Notes · SpanishUK · A-Levels

Individual Research Project

The individual research project is the second part of Paper 3 and is worth 35 of the speaking test's 60 marks: a presentation of up to two minutes carrying 5 marks for AO4, followed by a discussion of nine to ten minutes carrying 30 marks split evenly between AO1, AO3 and AO4. Students choose their own subject or key question relating to a country or countries where Spanish is spoken, research it in Spanish from at least two sources of which at least one must be online, and submit a Candidate Record Form listing headings and sources in advance. These notes cover the rules exactly, then the method: choosing a subject that can sustain ten minutes, framing a key question, evaluating Spanish sources, building the two-minute presentation, and defending the findings under questioning.

5 sections~25 min reading time3 competenciesLevel Standard 2 · Advanced 3

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Exam profile

AO4 · Show knowledge and understanding of, and respond critically and analytically to, the culture and society of Spanish-speaking countriesAO1 · Understand and respond in speech to spoken language, including face-to-face interactionAO3 · Manipulate the language accurately in spoken form, using a range of lexis and structure

Operators:investigarformularseleccionarresumirpresentardefender

basic level

There is no research project in AS Spanish (7691): its speaking test consists of two stimulus-card discussions. The IRP is an A-level-only component, so its skills - independent research, source evaluation and sustained defence of findings - must be built from scratch in the second year.

higher level

The full A-Level requires a self-chosen subject relating to a Spanish-speaking country, at least two sources with at least one online, a Candidate Record Form submitted in advance, a presentation of up to two minutes and a discussion of nine to ten minutes. The research must not be based on the same literary text or film used in the written assessment.

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Contents · 5 sections

Individual Research Project

The rules, exactly as AQA states them#

StandardAQA 7692 3.5 Individual research projectAQA 7692 4.6 Paper 3 - Speaking, part two

Know the specification's requirements precisely, because several of them are unusual and candidates who discover them late lose marks for avoidable reasons. You must identify a subject or a key question that interests you and that relates to a country or countries where Spanish is spoken. You must select relevant information in Spanish from a range of sources including the internet. The purpose, in AQA's own terms, is to develop research skills: to initiate and conduct individual research, and then to analyse and summarise your findings in order to present and discuss them. Note the verbs - analizar y resumir - because they tell you that a description of a topic is not what is being assessed; the analysis of what you found is.

Then the constraints. Your subject may be linked to one of the themes or sub-themes, or to one of the works, but you must not base your research on the same literary text or film that you write about in the written assessment. Students in the same school or college should each choose a different subject, and where two students choose the same general area, their titles and their approaches must differ. In part one of the speaking test the examiner will avoid the sub-theme of your project, so your research topic will not double as your card. The A-level Content Advisory Board has published illustrative examples of research topics, which are a legitimate starting point for ideas.

The Candidate Record Form is submitted in advance and is the only thing you may consult during part two. It lists headings indicating the scope of your research and the sources you used. Three details matter. At least two sources are required and at least one of them must be online; sources may be visual, audio or written, in any combination. Apart from the names of published sources, the headings must be in English. And apart from the two required sources, any remaining sources and headings must not exceed 80 words - so the form is a skeleton, not a script. It must also be capable of leading to findings that can sustain a nine-to-ten-minute discussion.

Finally, know the boundaries of the help your teacher may give, because they explain why you must work independently. Teachers may suggest subjects, discuss and advise on your title and the scope of your research, correct the language of the title, tell you whether a provisional title will meet the criteria, suggest sources, teach research technique, set deadlines and monitor progress, and give general advice on the kind of language you might use. Teachers may not give you materials designed for your project, download or supply specific sources or extracts, advise on the language of your presentation and discussion beyond the title, comment on your notes or drafts, or give feedback on a practice presentation beyond telling you whether it exceeds two minutes.

Worked example

Checking a proposed project against the rules

A student proposes: «Mi proyecto trata de la película que estamos estudiando en clase, y voy a usar la Wikipedia y unos apuntes que me dio el profesor.» Identify every problem and fix it.

