Theme 3: Education and work - Reading comprehension
Theme 3 reading comprehension covers texts about education and work: school subjects and opinions on them, school rules and uniform, part-time jobs alongside school, and plans for further study or future careers. The examiner is testing whether a student can match an opinion to its reason using connectives such as porque, ya que and puesto que, distinguish present-tense classroom facts from future-tense study or career plans (voy a estudiar, seguiré estudiando, me gustaría ser), and recognise comparative statements between subjects, schools or jobs. Texts commonly present several speakers or paragraphs, each about a different subject, teacher or job, so keeping track of who says what is essential.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify the subject, teacher or job named in each paragraph or by each speaker before attempting to match opinions to the correct person.
- Underline the opinion phrase and the reason connector that follows it (porque, ya que, puesto que), since the reason is usually where the credit-worthy detail sits, not the opinion word alone.
- Distinguish present-tense statements about current school life (tengo clase de..., mi profesor es...) from future-tense statements about plans after leaving school (voy a hacer, seguiré estudiando, me gustaría ser) - a common trap is treating a stated ambition as something already true.
- Note comparative structures between subjects, schools or jobs (más difícil que, tan interesante como, prefiero... antes que...) and identify which option comes out on top.
- Recognise negative opinions marked either by no + verb, or by a contrast connective such as sin embargo no me gusta, since a paragraph can start positively and then reverse.
- Learn part-time job vocabulary (trabajo a tiempo parcial, gano ocho euros la hora, repartidor/a, canguro, camarero/a) for questions specifically about work rather than school.
- When a text mixes school life and future plans, keep a clear mental note of which statement belongs to now and which belongs to later, since exam questions often set a trap between the two.
Worked example
Read this extract and decide whether the statement that follows is true, false or not mentioned. Texto: Este año tengo clase de química los lunes y la verdad es que no me gusta nada, aunque se me da bastante bien. El año que viene voy a dejar de estudiarla y me centraré en historia y arte, porque son las asignaturas que más me interesan. Afirmación: El alumno va a seguir estudiando química el año que viene.
- Identify the present-tense fact: tengo clase de química (I have chemistry class), which is true now, this year.
- Identify the future-tense plan: voy a dejar de estudiarla (I am going to stop studying it), which refers to next year.
- Notice that these are two different time frames - current subject choice versus next year's plan - and the statement asks about next year specifically.
- Since the text clearly says the student is going to stop studying chemistry next year, the statement that he will continue is false.
Practice questions
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Q1Translate into English: 'Me gusta la historia porque el profesor hace las clases muy amenas.'Show answer
Answer: I like history because the teacher makes the lessons very enjoyable/engaging.
Q2In 'Prefiero las ciencias antes que las letras', which type of subject does the writer prefer?Show answer
Answer: Science subjects, over arts/humanities subjects.
Q3What does 'trabajo a tiempo parcial' mean in English?Show answer
Answer: Part-time job/I work part-time.
Q4True or false: 'Me gustaría ser medico' means the person is already a doctor.Show answer
Answer: False - the conditional (me gustaría) expresses a future ambition, not a current fact.
Q5Give the English meaning of 'gano ocho euros la hora'.Show answer
Answer: I earn eight euros an hour.
Q6A text reads: 'Las matemáticas son más difíciles que la geografía, pero también son más útiles.' Which subject is described as more useful?Show answer
Answer: Maths (matemáticas).
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 Clara y este curso estoy en cuarto de la ESO. Mi asignatura favorita es el inglés porque quiero estudiar en el extranjero algún día, aunque también se me dan bien las matemáticas. Los fines de semana trabajo de canguro para una familia del barrio; cuido a dos niños pequeños y gano siete euros la hora, lo cual me ayuda a ahorrar para mis estudios futuros. El año que viene voy a elegir mis asignaturas para el bachillerato, y creo que me centraré en idiomas y economía, ya que me gustaría trabajar en el extranjero cuando termine mis estudios. Mis padres quieren que estudie derecho, sin embargo, a mi no me atrae nada esa carrera. (a) Why is English Clara's favourite subject? (b) What part-time job does Clara have, and how much does she earn? (c) What is Clara planning to choose for sixth form/bachillerato, and why? (d) What do Clara's parents want her to study? (e) What is Clara's own opinion of that career?
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Lee el texto y contesta a las preguntas. Tres estudiantes hablan de sus planes. Marcos: Voy a dejar el instituto este verano y voy a hacer un curso de formación profesional en mecánica, porque prefiero aprender un oficio practico antes que seguir estudiando teoría. Elena: Yo voy a quedarme en el instituto para hacer el bachillerato de ciencias, ya que quiero estudiar medicina en la universidad. Rubén: Todavía no estoy seguro de lo que quiero hacer, pero es probable que busque un trabajo a tiempo parcial mientras lo decido. Empareja cada estudiante con su plan: (a) Marcos, (b) Elena, (c) Rubén. Opciones: (i) va a buscar un trabajo mientras decide su futuro, (ii) va a hacer un curso práctico de formación profesional, (iii) va a continuar estudiando ciencias en el instituto. Contesta también: (d) ¿Por qué prefiere Marcos la formación profesional? (e) ¿Por qué quiere Elena estudiar el bachillerato de ciencias?
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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