1. Listening and reading comprehension across topics: school life, holidays, part-time jobs, local parks, illness and recovery, confusing mornings, and artistic lessons

2. Vocabulary and grammar tested through gap-fill, multiple choice, and short-answer questions: daily routine, subject preference, food and weather adjectives, time expressions, and verb conjugations

3. Cultural and social themes: festivals, environmental action, Japanese traditions, friendship support during illness, volunteering, and global experiences

4. Literary texts from Aozora Bunko: comprehension of stories like “Sanpo” and “Wakaki hi no omoide,” analyzing emotions, events, and character motivations

5. Translation task (Section B): first-person passage about anime interest, future dream of drawing manga, and current Japanese language study—assesses grammar, future tense, vocabulary

6. Paper format:
– Section A: comprehension tasks (43 marks)
– Section B: translation into English (7 marks)
– Total: 50 marks with varied question types (inference, gap-fill, matching, translation) targeting GCSE Japanese Foundation Tier learners