The subject breaks an explicit rule
The research must not be based on the same literary text or film used in the written assessment. If the class film is one of your Paper 2 works, it is excluded. If it is not, the film may be used - so the first question is always which works you are submitting for Paper 2.
The sources are insufficient in number and kind
Two sources are the minimum, at least one online. A single encyclopaedia entry is one source and a weak one. Add, for example, a documentary or news report in Spanish and an article from a Spanish-language newspaper - and note that sources may be visual or audio as well as written.
Teacher-supplied notes are not permissible material
The specification states that teachers must not provide material designed specifically for the student's project, nor download or supply specific extracts. Notes handed over for the project are exactly that. The teacher may, however, suggest where to look.
The subject is too broad and not a question
Trata de la película is a topic, not a key question. Reframe it: ¿por qué esta película provocó tanto debate en España cuando se estrenó? A question generates findings; a topic generates a summary.
Rebuild the proposal
New title, in Spanish if you wish, with headings in English on the form; two or three sources in Spanish including one online; and a question narrow enough to answer but rich enough to defend for ten minutes.

Result: Revised proposal: subject - the public reception of a Spanish film not used for Paper 2; key question - ¿por qué generó tanta polémica en su estreno?; sources - a Spanish newspaper review online, a radio or television interview with the director, and a Spanish-language academic article or press feature. All obtained by the student, none supplied by the teacher.

Typical mistakes

Writing the Candidate Record Form as a script; it is a list of headings and sources, and it is the only document you may consult.
Expecting the teacher to check the language of your presentation; the specification forbids it beyond the project title.

Active revision

Redacta un borrador de tu formulario: título del proyecto, cuatro encabezados en inglés y dos fuentes en español, una de ellas en línea. Comprueba que el resto no supera las 80 palabras.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Spanish (7692) specification - subject content (AQA) · A-level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB) (ALCAB)

Choosing the subject and framing the key question#

AdvancedAQA 7692 3.5 Individual research projectAQA 7692 4.6 Paper 3 - Speaking, part two

Del tema a la defensa

Fig. 1The emphasised step is where projects are won and lost: selecting and recording findings in Spanish, in your own words, is what makes the later discussion possible without notes.

Three criteria decide whether a subject will work, and they should be applied before any research begins. First, it must relate to a country or countries where Spanish is spoken - which excludes a subject researched only through English-language material about a Spanish-speaking country, since the specification requires you to select information in Spanish. Second, it must be narrow enough to be answered: la historia de México cannot be, whereas cómo se enseña hoy la conquista en los libros de texto mexicanos can. Third, it must be rich enough to sustain nine or ten minutes of discussion, which means it must have more than one defensible answer. A subject with a single obvious answer runs out after two minutes.

Convert the subject into a key question, because the question is what generates findings. The most productive question types are: por qué questions, which demand causes; en qué medida or hasta qué punto questions, which demand a weighed judgement; cómo ha cambiado questions, which demand a comparison over time; and qué efectos ha tenido questions, which demand consequences. Avoid qué es questions, which produce description, and avoid questions whose answer you already know before you research. A good test: if you can answer the question fully in one sentence before starting, it is the wrong question.

Choose a scale you can master. The strongest projects at this level are usually local, recent and specific - one city's response to a housing problem, one museum's presentation of a colonial past, one campaign, one law, one festival's transformation - because you can find several sources, they will disagree with each other productively, and you can hold the detail in your head without notes. The weakest are national, historical and vast, because the material is endless, no source can be read closely, and the discussion becomes a general-knowledge quiz you cannot win.

Finally, plan for the discussion from the start. The examiner will ask about your findings, your sources, your method and your conclusions, and may ask what surprised you, what you would do differently, and whether your sources agreed. So build the project with those questions in mind: keep a note of one thing that surprised you, one point on which two sources conflicted, and one limitation of your research. Those three items alone will carry several minutes of confident discussion, and they demonstrate exactly the analytical and evaluative response AO4 rewards.

