Listening comprehension
Short recordings and longer ones: picking out the message, the details and the opinions, answered in English.
Learn
Listening comprehension, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Know how the listening paper works
Listening is a quarter of the GCSE with either board. AQA sets it as Paper 1: about 35 minutes and 40 marks at Foundation, 45 minutes and 50 marks at Higher, including five minutes' reading time at the start and two minutes' checking time at the end. Section A is comprehension (32 marks at Foundation, 40 at Higher), with every question in English, answered in English or by ticking, choosing or matching. Section B is the dictation. Pearson Edexcel sets it as Paper 2: 50 marks at both tiers, 45 minutes at Foundation and an hour at Higher, each with five minutes' reading time, with 40 marks of comprehension before a 10-mark dictation. You can make notes at any time, and there is no dictionary.
Use the reading time to predict what you will hear
Read every question before the first recording. Underline the question word (who, when, why) and the detail asked for, then think of the German you might hear: a question about the weather primes you for es ist sonnig, es regnet and es ist kalt. Knowing what you are listening for turns a stream of sound into a search.
Make the most of hearing each recording more than once
In AQA's Section A every recording plays twice, and in Edexcel's three times, with pauses built in. On the first hearing, get the gist and jot rough notes in English or German; on the second, check the details and fill the gaps. If an answer came on the first play, use the next to confirm it.
Pick out the overall message, key points, details and opinions
Questions ask for the gist, a detail (a time, a price, a place) or an opinion and its reason. Opinions are flagged by words like ich finde, toll, langweilig, ich mag and ich spiele gern. Listen on after weil and denn: the reason is often a second mark, and after weil the verb only comes at the end of the clause.
Listen for the time frame and the negatives
One short word can change an answer. Nicht, kein and nie turn a yes into a no, while gestern, jetzt and morgen place the action in time, as do verb forms like ich bin gefahren, ich fahre and ich werde fahren. German often saves the participle or infinitive for the end of the sentence, so wait for it.
Expect distractors and changes of mind
Speakers often mention an option and then settle on another: Ich wollte ins Kino gehen, aber am Ende sind wir an den Strand gefahren means they went to the beach. Aber, jedoch, am Ende and jetzt lieber signal the switch, so wait for the end of the sentence before you commit.
Be quick with numbers, times and prices
German says the units before the tens: vierundzwanzig is four-and-twenty, 24. Write numbers as digits the moment you hear them. Times have a trap: halb acht is half past seven, half way to eight. Prices are in euros, as in zwölf Euro fünfzig.
Answer in clear English, with just enough detail
A mark is given when your answer shows your understanding, so English spelling is not the point, but the meaning must be unmistakable. If the question asks for two details, give two. Keep to what was asked, because an extra detail that contradicts your answer can cost the mark.
Listening comprehension key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Gist
- The overall message of a recording: what it is mainly about, without every detail.
- Distractor
- Something mentioned in a recording that sounds like the answer but is not, such as a plan the speaker then changes. Listen to the end before you choose.
- Time frame
- When something happens: past, present or future. Time words such as gestern or morgen and the verb tell you which.
- Cognate
- A word that looks or sounds like its English meaning, such as das Hotel or die Musik.
- Opinion
- What a speaker thinks of something, which may be positive, negative or mixed. Words such as toll, langweilig and ich finde carry it.
- weil and denn
- Because: the reason that follows is often worth a mark of its own. After weil, wait for the verb at the end.
- aber and jedoch
- But and however: they signal a contrast or a change of mind, which is where many answers hide.
- kein and nie
- Not a and never: short negatives that turn the meaning of a sentence round.
Common mistakes in Listening comprehension
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Writing down the first option you hear and missing the change of mind that comes after it.
Speakers often turn one option down before giving their answer. Wait for aber, am Ende or jetzt, and use the second hearing to confirm what was finally chosen.
Answering a question about the past with what the speaker usually does.
Check the time frame of the question, then listen for the matching verb: letzten Samstag bin ich ... gegangen answers a past question, normalerweise gehe ich does not.
Missing a short negative such as nicht, kein or nie, so the answer says the opposite.
Negatives are short and easy to lose at speed. Note each one as you hear it and read your answer back against your notes.
Mixing up numbers, writing 42 for zweiundvierzig.
German says the units first: zweiundvierzig is two-and-forty, 42. Write the digits in the order you build them: the 2 first, then the 4 in front of it.
Reading halb acht as half past eight.
Halb acht is half way to eight: half past seven.