mejor dicho - the correction carries the mark.

Task types: multiple-choice, true/false with justification, table or form completion, short answer in Spanish.

Register cues: tú/vosotros vs usted/ustedes, and vocabulary shifts (ordenador vs computadora) indicate the speaker's origin and relationship.

Answers written in Spanish must be grammatical; a correct idea with wrong agreement or gender can lose the mark.

The oral typically has a prepared or semi-prepared presentation, a picture or prompt description, and a general conversation with the examiner.

Marking criteria are usually: communication and fluency, range of vocabulary and structures, accuracy, pronunciation and intonation.

Use fillers that buy time in Spanish rather than silence: bueno, pues, a ver, es que, déjame pensar.

To reach higher bands, include at least two tenses (present plus pretérito or futuro), one subjunctive trigger (espero que, cuando + subjunctive), and one opinion phrase.

Opinion frames: en mi opinión, desde mi punto de vista, lo que más me gusta es..., me parece que..., no estoy de acuerdo porque...

Picture description order: en el primer plano / en el fondo / a la izquierda / a la derecha / arriba / abajo.

Pronunciation targets: Spanish r vs rr, the jota /x/, ñ /ɲ/, b/v merger, and pure vowels without English diphthongs.

If you do not understand, ask in Spanish: ¿Puede repetir, por favor? / ¿Qué significa...? - silence scores zero.

Text types used: notices, adverts, emails, blogs, articles, brochures, timetables and short literary extracts.

Question stems in Spanish: ¿Qué quiere decir...?, Según el texto..., ¿Cuál es la idea principal?, ¿A qué se refiere...?

Cognate traps ('false friends'): actual (current, not actual), realizar (to carry out), largo (long), asistir (to attend), éxito (success).

Scan for the keyword in the question, then read the whole sentence around it - the answer rarely sits in the same clause as the keyword.

For gap-fill, decide the part of speech needed first (noun, verb, connector), then test agreement and tense.

Connectors carry the logic: sin embargo / no obstante (contrast), por lo tanto / así que (result), ya que / puesto que (cause).

Pronoun reference items (lo, le, les, su, este, aquel) require locating the noun in the previous sentence or clause.

True/false with justification needs a quotation from the text, not a paraphrase, in most mark schemes.

Typical tasks: informal email or message, formal letter or email, short article or blog post, and a guided composition of about 100–150 words.

Register rules: informal uses tú, ¡Hola!, un abrazo, besos; formal uses usted, Estimado/a Sr./Sra., Le saluda atentamente, Atentamente.

Openings: informal ¿Qué tal? / ¿Cómo estás?; formal Me dirijo a usted para... / En respuesta a su anuncio...

Structure a composition as introduction, two body paragraphs, conclusion - with one connector per paragraph minimum.

Accents change meaning and are marked: el/él, si/sí, mas/más, solo/sólo (traditional), que/qué, aun/aún.

Agreement checklist: article–noun–adjective gender and number, subject–verb person, ser/estar choice, por/para choice.

Punctuation: Spanish uses ¿...? and ¡...? at both ends; dialogue uses rayas (-) or comillas («...»).

Word-count guidance: going far under the minimum caps the content mark; going far over adds errors without extra credit.