Worked example

Narrowing a topic into a key question

A student wants to research «la inmigración en España». Take it through the three criteria and produce a workable key question.

Test the scale
La inmigración en España fails the second criterion outright: it is a field, not a question. Any answer would be a summary of a textbook chapter, and the examiner's first question would expose it.
Narrow by place, time or actor
Choose one of the three. By place: una ciudad concreta. By time: los últimos cinco años. By actor: un colectivo, una asociación, un ayuntamiento. Combining two gives a project of the right size: la acogida de solicitantes de asilo en una ciudad mediana desde 2020.
Convert into a question with a contestable answer
¿Ha logrado el programa municipal de acogida integrar a los recién llegados en el mercado laboral local? This can be answered yes, no or partly, which is exactly what a discussion needs.
Check the sources exist in Spanish
Before committing, search: local press, the council's own published information, an interview or a report from an organisation working in the field, a radio piece. If you cannot find two solid Spanish sources in twenty minutes of searching, the question is too narrow or too local.
Check it will not collide with your Paper 2 works
The subject is unrelated to any literary text or film, so the rule is satisfied. Check also that no classmate has chosen the same programme; if they have, differentiate by approach - one on employment, another on schooling.

Result: Key question: ¿Ha conseguido el programa municipal de acogida de una ciudad mediana española integrar laboralmente a los solicitantes de asilo desde 2020? Scope headings, in English: the programme's aims; employment outcomes reported; obstacles identified by workers in the field; my assessment. Sources: local newspaper coverage online; the council's published information; a recorded interview with an organisation active in the sector.

Typical mistakes

Choosing a vast national or historical topic, which cannot be researched in depth and produces a general-knowledge discussion.
Choosing a question you can already answer; the specification is assessing research, so the answer must come from the sources.

Active revision

Escribe cinco preguntas clave posibles para tu proyecto, una de cada tipo (por qué, hasta qué punto, cómo ha cambiado, qué efectos, qué diferencias), y elige la que más material y más desacuerdo pueda generar.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Spanish (7692) specification - subject content (AQA)

Finding and evaluating sources in Spanish#

AdvancedAQA 7692 3.5 Individual research projectAQA 7692 4.6 Paper 3 - Speaking, part two

Search in Spanish, not in English, because the specification requires you to select relevant information in Spanish and because the results differ entirely. Build search strings from the vocabulary of the sub-theme: not housing policy Spain but política de vivienda ayuntamiento alquiler social. Learn the Spanish names for the kinds of source you want: un periódico, un diario, un semanario, una emisora, un informativo, un reportaje, un documental, una entrevista, un podcast, un informe, un estudio, una memoria anual, una web institucional, un blog. Search operators work as they do in English, and restricting a search to a national domain or to a date range will improve results dramatically.

Evaluate every source before you rely on it, and be able to say in Spanish how you did so, because the examiner may ask. Four questions do the work. Quién lo publica - an institution, a newspaper with an editorial line, an interested party, an individual? Cuándo - is it current, and does the date matter for this question? Con qué finalidad - to inform, to persuade, to sell, to campaign? Y qué se puede contrastar - can the claim be checked against another source? Learn the vocabulary of evaluation: una fuente fiable, sesgada, interesada, de primera mano, secundaria; contrastar, verificar, cotejar, matizar.

Take notes in Spanish, in your own words, and never in English. There are three reasons, and they are all practical. First, you will speak in Spanish, and notes taken in English force you to translate under pressure in the exam. Second, notes in your own Spanish become the language you can actually produce, whereas copied sentences remain someone else's. Third, the discipline of reformulating is itself the analysis - if you cannot restate a finding in your own words, you have not understood it. Organise the notes under the headings you will put on the Candidate Record Form, so that the form and your memory share a structure.

