Theme 1.1: Identity and relationships - Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension for Theme 1.1 covers texts about identity and relationships beyond the immediate family: nationality and heritage, personal values, friendships, romantic relationships or marriage, role models, and the quality of a person's relationships with others (llevarse bien/mal, apoyarse, discutir). The examiner is testing whether a student can identify whose opinion is being given, follow reflexive relationship verbs to their correct subject, and use contrast connectives such as sin embargo, aunque and pero to track when a positive statement is qualified or reversed. Texts are often first-person accounts, interviews or forum posts, and questions frequently mix multiple choice, true/false/not mentioned and short answers in English.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the title or introduction first to establish whose voice you are reading - a personal account, an interview with someone else, or a forum thread with several different posters.
- Underline opinion-verb phrases (creo que, pienso que, me parece que, en mi opinion) and the adjective or idea that follows, since marks are usually awarded for the opinion itself, not for identifying that an opinion exists.
- Track contrast connectives carefully: sin embargo, aunque, pero and por otro lado very often introduce a sentence that reverses or qualifies the tone of the sentence before it, and exam boards deliberately test whether a student reads past the connective rather than stopping at the first positive or negative word.
- Note reflexive relationship verbs (llevarse bien/mal con, parecerse a, apoyarse mutuamente, comprenderse) and identify their subject precisely, since the person who gets on well with someone is not always the narrator.
- Distinguish present-tense statements of current fact from conditional or future statements about hoped-for or future relationships (me casaré, querría, me gustaría formar una familia) - true/false questions often confuse a current fact with a future hope.
- Before choosing not mentioned, check that the text is genuinely silent on that point rather than relying on what would be typical or expected.
- Cross-check names, ages and family roles exactly, as misreading a name is a common way to lose marks on a matching-style question with several speakers.
Worked example
Read this extract and decide whether the statement that follows is true, false or not mentioned. Texto: Mi hermana y yo nos llevamos muy bien, aunque a veces discutimos por tonterias, como quien usa el cuarto de baño primero. Afirmación: Según el texto, la relación entre las hermanas es siempre perfecta y nunca discuten.
- Read the first half of the sentence, nos llevamos muy bien, which sounds entirely positive.
- Notice the connective aunque (although), which signals that the second half of the sentence will qualify or partly contradict the first half.
- Read the second half: a veces discutimos por tonterias (they sometimes argue about silly things) - so the relationship is good overall but not without disagreements.
- Compare this to the statement, which claims they never argue. Since the text explicitly says they sometimes argue, the statement is false, not true.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What does 'nos llevamos muy bien' mean in English?Show answer
Answer: We get on very well (with each other).
Q2In 'Mi amigo se parece mucho a su padre, pero yo me parezco más a mi madre', who resembles their father?Show answer
Answer: The writer's friend, not the writer.
Q3Give the English meaning of 'aunque' and explain how it changes the meaning of a sentence.Show answer
Answer: Although - it signals that what follows will limit, contrast with or partly contradict what came before it.
Q4True or false: 'me gustaría casarme algún día' describes something that has already happened.Show answer
Answer: False - the conditional (me gustaría) expresses a future wish, not a past or current event.
Q5Translate into English: 'Mi mejor amiga siempre me apoya, sin embargo, a veces no me escucha.'Show answer
Answer: My best friend always supports me; however, she sometimes does not listen to me.
Q6A forum post says 'No me llevo bien con mi padrastro porque no me comprende.' What is the stated reason for the poor relationship?Show answer
Answer: He does not understand her/him (there is a lack of understanding).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas en inglés. Me llamo Sara y quiero hablar de mi familia. Mis padres se separaron cuando yo tenía diez años y ahora vivo con mi madre y mi padrastro, Ramón. Al principio no me llevaba nada bien con Ramón porque sentía que estaba reemplazando a mi padre, sin embargo, con el tiempo hemos aprendido a comprendernos mejor y ahora confío mucho en él. Sigo viendo a mi padre biológico cada dos semanas y nuestra relación sigue siendo muy fuerte, aunque a veces me resulta difícil vivir entre dos casas distintas. Creo que lo más importante en una familia no es la forma que tiene, sino el apoyo que te da. (a) How old was Sara when her parents separated? (b) How did Sara initially feel about Ramón, and why? (c) How has the relationship with Ramón changed over time? (d) How often does Sara see her biological father? (e) What difficulty does Sara mention about her current living situation? (f) According to Sara, what really matters in a family?
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Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas. Pablo escribe en un foro: Para mí, un buen amigo es alguien en quien puedes confiar y que te acepta tal y como eres. Mi mejor amigo, Iván, siempre me dice la verdad, aunque a veces sea difícil escucharla. No estoy de acuerdo con la gente que dice que la cantidad de amigos importa más que la calidad; para mí, es exactamente al revés. Por otro lado, sé que no siempre he sido un buen amigo yo mismo, y eso es algo en lo que sigo trabajando. ¿Verdadero, falso o no se menciona? (a) Para Pablo, un buen amigo siempre dice mentiras agradables. (b) Iván le dice la verdad a Pablo, aunque sea incomoda. (c) Pablo cree que tener muchos amigos es más importante que tener buenos amigos. (d) Iván tiene más de veinte amigos. (e) Pablo admite que él mismo no siempre ha sido un buen amigo. Elige la opción correcta para (f): Para Pablo, la calidad de la amistad es (i) menos importante que la cantidad, (ii) igual de importante que la cantidad, (iii) más importante que la cantidad.
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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