what is actually on the GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists
Your exam board publishes a defined vocabulary list and sets the exams on it. Here is what is on it, topic by topic, and how much of it you are examined on.
AQA, topic by topic
AQA’s defined list holds 1,667 distinct Spanish entries across 10 topics. Every one of them is marked for a tier: 1,175 are foundation and 492 are higher only ~ so foundation students are examined on 1,175 words, and higher students on the whole 1,667.
| topic | words | foundation | higher only | for example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General vocabulary | 772 | 548 | 224 | menos...que... ~ less than... |
| Identity and relationships with others | 151 | 107 | 44 | el marido ~ husband |
| Education and work | 132 | 88 | 44 | la literatura ~ literature |
| Healthy living and lifestyle | 116 | 90 | 26 | lavar/lavarse ~ to wash |
| Free time activities | 99 | 74 | 25 | la obra ~ work, book, play |
| Customs, festivals and celebrations | 39 | 37 | 2 | el regalo ~ present, gift |
| Celebrity culture | 30 | 20 | 10 | el lujo ~ luxury |
| Media and technology | 76 | 42 | 34 | el ordenador ~ computer |
| The environment and where people live | 183 | 120 | 63 | el oeste ~ west |
| Travel and tourism, including places of interest | 72 | 51 | 21 | el mar ~ sea |
1,670 rows in total, which is more than the AQA list’s 1,667 distinct words ~ a word that belongs to two topics is counted under both, because it genuinely appears in both.
Edexcel, topic by topic
Edexcel’s defined list holds 1,652 distinct Spanish entries across 21 topics. Every one of them is marked for a tier: 1,164 are foundation and 488 are higher only ~ so foundation students are examined on 1,164 words, and higher students on the whole 1,652.
| topic | words | foundation | higher only | for example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General vocabulary | 870 | 592 | 278 | necesario ~ necessary |
| Family | 52 | 38 | 14 | el móvil ~ mobile phone |
| Friendship | 44 | 32 | 12 | llevarse (con) ~ to get on (with) |
| Relationships | 51 | 37 | 14 | la madre ~ mother |
| Equality | 33 | 29 | 4 | pobre ~ poor |
| Physical wellbeing | 37 | 32 | 5 | la natación ~ swimming |
| Mental wellbeing | 50 | 30 | 20 | mantener ~ to maintain, keep |
| Food and drink | 35 | 26 | 9 | la hamburguesa ~ burger, hamburger |
| Sports | 34 | 26 | 8 | el jugador ~ player |
| Places in town | 26 | 23 | 3 | el hotel ~ hotel |
| Shopping | 25 | 18 | 7 | el papel ~ paper, role, part (movie, play) |
| The natural world | 49 | 38 | 11 | la naturaleza ~ nature |
| Environmental issues | 53 | 32 | 21 | el medio ambiente ~ environment |
| Social media and gaming | 27 | 20 | 7 | la página ~ page |
| Music | 25 | 23 | 2 | la música ~ music |
| TV and film | 42 | 28 | 14 | las noticias ~ news |
| School | 37 | 30 | 7 | el grupo ~ group, band |
| Future opportunities | 64 | 37 | 27 | la lectura ~ reading |
| Tourist attractions | 41 | 30 | 11 | llegar ~ to arrive |
| Accommodation | 33 | 25 | 8 | Internet ~ Internet |
| Transport | 24 | 18 | 6 | el metro ~ metre, metro, underground |
1,652 rows, and 1,652 distinct words ~ on the Edexcel list no word appears under two topics.
what to do with a list this size
Not read it. Reading a vocabulary list is recognition, and recognition is the weakest form of knowing a word ~ the answer was in front of you the whole time. An exam gives you the English and asks you to produce the Spanish from nothing, which is a different skill and has to be trained on its own.
The two things that decide whether a word sticks are whether you had to produce it from memory and how long you left it before trying again. There is a longer piece on both, and on the schedule that works, in how to revise Spanish vocabulary.
common questions
- how many words are on the AQA GCSE Spanish vocabulary list?
- AQA's defined GCSE Spanish list holds 1,667 distinct Spanish entries across 10 topics. 1,175 of them are marked foundation and 492 are higher only, so a foundation tier student is examined on 1,175 words and a higher tier student on the whole list of 1,667.
- how many words are on the Edexcel GCSE Spanish vocabulary list?
- Edexcel's defined GCSE Spanish list holds 1,652 distinct Spanish entries across 21 topics. 1,164 of them are marked foundation and 488 are higher only, so a foundation tier student is examined on 1,164 words and a higher tier student on the whole list of 1,652.
- what is the difference between foundation and higher tier vocabulary?
- Every word on a board's defined list is marked for one tier or the other. Foundation tier students are examined on the words marked foundation. Higher tier students are examined on the whole list - the foundation words plus the higher-only ones - so higher tier is more vocabulary rather than different vocabulary.
- do you have to learn every word on the list?
- The exams are set on the defined list, so a word outside it will not appear in a reading or listening paper without a gloss. Learning all of it is the safe target, and it is achievable if you start early: spread across a school year it is about seven new words a day.
the whole list, scheduled for you
langrevise holds your board’s list in full, foundation and higher, and shows you nothing from anybody else’s. It teaches each word before it tests you, asks you to produce it rather than recognise it, and works out on its own when each one comes back.
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