What a listening true/false item is: In Paper 2 Listening, true/false usually comes as ‘choose the N true statements’: a list of statements about the recording, and you pick only the ones the speaker actually says. You choose; you don't write a justification.
It asks two things
- Decide whether each statement is vrai or faux — does it match what is said?
- Choose exactly the number of true statements asked for (often five).
The exam instruction you'll see: In the French Paper 2 Listening, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
« Choisissez les cinq affirmations vraies. » → Choose the five true statements.
Why there is no justification here: Quoting words as proof is how true/false works in Paper 2 Reading (the V/F + justify lesson in Unit 6). In listening you prove each answer to yourself: before you choose a statement, you should be able to name the words you heard that make it true.
That rubric is for reading: « Cochez la bonne réponse et justifiez votre réponse par des mots du texte. Les deux parties de la réponse sont requises. » is the reading rubric (Unit 6). In listening you choose the true statements and write no justification.
- vrai / faux
- true / false
- l'affirmation
- the statement
- les affirmations vraies
- the true statements
- choisir
- to choose
- cocher
- to tick (a box)
- le détail pertinent
- the relevant detail (the part that proves it)
Heard, not guessed: A statement can sound likely, repeat a word you heard, or have been true in the past. Choose it only if the recording says it is true now. Every choice needs proof you heard.
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The mechanics on one card: Here is how a ‘choose the true statements’ item works. English explains the mechanics; the rule everyone forgets is that a choice needs proof you heard, not a word that merely sounds familiar.
| Aspect | Vrai/faux à l'écoute |
|---|---|
| Ce qu'on te donne | une liste d'affirmations sur l'enregistrement |
| Ce que tu décides | quelles affirmations sont vraies |
| Ce que tu écris | seulement les affirmations choisies, sans justification |
| Combien ? | exactement le nombre demandé (souvent cinq) |
| La preuve | le détail pertinent que tu entends |
Proof, not a matching word: A statement that repeats a word from the recording is not automatically true. Check that the meaning matches: who, when, how many, yes or no. The relevant detail that confirms it is your proof.
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A method for every list: You don't need every word — you need a method. Run the same five steps on each list and you'll never choose a statement you can't prove.
Choose the true statements
Read the statements
Read every statement before the audio and underline the key idea in each: who, when, where, how many.
Listen for the part it refers to
Locate the moment in the recording each statement is about — that's where your proof lives.
Decide true or false
Decide V/F by comparing the statement with what the recording actually says.
Check the proof
Pin down the words you heard that prove it. Watch tenses, negatives and synonyms: the proof is often reworded.
Choose exactly N
Mark only the statements you can prove, and count: exactly the number the question asks for.
Read → Locate → Decide → Prove → Choose N
Use both plays: You hear each recording twice. On the first play, mark the statements you're sure of. On the second, check the doubtful ones and count your choices: exactly the number asked.
This is exactly how it feels: This is exactly how a true-statements item feels — you hear it, you don't see the words. In the real exam you'd hear it twice.
How to practise it
Read
Read the statements first.
Play
Play the clip.
Decide
Decide which statements are true.
Prove
Name the words that prove each choice.
Check
Reveal the transcript to check.
Read → Play → Decide → Prove → Check
Vrai/faux — la routine de Léa
Listen to Léa describe her routine, then choose the two true statements before you reveal the transcript — that's how a Paper 2 listening true/false item works.
- Quelles deux affirmations sont vraies ? (A) Léa prend son petit-déjeuner à la maison. (B) Léa prend son petit-déjeuner avec ses copains. (C) Léa va au lycée en bus. (D) Le lycée est à cinq minutes.
Salut, je m'appelle Léa. Avant, je prenais mon petit-déjeuner à la maison, mais depuis que j'ai changé de lycée, je le prends à la cafétéria avec mes copains. Je prends toujours une tartine et un jus d'orange. Ensuite, on va en cours à pied tous ensemble, parce que le lycée est tout près, à cinq minutes seulement.
Hi, my name is Léa. Before, I used to have breakfast at home, but since I changed schools, I have it in the cafeteria with my friends. I always have a slice of bread and butter and an orange juice. Then, we walk to class all together, because the school is very close, only five minutes away.
- B et D.
Beware the past-tense trap: « Avant, je prenais mon petit-déjeuner à la maison » is the past — true once, false now. The words « depuis que j'ai changé de lycée, je le prends à la cafétéria » prove statement A is faux. Know the words that decide each choice, and you hear it twice to check.
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Common traps: With true statements, technique matters as much as your French. Compare good habits with common traps.
Bonnes pratiques
- Choose exactly the number of statements asked.
- Choose only what you can prove with the détail pertinent you heard.
- Watch verb tenses — « avant » vs « maintenant » can flip the answer.
- Listen for meaning and synonyms — the proof is often reworded.
Erreurs fréquentes
- Choose more or fewer statements than asked.
- Choose a statement just because it repeats a word from the recording.
- Be fooled by a past-tense detail that's no longer true.
- Choose what sounds likely, or what you know about the topic, instead of what was said.
Proof wins the mark: A choice only earns the mark if the recording makes the statement true. Before you choose, name the words you heard that prove it — if you can't, leave it and check on the second play.