Roleplay practice

SpanishAQAGCSEUnit: Speaking
Free taster
5 of 6 sections open
The basics

El juego de rol — Roleplay Task

🗣️ El juego de rol — Roleplay Task

AQA Paper 2 includes a transactional roleplay. You are given a scenario card in English and must respond in Spanish to 5 prompts. Two of these prompts are predictable cues printed on your card; three require you to react in the moment — one of which is a question you must ask the examiner. The roleplay is the most controllable part of the exam: you can prepare 3 of the 5 prompts word-for-word in your 12 minutes of prep time.
Symbol / prompt What it means Example
Cue 1, 2, 3 Printed on your card — prepare these in advance "Say what you want to eat"
! YOU must ask the examiner a question "! Ask about opening times"
? Unexpected question — NOT shown on your card "What time does your train leave?"
Spotlight
Frases clave del juego de rol — Essential Roleplay Phrases

AQA always tells you the topic of the question you must ask (e.g. "! Ask about price"). You just need to pick the right question word:

Exam tip

Earn the mark scheme marks

❌ Errores del juego de rol — Roleplay Errors

Saying "No lo sé" and going silent when the unexpected (?) question arrives.

Use a filler, then say something: "Bueno, pues… creo que… el tren sale a las tres." Even if you are guessing — an attempt in Spanish earns marks. Silence earns zero.

Why it matters: AQA marks communicative attempts, not accuracy alone. A wrong answer with correct grammar scores more than no answer at all. The ? question is designed to be unpredictable — the examiner expects you to manage it, not to know the correct answer.

¿Cuánto costo?

¿Cuánto cuesta? — cuesta is the él/ella present-tense form of costar. Costo does not exist as a question form in Spanish. For multiple items: ¿Cuánto cuestan?

Why it matters: This error is extremely common and appears in mark-scheme comments. Stem-changing verbs like costar (o→ue) change in the él/ella/usted form: yo cuesto, él cuesta, ellos cuestan. Committing cuesta / cuestan to memory avoids the mistake entirely.

Forgetting to deliver the ! prompt entirely — completing cues 1, 2, 3 and skipping the question you must ask.

Count your prompts before you begin: 1, 2, !, ?, last. The ! must be a genuine question with rising intonation. If you lose your place, end your current turn with the question — examiners credit a late attempt. Omitting the ! entirely is one of the most common reasons candidates lose marks on this task.

Why it matters: Each of the 5 prompts carries its own mark. Missing the ! question forfeits that mark outright. In the preparation time, write the prompt type (1, 2, !, ?, 5) on your prep sheet and tick each one off as you go.

Me gustaría reservar una habitación para dos personas y tres noches. (stopping there)

Good start — but add the room type: doble (double) or individual (single). "Me gustaría reservar una habitación doble para dos noches." More specific language earns more marks.

Why it matters: AQA rewards precise, developed communication. Specifying the room type (doble / individual, con baño / sin baño) signals language range and shows you have moved beyond a minimum response. It takes one extra word and can lift your mark by a band.

Now try it yourself

Quiz · Question 1 of 16

Tap an answer to check it

Revise every Spanish topic, free during alpha

Roleplay practice is one of 55 topics on PrepWise — all aligned to your exam board.

Start revising free →