Aural - Phone Call

Exam Mechanics and the Three-Playings Strategy

The listening examination accounts for 20% of your total marks at Higher Level. Questions across the paper are printed in English and are answered in English, except when an explicit rubric states otherwise. In Part 2, the phone message note requires you to write down keywords in German; writing your notes in English here yields zero marks.

The recording is played three times: first straight through, then split into smaller segments with pauses, and finally straight through once more. You need a disciplined approach across these playings:

1. First playing: Focus on the big picture. Identify who is speaking, who they want to talk to, and the primary reason for ringing. Jot down the caller's name, especially if it is spelled out, but do not panic about capturing every number yet.
2. Second playing: Fill in the specific details. Note the phone numbers, dates, times, and the core problem across the four required headings.
3. Third playing: Verify digits and check spelling. If the paper includes a language-analysis question (pragmatics), hunt down the exact phrases the caller uses to express attitudes like responsibility or frustration.

Always use your preparatory reading time to check whether the question demands bullet-point keywords or full sentences, and verify which language you must write in.

Decoding Names and the German Alphabet

The caller's surname in the note-taking task carries two marks and is marked on an all-or-nothing basis. A single wrong letter scores zero. Speakers regularly spell out names using the phrase ich buchstabiere (I spell) or respond to prompts such as Wie schreibt man das? (How do you spell that?) and Wie war der Name, bitte? (What was the name, please?).

German Letter Pronunciation Guide

Watch out for confusing sound pairs: E (ay) versus I (ee), G (gay) versus J (yot), V (fau) versus W (vay), and C (tsay) versus Z (tset).

Expect special characters and punctuation in dictated names: Umlaut (A-Umlaut for ä), Eszett or scharfes S (ß), Doppel-n (nn), and Bindestrich (hyphen). Callers also specify letter case using großes (capital) or kleines (lower-case). When noting down the name on your script, write in clear block capitals so the examiner can distinguish every letter without ambiguity.

Spoken Numbers, Clock Times, and Dates

Numerical errors forfeit easy marks. German numbers operate under rules that easily catch English speakers off guard.

The Units-Before-Tens Reversal

In German, two-digit numbers place the unit before the ten: siebenundvierzig literally means seven-and-forty (47). Never write down the first digit you hear. If you hear dreiundzwanzig, wait for the full compound before writing 23; writing 32 loses the mark. Watch out for the difference between the -zehn and -zig endings, because this is where marks slip away. You will hear pairs like dreizehn (13) set against dreißig (30), vierzehn (14) against vierzig (40), or siebzehn (17) against siebzig (70), so train your ear to catch that final syllable before writing.

On the phone, German speakers frequently say zwo instead of zwei to avoid acoustic confusion with drei. Phone numbers are dictated either digit by digit or in pairs (achtzehn, siebenundvierzig). Relevant terms include die Vorwahl (area code), die Durchwahl (extension), die Handynummer (mobile number), and die Null (zero). Prices are spoken with Euros first: neunzehn Euro neunundneunzig is written as €19,99 (German uses a comma for decimals).

Clock Times and Calendar Dates

In time expressions, the 24-hour clock is standard for official announcements: vierzehn Uhr dreißig is 14:30. In casual conversation, halb always refers to half an hour before the named hour: halb drei is 2:30, not 3:30. Other common time markers include Viertel nach drei (3:15), Viertel vor drei (2:45), punkt acht (eight on the dot), gegen zehn (around ten), kurz vor/nach sechs (just before/after six), in einer halben Stunde (in half an hour), pünktlich (on time), and sich verspäten (to be delayed).

For dates, ordinal numbers from 1 to 19 add -te (der vierte Mai), while 20 onwards add -ste (der zwanzigste Juni). Keep an eye out for irregular ordinal forms like der erste (the first) and der dritte (the third), along with der siebte and der achte, because the exam loves testing these exact anomalies. When giving a date in an answer, write 3.5. (day before month). Common time frames include im Januar, im Sommer, am Wochenende, am Dienstag (on Tuesday), dienstags (on Tuesdays), übermorgen (the day after tomorrow), and vorgestern (the day before yesterday).

