Social Issues: Charity, Volunteering and Household Chores
Charity and volunteering (hacer trabajo voluntario, recaudar fondos, donar dinero) and household chores (poner la mesa, fregar los platos, sacar la basura) form two closely linked areas of vocabulary. Examiners test whether you can name specific voluntary actions rather than a vague 'helping people', and whether you can describe a fair or unfair distribution of chores at home using comparative and obligation language. Because both halves of this theme are about contribution and responsibility, higher-grade answers link a concrete action (donar ropa, pasar la aspiradora) to a reason or a value (es importante ayudar a los demás porque...), which mark schemes reward over a bare list of tasks.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn charity and volunteering vocabulary as collocations: hacer trabajo voluntario (to do voluntary work), recaudar fondos (to raise funds), donar dinero/ropa (to donate money/clothes), colaborar con una ONG (to work with an NGO) - una ONG is feminine even though it looks abbreviated.
- Learn ayudar a los necesitados (to help those in need) and apoyar una causa (to support a cause) as set phrases used to explain why someone volunteers.
- Learn household chore verbs precisely, since each chore has its own verb in Spanish: poner/quitar la mesa (to set/clear the table), fregar los platos (to wash the dishes), pasar la aspiradora (to vacuum), hacer la cama (to make the bed), sacar la basura (to take out the rubbish).
- Build fairness and obligation language for discussing chores: es justo/injusto que..., deberíamos repartir las tareas equitativamente, me toca a mí + infinitive (it is my turn to...) - GCSE tasks on this theme often ask whether household tasks are shared fairly.
- Link the two halves of the theme with a shared idea: contribuir (to contribute) works for both helping a charity and helping at home, so it is useful vocabulary for a comparison across the theme.
- For listening, listen for specific chore or charity-action verbs rather than general ones, since exam recordings usually test which task was done, not just that 'something' was done.
- For writing and translation, pair each action with a reason or a value (dono ropa porque..., ayudo en casa porque...), since GCSE mark schemes reward justified contributions over an unexplained list of tasks.
Worked example
Using these bullet points, write two full Spanish sentences: (1) a voluntary or charitable action you do, with a reason; (2) a household chore you do, with an opinion on whether chores are shared fairly at home.
- For bullet 1, choose a specific charity collocation: 'Todos los meses dono ropa que ya no uso a una ONG local.'
- Add a reason with porque: 'porque creo que es importante ayudar a los necesitados.'
- For bullet 2, name a specific chore verb rather than a generic 'help at home': 'En casa, me toca fregar los platos y sacar la basura.'
- Add a fairness opinion: 'Creo que las tareas domésticas deberían repartirse equitativamente entre todos los miembros de la familia.'
- Check una ONG is treated as feminine (una, not un) and that the chore verbs used are the specific ones (fregar, sacar) rather than a vague hacer tareas.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Give the Spanish phrase for 'to do voluntary work'.Show answer
Answer: Hacer trabajo voluntario.
Q2Is ONG masculine or feminine in Spanish? Give the correct article.Show answer
Answer: Feminine - una ONG.
Q3Translate into English: 'Me toca fregar los platos esta noche.'Show answer
Answer: It is my turn to wash the dishes tonight.
Q4Give one Spanish phrase meaning 'to raise funds'.Show answer
Answer: Recaudar fondos.
Q5Translate into Spanish: 'I think household chores should be shared fairly.'Show answer
Answer: Creo que las tareas domésticas deberían repartirse equitativamente.
Q6Give the Spanish for 'to take out the rubbish'.Show answer
Answer: Sacar la basura.
Q7Give one Spanish phrase meaning 'to help those in need'.Show answer
Answer: Ayudar a los necesitados.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: 'El sábado pasado hice trabajo voluntario en un comedor social con mi instituto. Ayudamos a preparar comida y a recaudar fondos para una ONG que apoya a personas sin recursos. En casa también intento colaborar: me toca sacar la basura y pasar la aspiradora los fines de semana, aunque a veces me parece que mis hermanos hacen menos tareas que yo.'
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 7 available
Read this text and answer the questions in English. 'Una encuesta reciente entre adolescentes españoles muestra que sólo el treinta por ciento colabora regularmente con una ONG o hace trabajo voluntario. Sin embargo, la mayoría afirma que le gustaría participar más si tuviera más tiempo libre. En cuanto a las tareas domésticas, casi la mitad reconoce que no reparte las tareas de forma equitativa con sus hermanos, y muchos dicen que les toca fregar los platos con más frecuencia que a los demás.' (a) According to the survey, what percentage of Spanish teenagers regularly volunteers? (1 mark) (b) What does the majority say they would like, and under what condition? (2 marks) (c) What does almost half admit about household chores? (1 mark) (d) What specific complaint do many teenagers make? (2 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
Write approximately 40 words in Spanish about charity and chores. You must include: a charitable or voluntary action you have done; a chore you regularly do at home; an opinion about whether chores are shared fairly in your family; a reason why helping others is important.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 10 available
See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the social issues: charity, volunteering and household chores worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on social issues: charity, volunteering and household chores, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.