Edexcel International AS & A-Level Spanish Past Papers & Mark Schemes (Free Download)
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Preparing for your Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish exams requires focused practice with official exam materials. Accessing past papers, official mark schemes (MS), and listening audio files is one of the most effective ways to understand examiners' expectations, master paper timing, and build the vocabulary necessary for top grades.
Whether you are preparing for Unit 1 (Spoken Expression and Response), Unit 2 (Understanding and Written Response), or the advanced Unit 3 & Unit 4 papers, practicing under exam conditions is essential. Our complete archive includes downloadable PDFs of past question papers, mark schemes, and grade boundaries organised by exam series, helping you track your progress and identify target areas for improvement across reading, writing, listening, and translation modules.
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2025 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening |
June 2025 — Unit 1 | — | ||
June 2025 — Unit 2 | |||
June 2025 — Unit 4 | |||
January 2025 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2025 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2025 — Unit 4 |
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2024 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening |
June 2024 — Unit 1 | — | ||
June 2024 — Unit 2 | |||
June 2024 — Unit 4 | |||
January 2024 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2024 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2024 — Unit 4 |
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2023 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening |
June 2023 — Unit 1 | Not listed | — | |
June 2023 — Unit 2 | |||
June 2023 — Unit 4 | |||
January 2023 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2023 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2023 — Unit 4 |
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2022 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening |
June 2022 — Unit 2 | |||
June 2022 — Unit 4 | |||
January 2022 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2022 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2022 — Unit 4 |
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2021 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening / Transcript |
June 2021 — Unit 1 | — | ||
June 2021 — Unit 2 | |||
June 2021 — Unit 4 | |||
January 2021 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2021 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2021 — Unit 4 |
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2020 Past Papers & Mark Schemes
Exam / Unit | Question Paper / Speaking Booklets | Mark Scheme | Listening / Transcript |
January 2020 — Unit 1 | — | ||
January 2020 — Unit 2 | |||
January 2020 — Unit 4 |
Top Tips from Examiners
Our teachers repeatedly identify the same avoidable mistakes in Edexcel International AS and A Level Spanish. Follow these six tips.
1. Support Your Arguments With Specific Research
Avoid relying only on personal experiences, general knowledge or unsupported claims, particularly in the Unit 3 speaking examination and Unit 4 research essay.
Use precise facts, statistics, dates and real examples to support your arguments. In Unit 3, explicitly name the Spanish-language sources you consulted, such as a newspaper, journal or published report. Referring vaguely to “a study” is less convincing than identifying the publication and explaining what it found.
2. Answer in Your Own Words
Do not copy long phrases directly from a reading text or repeat the listening transcript word for word. This does not always demonstrate genuine understanding and can leave your answer in the wrong person or tense.
Adapt the material so that it answers the question directly. Change pronouns, verb forms and sentence structures where necessary while preserving the original meaning. Your response should be concise, grammatically complete and unambiguous.
3. Address Every Part of the Essay Question
In the Unit 2 essay, omitting bullet points can severely restrict the available content mark. In Unit 4, students often describe the topic or retell the plot without properly addressing the analytical command in the question.
Spend a few minutes planning before writing. Use one focused paragraph for each bullet point or major part of the question, following a clear point–evidence–analysis structure. For literature and film essays, analyse techniques such as symbolism, character development, language, cinematography and historical context instead of simply narrating events.
4. Check Grammar, Agreements and Accents Carefully
Sentence transformations require exact grammatical control. A response can lose the mark because of an incorrect tense, missing pronoun, omitted preposition, faulty agreement or misplaced accent.
Read the original phrase in its full context before transforming it. Make sure the new sentence preserves exactly the same meaning, then check:
Subject–verb agreement
Gender and number agreement
Tense and mood
Pronouns and prepositions
Spelling and accent placement
Do not treat accents as optional: forms such as solían, cuidéis, llegó and está must be written accurately.
5. Choose a Genuinely Debatable Unit 3 Issue
Avoid topics based only on personal preferences, such as liking a sport, food or type of music. These do not create enough opportunity for sustained argument and counter-argument.
Select a focused issue with two defensible sides and a clear ethical, social or political dimension. Suitable areas might include euthanasia, artificial intelligence, fast fashion or age restrictions on social media. State your position clearly using phrases such as Estoy a favor de… or Estoy en contra de…, and prepare evidence for both your argument and the likely counter-arguments.
6. Manage Your Time and Keep Every Response Focused
Candidates frequently spend too long on early questions and then rush the high-mark essay. Speaking assessments can also lose valuable content if they are too short, while material beyond the permitted time may not be assessed.
