Choosing a topic for the A-Level Spanish Individual Research Project can seem deceptively simple. The Spanish-speaking world offers an enormous range of possibilities, from politics and history to music, sport, cinema, social change and the environment. The real difficulty lies in turning one of those interests into a focused project that can support detailed research and a thoughtful discussion in Spanish.
Many students begin by searching for lists of Spanish IRP ideas. These can provide inspiration, although a broad topic alone is rarely enough. “The Spanish Civil War”, “women in Latin America” or “football in Spain” may all sound promising, yet each covers far too much ground for one research project. A stronger IRP begins with a clear angle, a manageable scope and a question that invites analysis.
This guide explains how to choose an A-Level Spanish IRP topic, develop an effective research question and find sources that will give you enough material for the speaking assessment.
What is the A-Level Spanish IRP?
The Individual Research Project, usually known as the IRP, gives A-Level Spanish students the opportunity to investigate a subject connected with a Spanish-speaking country or community.
The precise format depends on the exam board. Under the AQA A-Level Spanish specification, students choose a subject or key question that interests them, gather relevant information in Spanish from a range of sources, and analyse and summarise their findings. They then give a presentation of up to two minutes, followed by a discussion lasting nine to ten minutes.
AQA requires at least two sources, one of which must be online. These sources may be written, visual or audio. The important point is that they must lead to findings substantial enough to support the full discussion.
The IRP therefore tests more than the ability to collect facts. Students must show that they understand the cultural or social context of their subject, can respond to questions, support their views with evidence and discuss their conclusions in accurate, fluent Spanish.
Students following Edexcel, Eduqas or OCR face different administrative and assessment requirements, so they should always consult the guidance for their own exam board. The principles behind choosing a strong topic, however, remain broadly similar.
Start with an interest, then narrow it down
A good project usually begins with genuine curiosity. Over several months, you will need to read about the subject, build specialised vocabulary and discuss it at length in Spanish. Choosing something because it appears on a list of previous titles may make that work much harder than it needs to be.
Begin with an area you would willingly explore outside the classroom. You might be interested in:
- a period of history
- a political or social debate
- a Spanish-speaking region
- a writer, artist or filmmaker
- a musical movement
- a particular sport or sporting institution
- environmental policy
- gender and equality
- migration
- Indigenous cultures
- science and technology
- language and identity
The next step is to reduce the scope. If your starting point is football in Spain, for example, you might focus on the political meaning of FC Barcelona during the Franco era, the development of women’s football in Spain or the role of football clubs in regional identity.
This narrower focus makes it much easier to decide which information matters. It also allows you to move beyond description and form a reasoned conclusion.
Topic or research question?
A topic identifies the area you want to investigate. A research question gives that investigation a purpose.
Consider the difference:
Topic: Frida Kahlo
Research question: ¿Hasta qué punto utilizó Frida Kahlo sus autorretratos para construir su identidad?
The topic could lead to a general account of Kahlo’s life and work. The question creates a line of enquiry. It encourages the student to select evidence, consider different interpretations and reach a judgement.
The same distinction can be seen in these examples:
| Broad topic | Stronger research question |
|---|---|
| Tourism in Barcelona | ¿Hasta qué punto ha perjudicado el turismo masivo la calidad de vida en Barcelona? |
| Women under Franco | ¿Cómo cambió la vida de las mujeres españolas durante la dictadura franquista? |
| Reggaetón | ¿Hasta qué punto ha cambiado el reguetón la representación de la mujer en la música latina? |
| The Mexican Revolution | ¿En qué medida mejoró la Revolución mexicana la situación de los campesinos? |
| Pablo Escobar | ¿Por qué sigue influyendo Pablo Escobar en la imagen internacional de Colombia? |
| Catalan independence | ¿Cuáles fueron las principales causas del crecimiento del independentismo catalán entre 2010 y 2017? |
A title does not always have to begin with ¿Hasta qué punto…? Repeating that formula can produce a question that sounds analytical without giving the project a clear direction. Cómo, por qué, en qué medida and cuáles fueron las consecuencias de can all lead to effective research when used carefully.
What makes a strong Spanish IRP question?
A useful question should pass five tests.
