This exam tips covers Common Errors — Paper 4 Writing Traps within Family relationships for GCSE Spanish. Revise Family relationships in Theme 1 — People & Lifestyle for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Common Errors — Paper 4 Writing Traps
These two errors appear in AQA mark schemes as frequently penalised mistakes. Memorise the corrections before your writing paper.
❌ Error 1: Hay una hermana en mi familia.
✅ Correct: Tengo una hermana.
Why it costs marks: When saying you have a sibling, use tengo. The verb hay (there is/are) is used impersonally and sounds unnatural when the family is your own. Tengo un hermano mayor is the correct personal construction. AQA rewards natural, idiomatic Spanish — hay una hermana reads as a direct translation from English and undermines your AO3 (accuracy) score.
❌ Error 2: Mis padres son divorciados.
✅ Correct: Mis padres están divorciados.
Why it costs marks: Marital status uses estar (temporary/changeable state), not ser. The error of using son (ser) for marital status is one of the most penalised mistakes in AQA Paper 4 (Writing). Ser is for permanent identity — being divorced is not a permanent, unchangeable characteristic in the way that being Spanish or being a doctor might be. Memorise: estar for marital status, every time.