This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Higher dictation practice passages for GCSE French. Revise Higher 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 6 of 6 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- Mark every subjunctive trigger on listen 1 — write 'SUBJ' in the margin beside that blank. On listen 3, check the form is correct. Do not try to determine the subjunctive form in real time on first listen.
- Distinguish conditional from future by the final vowel sound: [ʁa] = future (-ra); [ʁɛ] = conditional (-rait). In context, a si + imperfect clause before it confirms conditional.
- Passive past participle agreement is a consistent Grid B target. As soon as you hear 'a été / ont été / avait été', find the subject noun and check its gender and number. Adjust the past participle accordingly.
- Do not write accents on guess — if you cannot remember whether a word has a circumflex or acute, write the most common form you know. But for meaning-changing pairs (a/à, ou/où, du/dû), always check by grammar function: is it a verb or a preposition?
- Practise writing imperfect -aient endings at speed: étaient, estimaient, regardaient, voulaient. The four-letter -aient ending is the highest-frequency Grid B target in Higher dictation.
❌ Common error: Il faudrait que tout le monde fait un effort.
✓ Correct: Il faudrait que tout le monde fasse un effort.
Why it costs marks: 'Il faudrait que' is a subjunctive trigger — the verb that follows must be in the present subjunctive. Faire has an irregular subjunctive: fasse (not fait, which is the present indicative). In speech, 'il faudrait que' sounds like a clear warning: write down 'SUBJ' and check on listen 3 that you have the correct form. Fasse = f-a-s-s-e (double -ss). This is a Grid B mark every time it appears.
❌ Common error: Une nouvelle loi avait été proposé par le gouvernement.
✓ Correct: Une nouvelle loi avait été proposée par le gouvernement.
Why it costs marks: In a passive construction, the past participle must agree with the subject noun. Une loi is feminine singular — so proposé needs an extra -e: proposée. The -e is completely silent in speech, making it a predictable Grid B trap. Whenever you hear 'avait été / a été' in a dictation, immediately identify the subject's gender. Feminine subject → add -e. Plural → add -s. Feminine plural → add -es.
Practice questions for Higher 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.