1. It has a clear connection with the Spanish-speaking world
The project must relate to the culture or society of a country or countries where Spanish is spoken. A general study of climate change, social media or women’s rights would be too detached from that context.
The connection needs to be central to the investigation. For example, ¿Cómo ha respondido Costa Rica al cambio climático? provides a defined geographical and cultural setting. ¿Es peligroso el cambio climático? does not.
2. It is narrow enough to manage
A project on la dictadura de Franco could cover almost forty years of political repression, economic change, censorship, education and social policy. That is too much for one IRP.
A more focused project could examine:
- censorship in Spanish cinema under Franco
- the role of the Sección Femenina
- the treatment of regional languages
- the economic effects of the tourism boom
- historical memory after the dictatorship
A narrower question often produces a deeper discussion because the student can examine evidence in detail instead of moving rapidly through a long sequence of facts.
3. It leaves room for analysis
Questions with a simple factual answer tend to produce descriptive projects.
For example, ¿Cuándo empezó la Revolución cubana? can be answered with a date and a short explanation. ¿Por qué consiguió Fidel Castro mantener el apoyo popular después de la Revolución cubana? opens several lines of argument and allows the student to compare political, social and economic factors.
A strong question often contains a tension, a debate or a problem that cannot be settled in one sentence.
4. It can support a long discussion
For AQA, the presentation and discussion of the IRP last around eleven to twelve minutes in total. The question must therefore generate more than a polished two-minute introduction.
Before committing to a title, consider what an examiner might ask:
- What caused this development?
- Who benefited from it?
- Who opposed it?
- How did the situation change over time?
- Which factor was most important?
- What evidence supports that conclusion?
- Do historians, journalists or campaigners disagree?
- What are the limits of the available evidence?
- Is the issue still relevant today?
If these questions lead naturally to several different areas of discussion, the topic probably has enough depth.
5. Reliable sources are available in Spanish
An imaginative question will still cause problems if very little credible material exists in Spanish. Students should test the availability of sources before finalising the title.
A useful first search should reveal a mixture of material such as:
- reports from governments or public institutions
- articles from established Spanish-language newspapers
- interviews with relevant figures
- academic or educational publications
- documentaries, podcasts or recorded talks
- statistics from reputable organisations
- museum, archive or university resources
Sources should contribute different kinds of evidence. Five articles repeating the same basic information will not create a genuinely broad research base.
A-Level Spanish IRP ideas by subject
The following ideas are starting points rather than ready-made projects. Each question would still need to be checked against the requirements of your exam board and refined according to the sources available.
Spanish history and politics
- ¿Hasta qué punto transformó la Transición la sociedad española?
- ¿Qué papel desempeñaron las mujeres en la resistencia contra el franquismo?
- ¿Cómo afectó la dictadura franquista al uso del catalán?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha resuelto la Ley de Memoria Democrática el legado del franquismo?
- ¿Por qué sigue siendo controvertida la figura de Cristóbal Colón en el mundo hispano?
- ¿Cuáles fueron las causas principales de la crisis económica argentina de 2001?
- ¿En qué medida cambió la Revolución cubana la vida de las mujeres?
- ¿Cómo influyó Salvador Allende en la política chilena contemporánea?
Topics involving current politics require particular care. A project should rely on evidence from several sources and recognise that recent events may still be changing. It is usually safer to define a clear period instead of trying to explain an issue that continues to develop each week.
Society and identity
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha cambiado la inmigración la identidad de la España contemporánea?
- ¿Cómo ha evolucionado la situación de la comunidad LGBT en España desde 1975?
- ¿Por qué sigue existiendo desigualdad entre las comunidades autónomas españolas?
- ¿Cómo afecta la despoblación rural a la sociedad española?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha mejorado la representación de los pueblos indígenas en la política latinoamericana?
- ¿Qué factores explican la violencia contra las mujeres en México?
- ¿Cómo ha influido el movimiento de las Madres de Plaza de Mayo en la sociedad argentina?
- ¿Hasta qué punto refleja el spanglish una identidad cultural propia en Estados Unidos?
