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Listening: Dictation and Transcription

FoundationHigherAQA

Prepare for the GCSE French dictation with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Paper 1 Section B is a dictation of at least 20 words at Foundation and 30 at Higher, marked for communication of meaning and for transcription and grammatical accuracy.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Dictation requires you to write down exactly what you hear, so it tests spelling and grammar as much as listening.

The hardest part is that many French endings are silent. Parle, parles and parlent sound identical, so the correct spelling must be worked out from the subject pronoun. Plural nouns sound the same as singular ones, so the article carries the information.

Write what you hear on the first playing, then use later playings to check accents, agreements and silent endings. Accents change meaning — où and ou are different words — so they must be written. If unsure of a word, write your best attempt rather than leaving a gap.

Revision notes

Silent endings

Parle, parles and parlent sound identical, so the subject pronoun determines the spelling.

Plural nouns sound the same as singular ones, so the article carries the information. Les livres and le livre differ only in the article you hear.

Accents matter

Où and ou are different words. A missing accent can change the meaning.

É is a clear ay sound and è is an open e, so listening carefully to the vowel helps decide which accent to write.

Strategy across playings

Write what you hear on the first playing.

Use later playings to check accents, agreements and silent endings. If unsure of a word, write your best attempt — a wrong attempt may still earn credit, whereas a gap cannot.

Key points

  • Dictation tests spelling and grammar.
  • Many French endings are silent.
  • The subject pronoun determines the verb spelling.
  • The article shows whether a noun is plural.
  • Accents can change meaning.
  • Write an attempt rather than leaving a gap.

Worked examples

Example 1

Explain how to decide between parle and parlent when listening. [2 marks]

Working

Both endings are silent, so they sound identicalstate the problem
The subject pronoun tells you which form is needed — il parle or ils parlentexplain the solution

Example 2

Explain why accents must be written in a dictation. [2 marks]

Working

Accents can change the meaning of a wordstate the reason
as où meaning where differs from ou meaning orgive an example

Example 3

Explain why you should not leave a gap. [2 marks]

Working

A best attempt may still earn credit if it is close enoughstate the benefit
whereas a blank cannot earn anything at allexplain the alternative

Common mistakes

  • Relying on verb endings you hear.

    Most are silent; use the pronoun.

  • Omitting accents.

    They can change the meaning.

  • Leaving gaps.

    A best attempt may still earn credit.

  • Not using the later playings.

    They are for checking accents and agreements.

Exam tips

  • Use the pronoun to decide verb spelling.
  • Listen to the article for plurals.
  • Write every accent you hear.
  • Always attempt a word rather than leaving a gap.

Key terms

Dictation
Writing down exactly what is heard.
Silent ending
An ending written but not pronounced.
Accent
A mark that can change a word's meaning.
Agreement
Matching endings, checked on later playings.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.