Exam skills · Both
French Listening & Reading Strategies
Receptive papers reward calm method. You rarely need every word – you need the information the question asks for.
Before and during
• Read questions first; underline question words
• Predict vocabulary for the theme
• First listen/read for gist; second for detail
• Watch for negatives (ne…pas) and time shifts
Traps
Distractors mention related ideas that are not the answer.
False friends (e.g. actuellement ≠ actually) cause avoidable errors.
Use context before guessing.
Worked example
Why read the questions before listening?
Solution: So you know what to listen for and can ignore irrelevant detail.
Practice questions
1. What should you do before the audio starts?
2. What is a distractor?