You will meet unknown words — on purpose

4SP1's vocabulary is a "Minimum core" — the words you're guaranteed to be tested on. But three things mean you must handle words beyond it:

• Tasks "may include some unfamiliar vocabulary" — unknown words are built in.
• Cognates (words that look like English) are deliberately left off the list — the exam expects you to spot them yourself.
• Glossing is minimised — few words are explained for you at the bottom of the text.

The mindset: never freeze at a word you don't know. Squeeze meaning out of four sources: what it looks like (cognate), the word family it belongs to, its affixes, and the context & grammar around it. The next screens drill each one.

Cognates & near-cognates

Thousands of Spanish words are cognates — near-identical to English — or near-cognates with a predictable twist. Learn the common spelling swaps and you unlock them on sight:

Watch false friends. A few look English but aren't: sensible = "sensitive" (not sensible), éxito = "success" (not exit), actualmente = "currently" (not actually), embarazada = "pregnant". Let context confirm the cognate before you commit.

Decode the cognate

One root, a whole family

If you know one word, you often know its relatives. Spot the shared root and the meaning follows:

The trick: when a word looks new, strip it to its stem and ask "what verb or noun do I already know that starts like this?" deportista → deporte (sport) → "a sportsperson".

Affixes bend the meaning

Small prefixes and suffixes shift a word predictably. Learn the frequent ones:

• Negating prefixes: in-/im- = "un-/not" — imposible, increíble; des- = "un-/dis-" — desordenado (untidy), desempleo (unemployment).
• Again: re- — reciclar (recycle), rehacer (redo).
• -mente makes an adverb ("-ly"): fácil → fácilmente (easily).
• -ería = a shop/place: pan → panadería (bakery), libro → librería (bookshop).
• -ito / -ita = small/affectionate: perro → perrito (little dog), casa → casita.

Put it together: desempleo = des- (un-) + empleo (employment) = unemployment. Each piece you recognise narrows the meaning.

Build from the root

Let the sentence tell you

Even with no spelling clue, the grammar around a word tells you a lot about it — and the topic tells you the likely field of meaning:

• Is it a noun, verb or adjective? An article (el/la/un) before it → a noun. A subject + it + object → a verb. Sitting after a noun and agreeing → an adjective.
• Verb endings date the action. -é / -ó = past; -ré / -rá = future; -ando / -iendo = "-ing".
• Connectives steer meaning. pero (but) signals a contrast coming; porque (because) a reason; sin embargo (however) a turn.
• Topic frames the guess. An unknown noun in a health text is probably about the body, illness or lifestyle — pick the meaning that fits the topic.

Worked example

"No fui al colegio porque estaba enfermo."

Clues: porque gives a reason; the topic is school/absence; estaba + adjective describes a state. A reason to miss school + "I was ___" → enfermo = ill. You never needed it pre-taught.

Use the grammar clue

Decide what each underlined mystery word must be, from its position in the sentence.

Infer it from context

True cognate or false friend?

Some words mean what they look like; others are traps. Sort each one.

Decode and translate

Paper 1 — Listening (25%)

Every clip is heard twice. The question types are all recognition- or short-answer-based:

• Multiple choice — pick the right option; watch for distractors that mention the wrong detail.
• Multiple matching — match speakers/statements to options; cross off as you go.
• Note-taking — jot key facts (who, what, when, how much).
• Table completion & gap-fill — write the missing word; numbers, dates and times come up a lot.

Two-hearings plan: 1st listen — get the gist and pencil in easy answers. 2nd listen — confirm and fill gaps. Use the question wording to predict what to listen for, and don't be thrown by an unfamiliar word — catch the numbers and names around it.

How many times?

Paper 2 — Reading & Writing (50%)

The biggest paper, in two sections:

• Section A — Reading comprehension. Texts with questions in Spanish/English. This is where your deducing-meaning skills earn marks — infer unknown words, don't leave blanks.
• Section B — Writing. Two tasks plus a word-form task:
  • A 60–75 word task that must incorporate 4 given words — tick each one off as you use it.
  • A 130–150 word task on 4 bullet points — cover every bullet and show a range of tenses.
  • Q8 — the word-form task (next screen): change a bracketed word into its correct form.

No translation, no dictation in 4SP1. Don't waste time preparing those — this course doesn't set them. Do bank the two word counts and the "4 given words / 4 bullets" rules.

Q8 — the word-form task

Q8 gives a sentence with a word in brackets in its base form. You must write the correct form for the sentence — usually a conjugated verb or an adjective made to agree. Nothing else changes.

Method: ask (1) what part of speech is the bracketed word, (2) who/what does it refer to (subject or noun), and (3) which tense/agreement the sentence needs. Then change only the ending.

Q8 in action

Change the bracketed word

Pick the correct form of the word in brackets for each sentence — the real Q8 skill.

Q8 — conjugate the verb

Q8 — make it agree

Paper 3 — Speaking (25%)

Two parts, and — importantly — no role-play in 4SP1:

• Picture-based discussion. You choose a picture in advance and discuss it. Describe it with En la foto hay… (in the photo there is/are…), Veo… (I see…), A la izquierda / a la derecha… (on the left / right), then give opinions and reasons (Me parece… porque…).
• Two spontaneous topic conversations. Unprepared chats on two topics — answer in full sentences, add a reason, and use more than one tense to lift your marks.

No role-play. Unlike some other boards, 4SP1 Speaking is a picture discussion + two conversations — there are no scripted transactional role-plays to rehearse.

What's in the Speaking test?

Match the paper to its task

Tap a feature on the left, then tap the paper/skill it belongs to on the right.

One more deduction

Your exam-skills toolkit

That completes the grammar spine — 10 of 10. Press Finish to see your score.