This exam tips covers Number and Time Traps — AQA Papers 1–4 within Numbers, dates and time for GCSE Spanish. Revise Numbers, dates and time in Questions & Roleplay for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Number and Time Traps — AQA Papers 1–4
❌ Error 1: Es las dos.
✅ Correct: Son las dos.
Why it costs marks: Only 1 o'clock uses the singular es la una. All other times use the plural son las because you are describing a number of hours. Writing es las dos is ungrammatical — a 1-mark listening answer becomes 0 marks if the form is wrong in a production task.
❌ Error 2: El uno de enero.
✅ Correct: El primero de enero.
Why it costs marks: The first of any month requires the ordinal primero, never the cardinal uno. AQA mark schemes treat el uno de enero as an error. All other dates use cardinals: el dos, el tres, el quince, el veintitrés.