Switchboard Language and Automated Recordings

Phone recordings rely on predictable fixed formulas. The questions on your paper are in English, but hearing these German prompts gives away the answer.

What You Will Hear in the Audio

Answering Machines (Der Anrufbeantworter)

Voicemail messages and public telephone services rely on stock recordings that sound robotic until you know the drill. You will usually hear Sie haben die Nummer … gewählt right before an automated voice tells you that nobody is available with Wir sind zurzeit leider nicht erreichbar. If it invites you to record a voice message, listen for the prompt Bitte hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht nach dem Signalton or Piepton. When an organisation gives its schedule, expect Unsere Öffnungszeiten sind montags bis freitags von 9 bis 17 Uhr, instructions like Für Auskünfte drücken Sie die Eins, or a closure notice such as Das Büro bleibt am Montag geschlossen.

Grammar Foundations: Verbs, Questions, Plurals, and Adjectives

Accurate note-taking and written tasks require a solid grasp of key grammatical structures.

Separable and Inseparable Verbs

With separable verbs, the prefix splits and moves to the end in a main clause: Ich rufe Sie morgen zurück. Remember that the prefix stays welded to the verb when a modal verb takes over, as in Ich muss Sie zurückrufen, when you kick the verb to the end of a weil clause, or when building an infinitive phrase like Ich versuche, Sie zurückzurufen. In the conversational past, ge- sits between prefix and stem: Er hat mich angerufen*.

Common separable verbs include: anrufen (ruft an), zurückrufen (ruft zurück), auflegen (legt auf), dranbleiben (bleibt dran), and ausrichten (richtet aus).

Do not confuse these with inseparable verbs, which take no prefix split and form their past participle without ge-: hinterlassen (hat hinterlassen), verbinden (hat verbunden), and erreichen (hat erreicht).

Asking Questions (Fragen stellen)

In questions with question words (W-Fragen), the conjugated verb stands second: Wann rufen Sie zurück? In yes/no questions, the verb takes first position: Können Sie mich verbinden? Learn key question markers: wer (who), wen (whom, acc.), wem (to whom, dat.), was (what), wann (when), wo (where), wohin (where to), woher (where from), warum/wieso (why), wie (how), wie viel (how much), wie lange (how long), seit wann (since when), and welcher (which). Note spoken conversational variants that split the prefix: Wo kommen Sie her? or Wo gehen Sie hin?.

Plural Patterns for Note-Taking

When noting details in German, nouns must be pluralised accurately:

Adjectives: Predicative vs Attributive

When an adjective comes directly after a verb (predicative), it takes no ending: Die Schüler sind betrunken; Der Anruf war dringend. Use this form whenever possible in note-taking because it eliminates grammatical risk. When placed immediately before a noun, adjectives require endings: eine dringende Nachricht, ein neuer Termin*.

Topic Vocabulary: School, Home, and Directions

Exam audio clips build their dialogue around predictable Leaving Certificate themes.

School and Speaking to Teachers (Schule / mit Lehrern sprechen)

• der Schulleiter / die Schulleiterin – principal
• das Sekretariat – school office
• der Klassenlehrer – class tutor/teacher
• der Schulausflug / die Klassenfahrt – school trip
• der Elternabend – parents' evening
• das Zeugnis – school report
• die Note – mark, grade
• jemanden krank melden – to report someone sick
• entschuldigen – to excuse
• Meine Tochter ist krank und kann heute nicht in die Schule kommen. – My daughter is sick and cannot attend school today.
• Darf ich Sie kurz stören? – May I disturb you briefly?