Finally, prepare to talk about your sources as sources, since the discussion may turn to method. Have ready, in Spanish, a one-sentence description of each: qué es, quién la publica, y qué aportó a mi investigación. Be able to say where two sources disagreed - mientras que el periódico local subrayaba..., el informe de la asociación insistía en... - and be honest about limitations: no pude acceder a datos oficiales posteriores a tal fecha, or mi investigación se basa en fuentes publicadas, no en entrevistas propias. Acknowledging a limitation is not a weakness in this exam; it is evidence of the critical judgement the mark scheme rewards.

Worked example

Evaluating two conflicting sources aloud

Your two main sources disagree about whether a municipal programme worked. Build a spoken answer of about forty seconds that handles the disagreement analytically.

Name the disagreement plainly
Mis dos fuentes principales no coinciden. Do not hide a conflict; it is the most interesting thing you found and the examiner will credit it.
Characterise each source before quoting it
La memoria publicada por el ayuntamiento destaca el número de personas atendidas, mientras que el informe de una asociación del sector se fija en cuántas encontraron empleo estable. Naming who publishes each is the analysis.
Explain the disagreement rather than adjudicating it
La diferencia no es tanto de datos como de criterio: no miden lo mismo. This is the sophisticated move - most apparent contradictions between sources are differences of definition or measurement.
State your own position with a hedge
A mi juicio, el programa ha funcionado en la acogida inmediata, aunque no tanto en la inserción laboral. Hedged, specific and defensible.
Acknowledge the limitation
Ahora bien, no he podido contrastar esos datos con estadísticas oficiales, de modo que mi conclusión es provisional. Naming the limitation protects you from a question you could not otherwise answer, and it demonstrates judgement.

Result: Mis dos fuentes principales no coinciden. La memoria publicada por el ayuntamiento destaca el número de personas atendidas, mientras que el informe de una asociación del sector se fija en cuántas encontraron empleo estable. La diferencia no es tanto de datos como de criterio: en realidad no miden lo mismo. A mi juicio, el programa ha funcionado en la acogida inmediata, aunque no tanto en la inserción laboral. Ahora bien, no he podido contrastar esos datos con estadísticas oficiales, de modo que mi conclusión es provisional.

Typical mistakes

Researching in English and translating at the end, which produces stilted Spanish and no command of the topic's vocabulary.
Presenting a single source's claims as established fact; the examiner may ask how you verified them.

Active revision

Para cada una de tus fuentes, escribe en español tres frases: qué es y quién la publica, qué aportó, y qué limitación tiene. Apréndetelas.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Spanish (7692) specification - subject content (AQA)

The two-minute presentation#

StandardAQA 7692 4.6 Paper 3 - Speaking, part twoAQA 7692 4.7 Assessment criteria - AO4

The presentation lasts up to two minutes and carries 5 marks, all of them AO4 - knowledge and understanding, and critical response. That mark allocation tells you what to do and what not to do. Do not use the two minutes to introduce yourself, to explain why you chose the topic at length, or to describe your method; none of that is knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world. Use them to state your question, give your findings, and reach a conclusion. Two minutes is roughly 250 to 300 spoken words, which is four or five substantial sentences per section at most.

The structure that works has four parts and can be rehearsed until it fits the time exactly. Uno: the question, in one sentence - Mi proyecto responde a la siguiente pregunta: ... Dos: why it matters, in one sentence - Me interesaba porque..., or Es una cuestión debatida en España desde... Tres: the findings, in three parts, each a claim with a piece of evidence - En primer lugar, descubrí que...; en segundo lugar...; por último... Cuatro: the conclusion, which must answer the question and may be qualified - En conclusión, considero que..., aunque conviene matizar que...

Deliver it as speech, not as a recitation. The presentation is not read, you may consult only your Candidate Record Form, and an obviously memorised text delivered flat will not persuade an examiner of anything. Rehearse until the structure is automatic but the wording is not fixed, so that if you lose a sentence the argument survives. Time yourself repeatedly: teachers are permitted to tell you whether your practice presentation exceeds two minutes, and that is the one piece of feedback the specification allows them to give, so use it.

