Spanish Oral Exam Study Guide – 2025
Everything you need to know to get ready for your exam
THE SPANISH ORAL EXAM 2025
Table of Contents
¡Hola Chicos!
Easter holidays are just around the corner, and that means the Spanish oral exam is coming up soon. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to get ready!
Here’s everything you need to know about the Spanish Oral Exam:
The Spanish Oral has two main parts:
- General Conversation (70%)
- Role Play (30%)
The whole exam lasts about 15 minutes – you’ll spend about 10 minutes on the general conversation and 5 minutes on the role play.
GENERAL CONVERSATION - 70%
This is the first part of the exam and the one where you can really show off your Spanish skills.
It’s usually a relaxed, chatty conversation where you’ll be asked questions about yourself, your family, and a few other things. This is your chance to shine!
HOW TO PREPARE
Pick five topics that you feel comfortable talking about
Topics you can choose from:
- Yo / Mi familia / Mis amigos
- Mi barrio / Mi casa /Quehaceres domésticos
- Mi colegio
- Pasatiempos (deportes / música/ la tele/ el cine/ moda,etc)
- Vacaciones (pasado y futuro)
- El fin de semana pasado
- El futuro (la universidad / el verano / mi trabajo ideal)
- El Español y la cultura española
- Tecnología
- Trabajo y dinero
- Comida, ropa, e ir de compras
- Noticias y temas contingentes
TIPS
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Prepare Short Speeches: Write a 1-minute speech for each topic to practice speaking confidently.
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Learn Question Words: Know words like Qué, Dónde, Cuándo, Quién, Cómo, Cuánto to help with understanding questions.
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Write Simple Paragraphs: Write 3-4 sentences for each topic to help you organize your ideas.
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Give Extra Details: Add more information to your answers to keep the conversation going.
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Use Different Tenses: Practice using present, past, and future tenses to show you can use different forms.
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Learn More Words: Find synonyms and extra words to sound more fluent.
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Speak Aloud: Practice saying your paragraphs out loud to get used to speaking.
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Connect Topics: Bring in related ideas, like talking about food when discussing Spain.
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Switch Topics if Needed: If you’re unsure about something, steer the conversation toward something you know well.
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Stay Calm: Relax and remember you know more than you think. You’ve got this!
ROLE-PLAY - 30%
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The role-play is the second part of your exam where you interact with the examiner in a simulated situation. You’ll be given a scenario, and your task is to respond to the examiner's questions or prompts based on that scenario.
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The examiner will speak first, and you will have one minute to prepare after receiving a candidate card that explains the situation. During the role-play, you need to communicate clearly and answer the questions fully, showing that you understand the scenario and can use the language effectively.
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After the role-play, the examiner will ask a final question relevant to the situation, and you need to respond with more than just a simple “yes” or “no.”
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NOTE: Candidates will be examined on one of the three role-play cards, as per adjustments described in Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2025.
Click below for the Role-Plays cards
- SPANISH ROLE-PLAYS 2025
DEVELOPING YOUR SPANISH FLUENCY
Sample questions they may ask you
Yo/ mi familia
- ¿Cómo es tu personalidad? ¿Puedes describirte?
- ¿Tienes hermanos mayores o menores que tú?
- ¿A qué se dedica tu padre / madre?
La universidad
- ¿Cuántos puntos necesitas para ir a la universidad?
- ¿Qué asignaturas estudiarás en la universidad?
- ¿Qué carrera vas a estudiar?
Deporte y ocio
- ¿Qué te gusta hacer para divertirte en general?
- ¿Cuáles son tus aficiones?
- ¿Te gusta la música? ¿Dónde y cuándo la escuchas?
El colegio
- ¿Te gusta tu escuela? ¿A qué hora sueles llegar?
- ¿Qué asignaturas haces y cuáles son las que más te gustan?
- ¿Vas a un colegio de chicas, chicos o mixto?
El trabajo
- ¿Tienes un trabajo?
- ¿Ganas mucho dinero?
- ¿Hay ventajas/desventajas de tener un trabajo?
Fines de semana / Vacaciones:
- ¿Puedes describir un día normal durante la semana o el fin de semana?
