MATSEC IM Spanish study plan
MATSEC IM Spanish · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Listening & Speaking
Transcribe 10 short Spanish audio clips (30-60 seconds each) and mark every word you miss, grouping errors by sound type (linked speech, numbers, proper nouns).
Record yourself answering 8 personal-information questions (name, residence, family, daily routine) and time each answer to 45-60 seconds without reading a script.
Build a personal vocabulary log of 60 high-frequency words and phrases drawn only from the audio you transcribed this week.
Practise shadowing one 2-minute clip daily, repeating each sentence immediately after the speaker to train rhythm and intonation.
Your checkpoint
A dated audio file of 8 spoken answers plus a written error table listing at least 40 missed words with their causes.
Listening & Speaking
Complete 6 listening tasks on announcements, directions and phone messages, writing the key information (time, place, price) from each in note form.
Drill numbers, dates, times and prices aloud until you can repeat any heard figure back within two seconds.
Role-play 5 transactional dialogues (buying a ticket, asking for directions, ordering food) with a partner or voice-recording app, alternating roles.
Self-assess two of your recordings against a fluency checklist covering hesitation, pronunciation and range of tenses.
Your checkpoint
A 5-minute unscripted role-play recording covering at least three transactional situations, with a one-page self-assessment.
Listening & Speaking
Listen to 8 short authentic extracts (news headlines, weather, voicemail) and answer three comprehension questions on each without replaying more than once.
Practise 10 opinion prompts aloud, using structures for agreeing, disagreeing and hedging (creo que, no estoy de acuerdo, depende de).
Identify and correct your three most frequent pronunciation problems by recording minimal-pair drills (r/rr, b/v, j/ll, vowels).
Summarise each listened extract aloud in 30 seconds using your own words.
Your checkpoint
A log of 8 listening extracts with answers, plus a 3-minute recorded monologue giving and defending an opinion.
Listening & Speaking & Reading
Sit a timed 30-minute listening mock (multiple-choice and short answer) and score it against the mark scheme.
Read 6 short authentic texts (notices, adverts, emails) and answer detail and inference questions, underlining the exact line that justifies each answer.
Run two 10-minute mock speaking tests end to end, including the picture-description and follow-up discussion stages.
Review every error from the mock and rewrite a corrected version of each wrong answer.
Your checkpoint
A scored 30-minute listening mock with a written error analysis and a target score for week 8.
Reading & Writing
Read 8 texts of increasing length and practise skimming for gist in 60 seconds before answering detail questions.
Write 4 short messages (60-80 words) in different registers: informal note to a friend, formal email to a school, complaint, invitation.
Compile a bank of 25 connectors and discourse markers and insert at least 8 into each piece of writing.
Proofread each draft against a checklist of agreement, tense consistency, accents and punctuation.
Your checkpoint
Four corrected short writings (60-80 words each) with a before-and-after proofreading comparison.
Reading & Writing
Write 2 longer pieces (150-180 words): one descriptive or narrative, one opinion or argument, timed at 35 minutes each.
Practise transforming 15 sentences across tenses (present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional) to build grammatical control.
Read 6 longer texts and answer inference and vocabulary-in-context questions, guessing meaning from morphology before checking a dictionary.
Rewrite one of your own essays improving range of vocabulary and sentence complexity, then compare word counts and structures.
Your checkpoint
Two timed 150-180 word essays marked against a four-criterion rubric (content, range, accuracy, organisation) with scores out of 5.
Reading & Writing & Listening
Sit a full timed reading mock (45 minutes) and a full timed writing mock (60 minutes) under exam conditions with no aids.
Mark both mocks strictly and list the five error types that cost you the most marks.
Do 4 short listening top-up sessions to keep listening sharp while writing dominates.
Draft and memorise 6 flexible sentence frames you can adapt to any essay prompt.
Your checkpoint
A complete reading and writing mock pair with marks, error list and a prioritised revision sheet.
Listening & Speaking & Reading & Writing
Run two full mock exams across all four skills within one week, simulating timing and breaks.
Record and review 3 full speaking mocks, targeting the specific weaknesses identified in weeks 1-7.
Revise only your personal error list and vocabulary log; avoid new material.
Rehearse exam logistics: timing per section, how to allocate planning minutes in writing, and how to recover after a missed question.
Your checkpoint
A final two-mock scorecard across all four domains compared with your week 4 baseline.
Milestones
Week 2: You can sustain a 45-60 second spoken answer on a familiar topic without reading a script, and you understand short announcements on first listening.
Week 4: Your timed listening mock is scored and analysed, and you have completed two full speaking mocks end to end.
Week 6: You have produced two 150-180 word essays within 35 minutes each and scored them against a rubric.
Week 7: Full reading and writing mocks are complete under exam conditions, with a ranked list of your five costliest error types.
Week 8: Final mock scores across all four domains exceed your week 4 baseline, with no domain below your agreed minimum.