1. Listening comprehension across real-life youth topics—future careers, food waste, school trips, skiing holidays, and digital experiences

2. Grammar and vocabulary tested through gap-fills, sentence matching, multiple-choice, and phrase recognition (e.g. on ambitions, uniform customs, cram school outcomes)

3. Cultural and practical themes—volunteering, working abroad, communal meals, traditional Japanese inns, weather impact on daily life, memory of school uniform

4. Emotional and social context—climate hardship, family meals, intergenerational learning, peer support, school headteacher influence, societal change

5. Language and identity—heritage connection via temple visits, writing publications, technology use by elderly, collaborative virtual orchestra participation

6. Paper structure—GCSE Japanese Paper 1 Higher Tier, 50 marks, listening-focused with a mix of structured and open-response questions based on real-world and narrative audio prompts