Paper 1 — Listening (25% of GCSE)
The Listening paper has two sections:
Section A — Comprehension (English questions, English answers)
You hear short and longer recordings on the three Themes. Questions are in English, answered in English (or non-verbally — true/false, multiple choice, table completion). You hear each clip twice.
Format breakdown (Foundation)
- 35 minutes + 5 minutes reading time
- 50 marks (40 in Section A, 10 in Section B)
- Recordings drawn from Themes 1-3 vocabulary
Format breakdown (Higher)
- 45 minutes + 5 minutes reading time
- 50 marks (40 in Section A, 10 in Section B)
- Faster speech, denser content, more inference
Section B — Dictation
You hear short French sentences and write them down word-for-word in French. Marks for accurate spelling and accents. Foundation: shorter, more familiar vocabulary; Higher: longer, includes some less common but spec-list items.
Worked example (Foundation dictation)
Audio: "J'aime jouer au foot avec mes amis le samedi." Marking: 1 mark per chunk; lose marks for missing accents (amis) or wrong agreement.
How to use the 5 minutes' reading time
- Read every question — circle key words.
- Predict vocabulary you'll hear: numbers, colours, opinion adjectives.
- Check the language of the answer: in English (Section A) or French (Section B)?
Top tips for Section A
- Listen twice — first pass for gist, second for detail.
- Watch for negation — je n'aime pas du tout easily flips a meaning.
- Numbers and times are favourite — write them as digits, not words.
- For inference questions (Higher), think about tone as well as content.
Top tips for Section B (Dictation)
- Pause at each sentence break — don't write while listening.
- Mentally check subject-verb agreement before committing.
- Don't translate: copy what you hear.
- Common pitfalls: est / et (homophones), ces / ses / c'est (homophones), silent letters at the end of verbs (il parle / ils parlent sound the same).
Listening register — what francophone speakers really say
- Liaison: les amis sounds like lez-amis; un grand homme sounds like un gran-tomme.
- Elision: je ne sais pas often sounds like j'sais pas or chai pas.
- Standard speech speed in the exam is roughly that of a TV news presenter — manageable.
Common types of question
| Type | What you do |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice (A/B/C) | Tick one |
| True / False / Not in the text | Be careful with NT |
| Table completion | Fill in age / time / place |
| Short answer in English | Write 1-3 words |
| Dictation | Write the French |
⚠Common mistakes
- Translating in Section B — write in French.
- Missing the negative: a single ne changes everything.
- Confusing similar numbers — deux / douze, quinze / cinquante.
- Ignoring the second listening to write more — examiner expects refinement.
- Writing answers in pencil too lightly — examiners can't read it.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-french