{listening} Filling in more complicated grids

This task requires you to cope with a more complicated framework. It may include question types such as blank filling, multiple choice, and true/false (in the form of yes/no questions).

This type of task could involve, for example, filling in a questionnaire or an application form. Often you can guess what kind of information is going to be given by looking at the title of the form of questionnaire.

If the passage is a conversation between two people, one people will usually be in the role of the information-gatherer. This person will ask questions, such as 'Can I have your phone number...?' or 'Have you any previous experience of acting?'.

However sometimes it will not be necessary for that person to ask questions because the information-giver may give some information spontaneously before it is asked for. Be alert for this, or you may 'miss' some easy information during the first listening.
Be prepared for repetitions and 'check questions' by the speakers. These may give you a second chance to collect information you may be doubtful about at first.

Spontaneously given information: My name is Graham Barker and I'd like to...

Check question: So your name is Graham Barker?... Is that G-R-A-H-A-M? 

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Filling in a simple grid

You may be asked to write information on to a grid. The grid will often have headings. They can be at the top of the grid or down the side. Sometimes the information is given in logical order, but sometimes the speaker jumps about when giving information.

Listen for words and phrases which help you 'find your way' around the grid:

• words like next and then and Oh I forgot to mention... may signal that the speaker is moving from one topic to another
• words like also, too and another point in its favour may signal that the speaker is making two points under the same heading
• phrases like plus/minus point and unfortunately signal advantages and disadvantages
• phrases like x is much less secure than y, whereas, on the other hand signal contrasts

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Multiple choice

In the multiple choice questions you are given a number of alternatives to choose from. Only one of them is correct according to the information given in the listening passage.

This kind of questin is used with many different types of passage and its main purposes are:

• to see if you can pick out important details in the passage
• to see if you have understood the overall message of the passage

Read the alternatives carefully before start listening. As with blank filling questions, there is a lot to read and it is better not to have to much 'new' reading while you are listening.

The content of the questions will also help you by giving you a very good idea of the topic of the listening passage before you hear it.

Be very careful while you are listening because you will probably hear in the passage words and phrases which you have already seen in the alternatives given on the question paper. Don't jump to conclusions and choose the answer just because it contains the words and phrases that you hear in the passage!

The robbers arrived at the bank

A in a car.     B by underground railway.     C by digging a tunnel.

You may hear something in the passage  about a car, but make sure that the car was actually used to travel to the bank in. It may have been a car parked somewhere else by the robbers, or a car that they intended to use for their escape (i. e. to travel away from the bank).



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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Blank filling

In this type of question, you are asked to collect information from a listening passage and write it down to complete a phrase or sentence. Remember:

• you usually only need to write a word or two
• do not worry too much about small slips in grammar and spelling
• the incomplete sentences or phrases on the question paper can give you a good idedxa of what the passage is going to be about
• you can often predict to some extent what will go into the blank space

The listening passage often does not contain exactly the same wording as the sentences on the question paper.

Often blank filling questions ask you for details like names, addresses, telephone numbers and dates. Make sure you know the sounds for the letters in the English alphabet and can hear the diffrence between numbers like thirteen and thirty, fourteen and forty.

Most questions in the listening test will not ask you to write more than a few words or a phrase. It is important not to write too much. If you do, you will not be able to concentrate on listening.

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Ordering

Putting information in the correct order is not a question type in itself, but a skill you will need to apply with many passages and with many different types of question.

The sorts of passage for which you might need this skill include:

• sets of instructions, e.g. how to make an omlette
• descriptions of processes, e.g. how coffee is manufactured
• description of a chain of cause and effect, e.g. how an accident happened
• description of a problem, the attempts at a solution and the results
• narratives, e.g. the story of what happened during a bank robbery

In the easier passages you hear about the events in the same order as they happen in time. In more difficult passages you will not hear about the events in the same order as they happen in real life. The speaker may give the final event in the story first, or the solutiojn to a problem before s/he has explained the problem. This often happens when s/he wants to give a more dramatic effect to the story. Or the speaker may want to emphasize a very important step or precaution in a set of instructions and may say it first. In these cases you must listen very carefully for clues in the language which will help you to reconstruct the correct order of events.

When you are putting events in order, you need to listen carefully for words and phrases about time, sequence and result.

time words and phrases: the next day, at 5 pm, earlier that morning

sequence words and phrases: first of all, firstly, to begin with, in the first place, then, next, while, after that, when, finally

result words and phrases: so, the result was, as a result

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Think of a dish which you know how to make, or something that you know how to construct, like a table or a kite, for example.
Draw about six pictures, illustrating in the correct order the different stages involved making the dish or object. The pictures can be rough: they don't need to be very artistic!
Give the pictures to a partner, who must tell you how to make the thing, using the pictures to help. Your partner should try to use time, sequence and result words where possible. Correct your partner after s/he has finished.

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} True/false questions

In this type of question you have to decide whether a statement given to you on the question paper is true or not, according to the listening passage (not your own opinion).

You can also be asked to tick if certain information is mentioned - another type of true/false question.

Always try to answer the questions in the listening test. If you are not sure, guess. You will not be penalized for wrong answers. It is especially important to answer all true/false questions, because you have a 50% chance of being right!

Be careful about negatives. The statements on the question paper should all be positive, but you may hear negative statements.

Harry is popular with all his friends. T / F

You hear: 'I wouldn't say that Harry is universally popular.'

Harry is rich.

You hear: 'He's not poor these days, is he?'

So you see that you need to be careful! Sometimes the negative sentence on the audio recording means the same as the sentence in the question. Sometimes it means the opposite of the sentence in the question.

Often the words and phrases you hear will be different from those written on your examination paper, although they mean the same.

The robbers intended to use explosive to get through the wall.

get through = break through, make a hole through

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Pictures, maps and diagrams

You may be asked to identify something using information that you hear. Before you listen, you can often guess what information you are going to be asked for, just by looking at the picture or map on the question paper.

To answer this kind of question, you need to be able to recognize adjectives and descriptive phrases when you hear them.

The woman was short with long wavy hair. I think she was wearing a dark leather jacket, and a light coloured skirt.

 Another area of language which will bee useful to you in identifying pictures consists of words or phrases which tell you about position or direction.

The post office is opposite the cinema.

If you turn right at the main gate and continue along the path that takes you to the zoo, you should get to the Garden Bar in about three minutes.

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source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993

{listening} Improving your listening

• trying to listen to something in English every day
• listening to English on the radio
• watching programmes in English on TV
• listening to your teacher speaking English
• taking part in conversations in English
• asking someone to read to you in English
• doing practice listening tests
• listening to songs in English
• listening to language CDs
• keeping a diary in which you note down what you listened to and any problems you had

source: Successful Listening for First Certificate by Shelagh Rixon, OUP, 1993