High-level listening exercise (AQA GCSE French 2024)

It's the listening part of the French exam that sends a shiver of fear down most students' backs... All those liaisons, elisions, and homophones can make it difficult for learners to match phonemes (or units of sound) with their graphemic (or written) form.

Our advice? Practice, practice, practice, so get cracking on the challenging exercise below!

If you're struggling, scroll down and follow along with the transcript! This will help you to match those tricky phonemic and graphemic systems together.

Sample listening exercise for AQA GCSE French: Identity & Relationships with Others

Answers!

(i) He describes them as strict but supportive.

(ii) Maxime turns towards his parents when he’s facing more serious problems.

(iii) Maxime’s friends are there for moments of relaxation and fun. With them, he can forget his worries and share common interests.

Transcript: Mes parents sont stricts et m’imposent des règles, ce qui peut être frustrant. Cependant, ils me soutiennent dans les moments difficiles, comme lors de mes échecs scolaires. Ils m’écoutent et m’aident à trouver des solutions. Mes amis, eux, sont là pour les moments de détente et d’amusement. Avec eux, je peux oublier mes soucis. Nous partageons des intérêts communs et passons de bons moments ensemble. Toutefois, pour les problèmes plus sérieux, je me tourne plutôt vers mes parents.

Get practising with Smart Guides'

complete AQA GCSE French (8652) study guide!