312 Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?
Listening in exams
While listening in exams students have to:
✓ Circle or tick correct information.
✓ Complete multiple choice questions.
✓ Complete multiple matching questions where there are several answers
and several categories.
✓ Complete sentences and other information using no more than three
words or numbers.
✓ Fill in a table.
✓ Get the gist by stating what the overall purpose of a text is even though
it may not be stated explicitly.
✓ Label a diagram.
✓ Pinpoint details.
✓ Write short answers.
Some suggestions for preparing are:
✓ Tune your ears by practicing English on the same day before the exam.
✓ Get used to hearing different accents because you never know what kind
of voices might be used on the recording. You can do this by practising
with authentic materials such as radio broadcasts.
✓ Read all the questions first so you know what you are listening out
for and predict the kind of information required – a name, a place or a
number, for example.
✓ Try to relax but stay focussed. Even if something happens around you,
don’t lose your concentration.
✓ Don’t get bogged down. If you don’t know the answer to one question,
just move on. It isn’t worth missing the next answer and you can always
go back and guess the answer later.
✓ If you can’t hear properly, speak to the examiner immediately. If you have
a choice of exam location, choose the one where they use headphones.