Observations of a Cambridge Examiner: Preparation of Paper 4: the Listening

The next paper on the Cambridge exam is the Listening one.

While it is true that the English language can be a particularly difficult language to learn due to its phonetic peculiarities and numerous accents, it really depends on how you have learned the language. Many people learn through reading at school and so will find listening to English hard because of these idiosyncrasies and lack of practice. However, those who have learned English in a more 'natural' way, by listening to the spoken word and coming to recognize the sounds and meanings, as would a child learning their mother-tongue, then English is, debatably, no more difficult than any other language.

I have written about the importance of listening as a means to learning languages in a previous blog (http://languageboutique.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/listening-to-improve-your-speaking.html), so I won't go into further detail here, but to summarize the main details:-  

When speaking a language, there is no other way a language can enter our receptors except through the ears - by listening to the language. So you need to listen to as much English as possible, in a variety of ways and with a variety of styles and accents: TV, radio, podcasts and so on.

As with all aspects of learning English, and with all aspects of preparing for the Cambridge exams in general and specifically for the CAE exam, the one thing that you need to do is Preparation! Preparation! Preparation!
 ......... and Practise!!

PAPER 4 – LISTENING

Part 1: Multiple choice: the focus on this part is feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function, agreement, course of action, gist, detail, and so on. There are three short extracts from exchanges between interacting speakers with two multiple-choice questions on each extract, totaling six questions. As you are listening for the general gist of the passage, it often helps to also work by eliminating answers which cannot be right as well as choosing the best answer.

Part 2: Sentence completion: The focus here is specific information and stated opinion. There is a monologue lasting approximately three minutes. You are required to complete the sentences with information heard on the recording and not to paraphrase. Be careful, on the other hand, not to give too much information, there is a maximum of three words, it can sometimes result in losing a mark, spelling mistakes will also result in losing marks.

Part 3: Multiple choice: The focus is on attitude, feelings and opinion. There is a conversation between two or more speakers of approximately four minutes. There are six multiple-choice questions, each with four options. The information from this type of text is often summarized in the multiple-choice questions through the use of verbs and adjectives describing feelings and attitudes or the use of abstract nouns to report ideas from the text, but always be careful to listen out for synonyms and rephrasing. So it is necessary to pick up on this when listening. You should be aware of, and sensitivity to, the use of words which summarize and report the ideas expressed in the text as this is an important aspect of preparation for this task. 

Part 4: Multiple matching: The focus is on the gist, attitude, main points and interpreting the context. There are five short themed monologues, of approximately 30 seconds each. Each multiple-matching task requires selection of the correct options from a list of eight. You need to successfully pick up on specific references. This task focuses on gist listening skills. You may not understand every word and expression in the texts, but you have probably understood more than you realize of the speaker’s general message, and will therefore often choose the correct answer even if you cannot be absolutely sure why. As with Part 3, awareness of and sensitivity to the type of language used in the questions will help you feel prepared for this task. A knowledge of how verbs and adjectives are used to express attitudes and opinions is useful, as are the kind of abstract nouns that summarize ideas from the text.

Recommendations for preparation for the Listening Paper:

Listening tests are designed to give an objective assessment of a candidate's listening skills. In preparing for the Listening test, it is important to focus on developing your listening skills in general, as well as on familiarizing yourself with the format of the examination. You should listen to a range of different listening texts, if possible from a range of real-life sources, as each Listening test comprises a range of listening texts on different topics in different contexts. However, the focus of preparation should not be only on detailed listening, gist understanding of a text delivered at a natural speed is a valuable skill.

Your ability to understand what you hear can improve dramatically if you regularly listen to audio or audio-visual materials: the more English you hear, delivered at natural speed in a variety of voices and contexts, the more practised you will become in extracting key information and gist meaning, even if you may not be able to decode every single word or phrase. These skills are essential to students at CAE level. It is also something that few people do. 

You will have to deal with texts in different ways, depending on the nature of the listening task. For example, you might listen to a text once for gist, producing a summary of the main ideas or attitudes expressed. You could then listen to the same text again, this time retrieving specific information. It is necessary to be aware of how much you yourself will bring to a listening task. Make predictions about listening texts from your own experience and world knowledge. In terms of examination technique, read and think about the information provided on the question paper, both in the task instructions and within the questions themselves. A context sentence in the instructions for each task provides information about the speaker, topic and context of the recording. Use this information to help you to tune in to the text quickly when you hear it. 

You should pause before each recording to read through the task carefully, so you are prepared for what you hear. Use the task on the question paper to guide you through the listening text and keep your place as you answer the questions. In Part 2, you can begin to make predictions about the type of information which you need to listen for in order to complete the gaps.  

In Parts 1, 2 and 3, the questions generally follow the order of information in the recording – and therefore reflect the structure of the listening text. Be aware of how speakers provide signals that they are about to change topic, give an example, express a personal opinion, disagree with something, etc. Such signals help us to follow the thread of the speaker’s argument, and also to locate the piece of text targeted by each of the questions. Prepare for a listening task by identifying the focus of each question, so that you are ready to pay attention and retrieve the key information or ideas as you listen. 

In Part 2 sentence-completion tasks, you should write clearly when you copy your answers onto the answer sheet, using capital letters. In this part, answers will be the actual words heard in the recording. Answers generally focus on concrete pieces of information or stated opinions and are designed to be short and to fit comfortably into the space on the answer sheet. Do not give longer answers than necessary. Correct spelling is expected at this level. You should take care, however, not to focus on words that cause undue spelling difficulties as answers, and both US and British English spellings are accepted. 

Answer all the questions, even if they are not sure – there are no marks deducted for wrong 
answers, and you may have been able to predict or understand more than you realize.

DOs and DON’Ts for CAE PAPER 4 – LISTENING

For all parts of the test:

DO listen to, and read, the instructions. Make sure you understand what you have to do.

DO think about the topic, the speaker(s) and the context. This will help you when you listen.

DO use the pause before each listening to read the questions through and think about what

you need to listen for.

DO remember that your final answer is the one on the answer sheet. Copy carefully and

check that you’ve followed the numbering correctly.

DON’T leave a blank space on the answer sheet. If you’re not sure of an answer, you can

guess. You don’t lose marks for wrong answers and you’ve probably understood more than 
you think.

For Part 2:

DO remember that the information on the page follows the recording. It’s there to help.

DO check that your answer makes sense in the gap. Look at the information both before and

after the gap when checking your answer.

DO check that your answer is correctly spelled.

DO copy only the missing words onto the answer sheet.

DO try to use the actual words you hear on the recording.

DON’T try to write a long answer. Answers will be single words, numbers or short phrases which

fit comfortably into the box.

DON’T write numbers out as words – it wastes time and you’re more likely to make a mistake

(i.e. write ‘21’, not ‘twenty-one’).

DON’T repeat information which is already printed on the page.

For Part 4:

DO remember that there are two tasks and that the recording is heard twice.

DO read through both tasks in the pause before you hear the recording for the first time.

DO remember that there are two questions for each speaker, one in Task 1 and one in Task

2. You can choose in which order you answer the questions.

DON’T panic in Part 4. If you’re not sure of an answer, you can guess. You don’t lose marks for

wrong answers and you’ve probably understood more than you think.

For more information please check: www.onestop-language.com