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Numbers, Dates and Times by Ear
🔢 Numbers, Dates and Times by Ear
AQA Paper 1 (Listening) tests numbers, prices, times and dates in almost every series — they appear on timetables, booking confirmations and price lists. These questions should be guaranteed marks, yet students routinely lose them by confusing the French counting system or mishearing sound-alike pairs. This topic gives you the exact patterns to practise.
The French Counting System — Key Danger Zones
Le rendez-vous est le vingt et un juin à quatorze heures trente.
Earn the mark scheme marks
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- On timetable and price-list tasks, numbers are usually read once only — have your pencil ready.
- The recording may say dix-sept heures (17:00) — do not write "7" — translate to 24-hour clock if the task asks for it, or write 5pm if it asks for 12-hour.
- When a date is spoken, listen for the month name: mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre.
- Do not write "septante" or "octante" — these are Swiss/Belgian variants that will not appear in AQA audio.
- For prices: if you write "2,5" without a zero — many examiners accept it, but "2.50" or "€2.50" is cleaner.
❌ Common error: Hearing soixante-dix and writing 60, or hearing quatre-vingts and writing 40.
✓ Correct: Soixante-dix = 70; quatre-vingts = 80. Memorise these two as fixed forms — they don't follow the pattern you expect from English.
Why it costs marks: Number and time questions on Paper 1 are often single-mark grid entries. Writing the wrong figure loses the mark outright — there is no partial credit for being close.