Listening skills

A question with a short list of options (A, B, C) where exactly one is correct; you pick it from what you hear. The instruction is « Choisissez la bonne réponse. »

Right or wrong against an answer key — [1] point, no half marks.

Exactly one.

A plausible wrong option, often repeating a word you hear but twisting the meaning.

« Choisissez la bonne réponse. » (Choose the correct answer.)

Choose the five true statements — a multiple-select variant worth [5]. (Recent papers also use « les trois affirmations vraies » [3].)

A single answer — only one option is right.

It sets the speaker and situation of the audio before the questions, so you know who is talking and why.

[1] point, awarded all-or-nothing. (The five-true variant is worth [5].)

Read all the options → Predict what each could sound like → Listen for the MEANING (le sens) → Eliminate the distractors → Choose one and move on.

So you know what they differ on and can predict the vocabulary, which lets you eliminate distractors as you listen. Use the reading time given before each audio.

It may be the word-match trap — the same word is often planted in a wrong option. Judge by the sens (meaning), not by a single word.

Ruling out the options the recording contradicts is faster and narrows the choice, making the right option clear.

No — you hear the audio twice; use the second listen to confirm. Only change it if you clearly misheard the first time.

A statement you mark vrai (V) or faux (F) AND justify with words from the recording — « les deux parties sont requises ».

Nothing — V/F alone earns no marks; the justification is required.

To justify — to prove your vrai/faux choice with the relevant words from the recording.

With words from the text/recording — your justification must use the recording's own words, in French.

The justification — the exact proving words you quote from the recording to support your V/F.

True and false.

Both parts — the vrai/faux AND the justification — are required; one without the other scores nothing.

The exact part of the recording that proves your V/F — not the whole sentence and not an unrelated line.

Both — the V/F AND the justification.

Read the statement → Locate the part it refers to → Decide V or F → Find the exact justifying words → Write BOTH the V/F and the justification.

The question awards the mark for the V/F PLUS the justifying words; without the justification the answer is incomplete.

Copying the whole sentence buries the proof; the mark needs the exact words that decide V or F.

A past-tense detail (« avant… ») can be true once but false now — the tense can flip whether the statement is V or F.

It doesn't prove your V/F; only the relevant detail that actually supports the answer earns the justification mark.

A sentence or note with a blank that you complete with the exact word(s) you HEAR (« un maximum de trois mots »).

Yes — the exact word is the answer, so a misspelling or missing accent (« a » vs « à ») can lose the mark.

« Un maximum de trois mots » — a maximum of three words, usually just one.

Fit grammatically in the sentence (correct gender, number and sense).

To complete the sentences — fill the gap with the exact word(s) you hear.

The gap — the blank you complete.

The accent mark — e.g. é, à; the difference between « a » and « à », « ou » and « où ».

To agree / fit grammatically — your word must agree and make grammatical sense in the sentence.

Spelling — the correct letters and accents of the word.

Read the gapped sentence → Predict the word type → Listen for it → Write it correctly (spelling + accents, max 3 words) → Check it fits grammatically.

Knowing whether the gap needs a number, a time or a noun tells you exactly what to listen for, so the word jumps out.

The gap is part of a real sentence; a word that doesn't agree or make sense is almost certainly the wrong answer.

Because spelling and accents are part of the answer — a misspelling or a dropped accent can cost the mark.

The instruction says « un maximum de trois mots »; writing extra can break the grammar or bury the answer. The gap wants the exact word(s), nothing more.

A question you answer in a few words of French — not a sentence — giving the correct, relevant detail. The instruction is « Répondez aux questions suivantes ».

The short answer — a few words, not a full sentence.

The piece of information / the detail the question asks you to give.

The key word — the one word (or two) you note down as the answer.

The correct, relevant content — NOT essay style, length, or perfect grammar.

Yes — a few correct words score full marks; the full sentence adds nothing.

To answer in a few words — give just the detail asked for, not a paragraph.

Precise — exactly to the point, only the detail the question asks for.

In French — a few words of French giving the correct detail.

Read the question → Listen for that detail → Note the key word(s) → Write a short, precise answer → Check it answers the question.

« Quand ? » = a time · « Où ? » = a place · « Pourquoi ? » = a reason · « Combien ? » = a number. Read it before the audio plays.

The shorter the answer, the less chance of including something wrong that cancels the mark — give the detail and stop.

Answering a DIFFERENT question — a correct fact that doesn't answer what was actually asked scores nothing (e.g. a place when « Quand ? » asks for a time).

Never — you hear each recording twice, so use the second listen to fill every gap; a blank scores zero.

Overarching techniques (predict, two-listen, deduce, infer) that improve every Paper 2 — Listening question type.

To predict — to guess the vocabulary you'll hear, from the questions, BEFORE you listen.

The gist — the general idea of the recording (who, where, what about).

The detail — the specific piece of information a question asks for.

To deduce / work out — figure out the meaning of an unknown word from context.

Inference — what is meant but not stated outright (mood, opinion, purpose).

Active prediction; the two-listen strategy (gist then detail); deducing unknown words from context; inference of mood/opinion/purpose.

Use the first listen for the gist and the second listen for the details and to confirm.

To catch the gist — to grasp the general idea on the first listen.

Read the questions → Predict the vocabulary → First listen for the gist → Second listen for the details → Infer what isn't said & check.

Nobody catches every word — you need the meaning. The gist plus key details beats transcribing the whole clip.

Don't freeze — deduce its meaning from the surrounding context and keep listening; one word rarely costs the answer.

When the answer isn't word-for-word — you deduce the mood, opinion or purpose from the clues.

It exists to catch the details and confirm your answers — not just to re-hear the gist. Watch negatives and numbers on this pass.