1. Listening comprehension focused on youth experiences—topics include part-time work, school life, travel, hiking, hobbies, music events, environmental projects

2. Vocabulary tested through gap-fill, matching, and multiple-choice—subjects include business, food, concerts, education, nature, and daily routines

3. Cultural awareness—references to Yakushima island, Shimanami Kaidō cycling route, manga passion, school pride, temple involvement, regional volunteering

4. Grammar and inference skills—tested via student-led hikes, interactions with locals, school responsibilities, tourism promotion, and technology use in libraries

5. Real-world scenarios—Elizabeth Oliver’s animal shelter, trip planning with safety and cost concerns, supermarket queue work, bilingual community engagement

6. Paper structure—GCSE Japanese Listening Higher Tier (1JA0/1H), total 50 marks, questions set and answered in English, audio played twice with comprehension across 10 themed sections