Domestic Tasks (Zu Hause / Hausarbeit)

• aufräumen – to tidy up
• abwaschen / den Abwasch machen – to wash the dishes
• staubsaugen – to vacuum
• den Tisch decken – to lay the table
• den Müll rausbringen – to take out the rubbish bin
• auf die Kinder aufpassen – to look after the children

Asking for Directions (Nach dem Weg fragen)

• When someone needs the station, they will open with Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?, asking how to get there.
• geradeaus – straight ahead
• links/rechts abbiegen – to turn left/right
• an der Ampel – at the traffic lights
• die Kreuzung – crossroads
• gegenüber – opposite
• die dritte Straße rechts – the third street on the right
• ungefähr zehn Minuten zu Fuß – approximately ten minutes on foot

Pragmatics and Language-Analysis Questions

In Higher Level Part 2, candidates are frequently asked to identify expressions illustrating specific communicative functions. When answering, write down the German phrase along with an English translation on separate lines.

Functions and Set Phrases

• Accepting responsibility: Es tut mir (schrecklich) leid (I am terribly sorry; note lower-case leid in current spelling); Der Fehler liegt ganz auf unserer Seite (The mistake is entirely on our side); Da haben wir aus Versehen zwei Feiern reserviert (We booked two functions by mistake).
• Offering compensation: Bus auf Kosten unseres Hauses, natürlich (Bus at our expense, of course); Wir erstatten Ihnen den Betrag (We will refund you the amount); Als Entschädigung bieten wir... (As compensation we offer...).
• Complaining: Ich möchte mich beschweren (I would like to complain); Das ist eine Frechheit (That is outrageous); Ich bin sehr enttäuscht (I am very disappointed).
• Reassuring: Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen (Do not worry); Darum kümmern wir uns (We will take care of that).
• Insisting: Ich bestehe darauf (I insist on it).

Written Production: The Message Format (Eine Notiz)

The skills developed in aural note-taking mirror the written Notiz task. In the written paper, candidates lose layout marks if standard conventions are ignored.

Layout and Structure

Place the location and date at the top right: Dublin, den 7. Mai 2026. Begin with an informal opening (Hallo Lukas, or Liebe Mama,) or a polite salutation (Liebe Frau Braun,). Use brief, concise sentences, and sign off cleanly: Bis später! or Liebe Grüße, Seán.

Set Phrases for Notes

• Frau Braun hat um 10 Uhr angerufen. – Ms Braun called at 10 o'clock.
• Sie möchte, dass du sie zurückrufst. – She would like you to call her back.
• Ich bin um sechs Uhr wieder da. – I will be back at six o'clock.
• Kannst du bitte das Abendessen machen? – Can you make the dinner, please?
• Es tut mir leid, aber ich kann heute nicht kommen. – I am sorry, but I cannot come today.
• Ich melde mich später. – I will get in touch later.
• Vergiss nicht, den Hund zu füttern! – Don't forget to feed the dog!

When writing a note to a friend or family member, use the informal du-imperative (Ruf mich an!, Mach die Tür zu!). When addressing a teacher or employer, use the formal Sie-imperative (Rufen Sie mich bitte an!).

Key terms

buchstabieren

To spell out letter by letter. Callers use this before spelling surnames: 'Ich buchstabiere: S-C-H-U-M-A-N-N'.

zurückrufen

To call back. Separable verb: 'Ich rufe Sie morgen Vormittag zurück.' (I will call you back tomorrow morning).

erreichen

To reach or contact someone: 'Sie erreichen mich unter 0163...' (You can reach me at 0163...).

ausrichten

To pass on a message: 'Kann ich ihm etwas ausrichten?' (Can I pass on a message to him?).

hinterlassen

To leave behind (inseparable): 'Er hat eine Nachricht hinterlassen.' (He left a message).

halb drei

German time expression meaning 2:30 (half an hour before three o'clock).

die Vorwahl

The telephone area code preceding a local phone number.

all-or-nothing

Marking criterion where a single missed digit or misspelled letter forfeits all marks allocated to that answer component.