1. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. French Listening Techniques LinkedUp project: Ensuring successful transition from Key Stage 4 to Key Stage 5

2. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Listening Techniques Coping when you don't understand

3. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. The listening exam tests your passive knowledge of French, ie. how much you understand. It is not just about how many French words you have learnt and remembered. In fact, the final grade you get in this exam tends to reflect how well you coped when you didn't understand something.

4. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Vocabulary Before the listening exams it is a good idea to pay special attention to improving your vocabulary and making sure you don't make simple mistakes. You are going to look at the three following areas to help you achieve this: synonyms words that sound/look similar false friends

5. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Synonyms A synonym is a word or phrase similar in meaning to another (e.g. frightened/ afraid, career/profession, trip/journey). The GCSE syllabus contains many tasks where you need to recognise such French synonyms.

6. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Synonyms bon dur parce que petit très facile bien difficile puisque, car, comme maigre, mince, peu extrêmement, vraiment simple

7. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Words that sound/look similar Another general area to be aware of is similar-sounding or similar-looking words. Le bal (dance) is easily mixed up with la balle (ball) en fait (in fact) and une fête (party), both aurally and visually, for example.

8. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. False friends The final category of words to look out for is false friends. These are words which look familiar, but which lead you astray. They sometimes remind you of an English word, e.g. le car actually means bus. These words are the examiner's favourite traps.

9. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. False friends a)Attendreto wait for b)Contrôlerto check (tickets) c)Crierto shout d)Demanderto ask e)Ignorerto not know e)Les informationsthe news f)Une réunionmeeting g)Une occasionsecond hand, opportunity

10. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Listening techniques To get a grade C, you will need to: - identify and pick out the main points and some specific details from what you hear - identify the opinions of the people speaking - show that you understand references to the past, present and future - show you understand language with which you are familiar, used in unfamiliar context

11. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. L istening techniques To get a grade A, you will also need to: - recognise points of view, attitudes and emotions - draw conclusions from what you hear - explain extracts

12. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Other skills you will need Use your preparation time to read and understand the instructions Listen to the tape carefully first time through Answer the questions carefully (letter, tick etc) Listen to the tape a second time, check answers and fill in any gaps

13. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Extra tips Read the questions on the exam paper before you listen Read every answer very carefully on multiple choice activities – 1A looks like 1B Don’t lose your way when listening – don’t stop if you don’t know the answer – carry on and go back to the question the second time you hear the recording Never leave a tick box blank

14. © Crown copyright 2010, Department for Education These materials have been designed to be reproduced for internal circulation, research and teaching or training purposes. They can be reproduced for free provided that this material is acknowledged as Crown copyright, reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. Adaptation of these materials for other languages is permissible, providing the original source is acknowledged. Extra tips Cross out wrong answers clearly, if you change your mind No need to write full sentences, single words or phrases will usually do Look out for questions worth two or more marks – make sure you give detail for these Listen to the tone of the speaker’s voice – it may help you understand