- ¿Qué harás el próximo fin de semana?
- ¿Qué te gusta hacer en las vacaciones?
- ¿Has estado alguna vez en España? ¿Qué diferencias has notado?
Useful words/phrases to use during the exam
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
To succeed in your oral exam, one of the most important things you can do is practice speaking Spanish as much as possible.
Listen to Spanish podcasts, music, radio, and watch Spanish movies, TV shows, and online videos to improve your listening comprehension. Practice listening to different accents and speeds.
Practice, practice practice! Record yourself speaking and analyse areas for improvement. Learn common phrases and idiomatic expressions to sound more natural.
Read Spanish newspapers, magazines, books, and online articles. Make notes of new vocabulary and grammar structures. Summarise what you read to improve comprehension.
Practice writing your answers for the oral exam. Use the questions from your school books or classes and write your own answers for them. Check the grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Seek feedback from teachers or peers when possible.
WINNING STRATEGIES
Time Management
Practice timing your answers. Set a timer on 30 seconds to 1 minute to talk about a topic out loud. See how much you can talk about different topics, such as family, school, sports, etc.
Exam techniques
Make sure you understand the questions you’re asked and what tense is the question asked in. If you don’t understand or get confused, simply ask: ¿Puede repetir la pregunta por favor? And give yourself those extra few seconds to prepare your answer.
Take your time
It is okay if you don’t answer a question straight away. Take few seconds to process the question and decide how to answer it.
Guide the conversation
You can control what the conversation is about by mentioning things you want the examiner to ask you about. Be careful of bringing up topics you aren’t prepared for!
Learn the Role Plays
The Role Plays are an easy was of getting marks in the Spanish LC exam. You can secure those points by preparing them very well and be ready to answer them. Don’t forget it is 30% of your oral exam! Click the icon to download.
USEFUL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1
¿Qué harías si ganaras la lotería?
Possible answer: Si yo ganara la lotería, viajaría por todo el mundo, compraría muchas cosas y ayudaría a mucha gente
Tip: When asked hypothetical situations, give your answers using the conditional (haría, compraría, daría, iría, etc)
2
¿Crees que es importante comer sano y hacer ejercicio?
Possible answer: Sí, creo que es muy importante tener una vida sana y alimentarse bien. A mí me encanta correr e ir al gimnasio casi todos los días. Aunque a veces no tenga ganas, siempre me siento mejor después de hacer ejercicio.
Tip: When answering opinion questions, you can use the subjunctive (i.e. ‘tenga’). It is not essential to use it in your oral exam, but it can be a nice addition to your exam.
3
¿Prácticas algún deporte?
Possible answer: Me gustan mucho los deportes. Juego al baloncesto con el equipo de mi colegio y hago pesas en el gimnasio cerca de mi casa los fines de semana. Cuando era menor, jugaba en el equipo de fútbol gaélico de mi pueblo.
Tip: Try to use different tenses. Even in simple questions like the above you can add different tenses, like using the ‘imperfect’ to mention a sport you used to practice. You can do the same using the future by saying you have a basketball match next week (“la próxima semana voy a jugar un partido de baloncesto”).
4
Cuéntame sobre tu familia.
Possible answer: Me llevo muy bien con mi familia, somos cuatro en total. Mi madre, mi padre, mi hermano y yo. Mi hermano estudia la carrera de ciencias en la universidad, yo también quiero estudiar ciencias el próximo año…
Tip: Use general questions like the one above to direct the conversation to what you want to talk about.
5
¿Qué diferencias conoces entre Irlanda y España?
Possible answer: No he estado nunca en España, pero me gusta ver series españolas. Creo que una gran diferencia es el clima. En España hace más calor que en Irlanda, y no llueve tanto
Tip: Definitely prepare a question like this about Spain. An important aspect of the language is cultural awareness as well, so definitely prepare questions about Spanish movies or series, the weather in Spain, Spanish food, or a famous Hispanic person.
This is a short guide to help you feel confident for your oral exam.
By following this guide and practicing regularly, you can improve your chances of doing well overall in the Spanish Leaving Cert exam.
¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
Euro Languages College