This key facts covers Foundation dictation — key points at a glance within Foundation dictation practice passages for GCSE French. Revise Foundation dictation practice passages in Dictation Technique for GCSE French with 10 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 5 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Foundation dictation — key points at a glance
- 28–36 words — shorter than Higher; familiar themes; clear pronunciation
- 3 listens: Listen 1 = capture draft; Listen 2 = fill gaps + word boundaries; Listen 3 = grammar + accents
- Grid A = content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives) — must be the right word
- Grid B = grammar forms — past participle endings, verb agreement, adjective agreement
- Past participle -é not -er after avoir: il a mangé (Grid B mark here)
- Être verbs agree with subject: elle est allée (-ée), ils sont partis (-is)
- Silent -ent on ils/elles verbs — always write it even though you can't hear it
- s'appelle — double -pp, double -ll — practise this until automatic
- Accents: é on all -er past participles; è on mère/père/très; ç in français/garçon
- Liaison: [lez ɑ̃fɑ̃] = les enfants (plural) — the z-sound is your clue for les not le
Practice questions for Foundation dictation practice passages
Listen to the passage three times, then write exactly what you hear in French.
Listen to the passage three times, then write exactly what you hear in French.
Quick recall flashcards
You hear 'lékol'. How do you write this?
l'école — elision contracts 'le/la' to 'l'' before a vowel. The apostrophe signals two words joined: l' + école.
How is the Foundation dictation marked?
Two grids worth 5 marks total. Grid A (3 marks): key content words — nouns, verbs, adjectives. Grid B (2 marks): grammar/spelling agreements — e.g. verb endings, plural -s, accent marks.