Two refinements earn the fifth mark. First, put a specific, verifiable detail in each finding - a date, a name, a figure you can source, a place - because AO4 credits knowledge and specifics are what distinguish knowledge from impression. Second, build the transition into the discussion deliberately: end on a conclusion that invites a question, such as one that acknowledges a limitation or a disagreement between your sources. The examiner has nine or ten minutes to fill and will begin from what you said; ending on an open point means the first question lands somewhere you are prepared for.

Worked example

Building the two-minute presentation

Using the housing and reception project developed earlier, draft the presentation and check it against the four-part structure and the timing.

State the question in one sentence
Mi proyecto responde a esta pregunta: ¿ha conseguido el programa municipal de acogida integrar laboralmente a los solicitantes de asilo? Immediate, precise, and it tells the examiner exactly what will follow.
Justify in one sentence, no more
Me interesaba porque España pasó de ser un país de emigración a uno de inmigración en una sola generación, y la acogida se decide en el ámbito local. Context, not autobiography.
Give three findings, each with a specific
Each finding needs a source-backed detail: the programme's stated aim as published by the council; the employment outcome reported by the sector organisation; and the obstacle both sources agree on. Three claims, three pieces of evidence.
Conclude with a qualification
En conclusión, el programa cumple su función de acogida inmediata, pero no resuelve la inserción laboral, que depende de factores que el ayuntamiento no controla. This answers the question and names a cause.
Time it and cut
Read it aloud at a natural pace. If it runs past 1 minute 50, cut from the justification and from the third finding's elaboration - never from the specifics, which are where the marks are.

Result: Mi proyecto responde a esta pregunta: ¿ha conseguido el programa municipal de acogida integrar laboralmente a los solicitantes de asilo? Me interesaba porque España pasó de ser un país de emigración a uno de inmigración en una sola generación, y porque la acogida se decide sobre todo en el ámbito local. En primer lugar, descubrí que el programa se planteó como una respuesta de emergencia y que su objetivo declarado era el alojamiento, no el empleo. En segundo lugar, la organización que trabaja sobre el terreno señala que la mayoría de quienes encontraron trabajo lo hicieron en sectores temporales. Por último, ambas fuentes coinciden en un obstáculo: sin permiso de trabajo, la formación no se traduce en contrato. En conclusión, el programa cumple su función de acogida inmediata, pero no resuelve la inserción laboral, que depende de decisiones que el ayuntamiento no controla.

Typical mistakes

Overrunning; the presentation is up to two minutes, and material beyond it is not part of that mark allocation.
Reciting a memorised script, which collapses under the first unexpected question and sounds like recitation to the examiner.

Active revision

Graba tu presentación tres veces sin leer, cronometrándola. Comprueba que dura menos de dos minutos, que contiene tres hallazgos con un dato concreto cada uno y que termina en una conclusión matizada.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Spanish (7692) specification - scheme of assessment (AQA)

The nine-to-ten-minute discussion#

AdvancedAQA 7692 4.6 Paper 3 - Speaking, part twoAQA 7692 4.7 Assessment criteria - AO1, AO3 and AO4

The discussion carries 30 marks, split evenly: 10 for AO1, understanding and responding in spoken interaction; 10 for AO3, accuracy and range of language; and 10 for AO4, knowledge and critical response. That split is the strategy. AO1 rewards genuine interaction - listening to the question actually asked, answering it, and developing rather than stopping. AO3 rewards the structures you deploy while doing so. AO4 rewards the substance. A candidate who has memorised twelve facts but cannot listen will lose ten marks; one who chats fluently with no content will lose another ten.

Anticipate the question types, because they are predictable. About findings: ¿qué fue lo que más le sorprendió? ¿qué datos encontró? About sources: ¿cómo eligió sus fuentes? ¿coincidían entre sí? About method: ¿qué haría de otra manera? ¿qué dificultades tuvo? About judgement: ¿cree que la situación mejorará? ¿qué recomendaría? And about scope: ¿ocurre lo mismo en otros países hispanohablantes? Prepare a substantial answer for one question of each type, and the discussion is effectively half prepared without a script.