Large social questions often need to be restricted to one country, community or period. “Gender inequality in Latin America” would require comparisons across more than twenty countries. A study of one law, movement or change within a particular country is likely to be more coherent.
Film, literature and art
- ¿Cómo utilizó Pedro Almodóvar el cine para representar los cambios sociales de la España democrática?
- ¿Hasta qué punto desafió Frida Kahlo las ideas tradicionales sobre la feminidad?
- ¿Cómo representa Guillermo del Toro la violencia política a través de la fantasía?
- ¿Por qué se convirtió el muralismo mexicano en una herramienta política?
- ¿Cómo influyó la Guerra Civil española en la obra de Pablo Picasso?
- ¿Hasta qué punto refleja la obra de Federico García Lorca la represión social de su época?
- ¿Cómo ha representado el cine colombiano el legado del narcotráfico?
- ¿Por qué tuvo tanta importancia cultural el Boom latinoamericano?
AQA allows students to choose a project connected with a literary work or film, although they cannot base the IRP on the same work used in the written examination. Students should also avoid turning this kind of project into a second literature essay. The wider cultural context must remain part of the investigation.
Music and popular culture
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha contribuido el reguetón a la proyección internacional del español?
- ¿Cómo ha cambiado la representación de la mujer en la música urbana latina?
- ¿Por qué tuvo la Nueva Canción tanta importancia política en Chile?
- ¿Cómo utiliza Residente la música para abordar los problemas sociales de Puerto Rico?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha influido Rosalía en la imagen internacional del flamenco?
- ¿Qué papel tuvo la música durante la Movida madrileña?
- ¿Cómo ha contribuido el narcocorrido a la representación del narcotráfico en México?
- ¿Por qué se ha convertido la música latina en un fenómeno mundial?
Popular culture can produce an excellent IRP when the student examines it as a cultural phenomenon. A biography of a singer may remain descriptive, while a study of how that artist represents identity, gender, migration or political conflict offers more room for analysis.
Sport
- ¿Cómo contribuyó el FC Barcelona a la conservación de la identidad catalana durante el franquismo?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha cambiado el éxito de la selección femenina la situación del fútbol femenino en España?
- ¿Cómo utilizó la dictadura argentina el Mundial de 1978 como propaganda?
- ¿Qué impacto tuvo Diego Maradona en la identidad nacional argentina?
- ¿Por qué existe una relación tan estrecha entre el Athletic Club y la identidad vasca?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha mejorado la situación de las mujeres en el deporte español?
Sport works best when connected with a wider social, political or cultural question. A history of a club or player may offer plenty of facts, although it will need a sharper angle to sustain critical discussion.
The environment, tourism and development
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha sido eficaz Costa Rica en la protección de su biodiversidad?
- ¿Cómo ha afectado el turismo masivo a los residentes de Barcelona?
- ¿Qué consecuencias tiene la minería de litio para las comunidades indígenas de Sudamérica?
- ¿Hasta qué punto ha ayudado el ecoturismo a la economía de Costa Rica?
- ¿Cómo afecta la deforestación del Amazonas a las comunidades de Perú?
- ¿Por qué es la escasez de agua un problema creciente en España?
- ¿Hasta qué punto puede considerarse sostenible el turismo en las Islas Baleares?
- ¿Cómo ha cambiado la agricultura en España como consecuencia del calentamiento global?
These questions benefit from statistics and institutional reports, although the student must still explain what the data mean. Listing figures demonstrates research; comparing them, placing them in context and using them to support a conclusion demonstrates analysis.
How to improve a weak IRP title
A useful way to test a title is to revise it in stages.
Suppose a student is interested in tourism:
Starting interest: Spain
Broad topic: Tourism in Spain
Narrower topic: Mass tourism in Barcelona
Possible problem: The effect of mass tourism on local residents
Research question: ¿Hasta qué punto ha perjudicado el turismo masivo la calidad de vida de los residentes de Barcelona?
The final version gives the project a location, a social group and an issue to evaluate. It also suggests several areas of research, including housing, employment, public services, local business and government policy.
The same process can be applied to almost any subject:
Starting interest: Music
Broad topic: Latin music
Narrower topic: Reggaetón in Puerto Rico
Possible problem: The representation of women
Research question: ¿Cómo ha cambiado la representación de la mujer en el reguetón puertorriqueño desde sus orígenes?