Practise within the official limits:
Unit 1 speaking: 8–10 minutes
Unit 3 speaking: 11–13 minutes
Unit 2 essay: 240–280 words
Unit 4 essay: 300–400 words
For written papers, reserve time to plan the essay and check grammar, accents and handwriting. For speaking examinations, practise giving developed but focused answers rather than either one-sentence responses or memorised speeches.
Edexcel International AS & A Level Spanish 2027 FAQs
1. What are the qualification codes for Edexcel International AS and A Level Spanish?
The qualification codes are:
XSP01: International Advanced Subsidiary Spanish
YSP01: International Advanced Level Spanish
The individual unit codes are WSP01/01, WSP02/01, WSP03/01 and WSP04/01.
2. How many units do AS and A Level Spanish students take?
International AS students complete two units:
Unit 1: Spoken Expression and Response
Unit 2: Understanding and Written Response
Students completing the full International A Level take four units:
Unit 1: Spoken Expression and Response
Unit 2: Understanding and Written Response
Unit 3: Understanding and Spoken Response
Unit 4: Research, Understanding and Written Response
The IAS result can contribute towards the full International A Level. Pearson’s official International A Level languages guide
3. How much is each Spanish unit worth?
For the International AS qualification:
Unit 1: 40 marks and 30.8% of the IAS
Unit 2: 90 marks and 69.2% of the IAS
For the complete International A Level:
Unit 1: 15.4%
Unit 2: 34.6%
Unit 3: 15.4%
Unit 4: 34.6%
Units 2 and 4 carry the greatest weight, but strong speaking marks from Units 1 and 3 can still make an important difference to the final grade.
4. What happens in Unit 1: Spoken Expression and Response?
Unit 1 is an 8–10-minute speaking examination conducted by a teacher-examiner.
You select two AS General Topic Areas before the examination. On the day, you receive a stimulus card based on one of them and have 15 minutes to prepare. You may make notes on a maximum of one side of A4 paper.
The examination includes:
Responses to four Pearson-set questions about the stimulus
A wider discussion of the same General Topic Area
Avoid memorising a complete speech. Examiners want to hear natural interaction, developed opinions and accurate Spanish.
5. What is included in Unit 2: Understanding and Written Response?
Unit 2 is a 2-hour 30-minute written examination worth 90 marks. It contains three sections:
Section A – Listening: 20 marks
Section B – Reading and Grammar: 30 marks
Section C – Essay: 40 marks
The essay must be 240–280 words and is based on a short Spanish stimulus and four related bullet points. Address every bullet point directly and leave time to check verb endings, agreements, accents and spelling.
6. What happens in Unit 3: Understanding and Spoken Response?
Unit 3 is an advanced speaking examination lasting approximately 11–13 minutes.
In Section A, you introduce a researched issue, state a definite position and defend it while the teacher-examiner argues the opposing side. You should refer to relevant research and authentic sources.
In Section B, the examiner introduces at least two unpredictable issues. These may come from the wider course themes, so you must be prepared to discuss more than your chosen research topic.
7. What is assessed in Unit 4: Research, Understanding and Written Response?
Unit 4 is a 2-hour 30-minute written examination worth 90 marks. It contains:
Section A – Listening: 20 marks
Section B – Reading and Grammar: 30 marks
Section C – Research-based essay: 40 marks
For the final essay, students answer one question on their studied geographical or historical topic, literary text or film. Two questions are provided for each prescribed option, and the response should be 300–400 words. Pearson’s official International A Level languages guide
8. Which topics should I revise for the 2027 Spanish exams?
The four IAS General Topic Areas are:
Youth matters
Lifestyle, health and fitness
Environment and travel
Education and employment
International A Level students also study:
Technology in the Spanish-speaking world
Society in the Spanish-speaking world
Ethics in the Spanish-speaking world
Questions can use unfamiliar sources, so do not memorise only a small number of model answers. Build adaptable vocabulary, examples and opinions for every theme.
9. Are the exams available in both January and June 2027?
Pearson normally makes all four units available in the January and June examination series. The oral units are conducted within separate speaking-assessment windows arranged by examination centres.
Always confirm your precise written and speaking examination dates with your school or examination centre. Your speaking test may not take place on the same date as the corresponding written papers.
10. What is the best way to prepare for Edexcel International A Level Spanish?
Combine language practice with exam-specific preparation:
Complete listening practice regularly using different Spanish accents and speaking speeds.
Revise grammar through sentence transformations and gap-fill exercises.
Practise reading for both overall meaning and precise detail.
Record yourself answering speaking questions without a script.
Prepare evidence and examples for every General Topic Area.
Write Unit 2 and Unit 4 essays within the required word limits.
Complete past papers under timed conditions.
Compare your responses carefully with official mark schemes and examiner reports.
Do not focus only on vocabulary. High-scoring students must communicate relevant ideas while using accurate grammar, varied structures and well-supported arguments.