Have the survival strategies ready, because you will meet a question you did not expect, and how you handle it is itself assessed under AO1. Buy time honestly: es una buena pregunta, no lo había pensado en esos términos; déjeme pensar un momento. Ask for clarification, which is legitimate here even though it does not count as one of your questions in part one: ¿se refiere usted a...? Redirect towards what you do know: no dispongo de datos sobre eso, pero sí encontré algo relacionado... And when you genuinely do not know, say so and offer a reasoned conjecture: no lo sé con certeza, aunque cabe suponer que...

Finally, plan the language you will use, because AO3 is a third of the mark and speech is where control slips. Rehearse: the past tenses for reporting your research (busqué, encontré, comparé, me di cuenta de que); reported speech for your sources (el informe señalaba que, el periódico sostenía que); the subjunctive after expressions of doubt and value (no creo que los datos sean concluyentes, es significativo que ninguna fuente mencione); the conditional for recommendation and hypothesis (yo propondría, sería necesario que); and connectors that let you develop rather than stop (además, es más, por otra parte, ahora bien, dicho esto). Two rehearsed subjunctives and a conditional in ten minutes will be noticed.

Worked example

Handling a question you cannot answer

The examiner asks: «¿Y qué porcentaje de los solicitantes obtuvo finalmente un contrato indefinido?» You do not have that figure. Build a spoken answer of about thirty-five seconds.

Do not invent the number
A fabricated figure will produce a follow-up question - ¿de dónde procede ese dato? - that you cannot answer, and it damages the credibility of everything else you have said.
Say honestly what you do not have
No dispongo de esa cifra exacta, porque las fuentes que consulté no la publican desglosada. This is precise rather than vague, and it shows you know what your sources contain.
Give what you do have
Lo que sí encontré es que la mayoría de los contratos mencionados en el informe eran temporales y estacionales. You have converted a gap into a finding.
Explain why the gap exists
Es un dato difícil de obtener, porque el seguimiento se interrumpe cuando la persona sale del programa. Explaining a limitation demonstrates understanding of your subject, not ignorance of it.
Offer a reasoned inference and hand back
Cabe suponer que la proporción de contratos indefinidos sea baja, aunque sería necesario un estudio longitudinal para confirmarlo. Note the subjunctive after cabe suponer que in this hedged use and the conditional sería necesario - two structures earning AO3 marks while you decline to answer.

Result: No dispongo de esa cifra exacta, porque las fuentes que consulté no la publican desglosada. Lo que sí encontré es que la mayoría de los contratos mencionados en el informe eran temporales y estacionales. Es un dato difícil de obtener, porque el seguimiento se interrumpe en cuanto la persona sale del programa. Cabe suponer que la proporción de contratos indefinidos sea baja, aunque sería necesario un estudio longitudinal para confirmarlo.

Typical mistakes

Answering a question about method with more findings; the examiner asked about how you worked, and AO1 credits responding to what was asked.
Inventing a statistic when pressed; say no dispongo de esa cifra and give what you do have - a fabricated figure invites a follow-up you cannot survive.

Active revision

Pide a alguien que te haga diez preguntas sobre tu proyecto, dos de cada tipo (hallazgos, fuentes, método, juicio, alcance). Responde cada una durante al menos cuarenta segundos, sin notas.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Spanish (7692) specification - scheme of assessment (AQA)

References & sources

Sources

AQA

ALCAB

A-level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB)

Individual Research Project

5 sections~25 min reading time3 competenciesLevel Standard 2 · Advanced 3

Individual Research Project

Key points

Checking a proposed project against the rules

Key points

Narrowing a topic into a key question

Key points

Evaluating two conflicting sources aloud

Key points

Building the two-minute presentation

Key points

Handling a question you cannot answer

Sources

Individual Research Project

Key points

Checking a proposed project against the rules

Key points

Narrowing a topic into a key question

Key points

Evaluating two conflicting sources aloud

Key points

Building the two-minute presentation

Key points

Handling a question you cannot answer

Sources