The date range could then be narrowed further if the available material remains too extensive.
Build your project around findings, not a script
A common mistake is to treat the IRP as a speech that must be written and memorised. This can create a confident opening, but it leaves the student exposed as soon as the discussion moves beyond rehearsed material.
The AQA presentation is worth five marks and is assessed for knowledge and understanding. The discussion is worth thirty marks and assesses fluency, range and accuracy of language, and the ability to analyse the chosen topic. The balance of marks makes the priority clear: students need knowledge they can use flexibly in conversation.
A better approach is to organise the research into a set of findings. For each one, record:
- the main claim
- the supporting evidence
- the source
- any conflicting evidence
- useful Spanish vocabulary
- your own conclusion
- possible follow-up questions
This creates a network of connected ideas rather than a fixed script. It also makes it easier to answer unexpected questions, justify an opinion and return to reliable evidence during the discussion.
Choose sources that help you think
The strongest source is not always the longest or most academic one. It is a source that contributes something useful to the investigation.
One source might provide historical context, another recent statistics and a third a personal or political viewpoint. Together, they allow the student to compare evidence and recognise that complex questions rarely have one uncontested answer.
When evaluating a source, ask:
- Who produced it?
- When was it published?
- What evidence does it provide?
- Does the author have a clear viewpoint?
- Is the information current enough for the question?
- Can its claims be checked elsewhere?
- What does it add to the project?
- Does another reliable source challenge its conclusions?
Spanish-language newspapers can be valuable, especially for current debates, although an opinion column should not be treated as neutral evidence. Government figures may appear authoritative, yet they also need context. Wikipedia can help students identify names, dates and search terms at an early stage, but the project should ultimately rest on stronger original sources.
Research quality depends on judgement, not simply on the number of links collected.
Common mistakes when choosing an IRP topic
Choosing a subject that is too broad
A broad title leads to rushed explanations and limited analysis. Narrowing the period, location, group or issue usually improves the project immediately.
Choosing a question with an obvious answer
If every credible source leads to exactly the same conclusion, there may be little to discuss. A useful question should leave room for comparison, qualification and judgement.
Focusing on a famous person’s life
Biographical projects can become chronological summaries. Concentrating on a person’s political influence, cultural importance or treatment of a specific issue creates a clearer analytical purpose.
Depending on English-language material
AQA expects students to select relevant information in Spanish from a range of sources. Researching mainly in English also limits exposure to the vocabulary and arguments that will later be needed in the oral examination.
Selecting a topic with difficult specialist language
Challenge is useful, but a highly technical question can demand vocabulary far beyond what the student can explain naturally. The student should be able to understand the evidence and discuss it in their own Spanish.
Memorising facts without forming conclusions
Dates, statistics and examples matter because they support an argument. Students should regularly ask what each piece of evidence proves and whether it changes their answer to the main question.
A final checklist before confirming your IRP title
Before settling on a research question, check that:
- it relates clearly to a Spanish-speaking country or community
- it reflects a genuine personal interest
- its geographical and historical scope is manageable
- it encourages explanation, comparison or evaluation
- it can support a nine to ten-minute discussion
- several reliable sources are available in Spanish
- the sources offer more than one kind of evidence
- you can explain the subject without relying on a memorised script
- it does not duplicate a literary work or film used in your AQA written examination
- your teacher has confirmed that it meets your exam board’s requirements
Time spent refining the question at the beginning usually saves a great deal of difficulty later. A focused title makes research more efficient, helps the student remember what they have learned and gives the final discussion a clear sense of direction.
Preparing for the A-Level Spanish IRP
A successful IRP develops gradually. Students need time to test the title, find suitable material, organise their findings and build the language required to discuss them with confidence. The aim is to know the subject well enough to explain ideas naturally, respond to unfamiliar questions and support conclusions with precise evidence.
If you are preparing for AQA or Pearson Edexcel A-Level Spanish and would like structured support with your speaking skills, IRP research and discussion, grammar or exam technique, I offer specialist one-to-one A-Level Spanish tuition for students across the UK.
