CENTRO DE IDIOMAS

GUIDELINES TO DESIGN LISTENING EVALUATIVE TASKS

SEMESTER 2020-2

As the current global health situation demands the education sector to change from the in-situ
pedagogical perspective to the online or virtual one; we must ensure the inclusion of a different
approach to teaching, learning, and evaluating that matches the virtual context. That is why, we would
like to provide you with the necessary tools to prepare, design and apply evaluative tasks that comply
with the current needs. Therefore, professors are expected to draw on the following guidelines.

PLATFORM TO APPLY THE TASK

To apply this evaluative task, we recommend you to:

✓ Use Cvirtual platform (institutional platform) which is the most reliable and complete platform
to apply this type of tasks and if you have experience using such platform.
✓ Use a Microsoft Forms which is available in the Microsoft TEAMS.

STRUCTURE OF THE LISTENING TASK

State the percentage: present the general percentage assigned to the task is 20% (use the heading to do
so)

Purpose: the purpose of the task must be highly related to the levels of comprehension, please check the
following chart where we present the listening skills, and the type of tasks-exercise to be assessed:

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 Chart 1:
Levels of listening Listening skills Types of listening tasks-
comprehension exercises
✓ Identify the main ideas to get ✓ Distinguishing phonemes ✓ Dictation
a general understanding. ✓ Understanding intonation for ✓ Multiple choice
✓ Listen for specific / factual meaning ✓ Multiple matching
information. ✓ Listening for gist and main ✓ Gap filling/cloze
✓ Infer or deduce what the idea ✓ True/false/not given
speaker means, even though ✓ Listening for detail ✓ Map labelling
it is not clearly stated (e.g. ✓ Listening for inference and ✓ Note taking
the speaker’s attitude toward making deductions ✓ Short answer questions
the topic). ✓ Determining speaker’s intent ✓ Summary completion
or attitude
✓ Understanding
humour/irony/sarcasm/etc.
Text types (audio recordings or videos)
✓ Monologues: speeches, lectures,
✓ Dialogues and conversations: debates, interviews, survey, etc.
Information taken and adapted from www.britishcouncil.org

Number of tasks-exercises: we suggest you design minimum three (3) exercises maximum five (5)
total. You can divide the exercises depending on the skills you want to assess, the time you had in class
to prepare students to do this task and the resources selected. Each audio must have minimum 1 type of
exercise and maximum 3. You can use the same resource for more than one exercise.

Number of audio recordings or videos: you must include minimum two (2) different audio recording
or videos, maximum five (5). Pay attention to length of each resource, no less than 30 seconds and no
more than 3 minutes.

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Number of items per exercise: each exercise you design must have minimum five (5) items and
maximum ten (10) items. See the sample at the bottom of this document.

Instructions of each exercise: write the instructions bearing in mind the following:
a. Describe the type of audio you will use a recording or a video of a live speech, conversation,
debate, interview, survey, etc.
b. Context or topic of the audio: what the people are talking about, discussing, or presenting.
c. Type of exercise to be developed: answering questions, completing charts, matching, etc.
d. Number of repetitions: state the number of repetitions, depending on the level of difficulty. It
is suggested minimum two (2) times and maximum three (3) times.
e. Number of marks, points, or percentage for each item in each exercise: state in a clear
manner the number of points for each item proposed.
f. Any specific format they need to follow or use: a chat, use arrows, etc.

Grading and feedback: for listening tasks, you do not need to design a rubric. If you establish clear
instructions where you clarify the number of points per items, that will suffice. Feedback must be
shared; the score and comments must be explained right after the evaluative event (following session).
Sources/credits: Include the source in case you used information from other tasks. Give credit to
yourself if you designed the task or adapted it from someone else. Also write the date (month and year)
when you prepare the task.
Format for the listening task: you should send a draft of your tasks in a word file to your support
teacher before uploading it to the platform. Use the same format as in previous semesters.
Samples of purpose/type of task/instruction: suitability of the task depends on the linguistic abilities
and knowledge of students, as well as on the course content that was covered during lessons and the type
of exercises used in class.

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Chart 2:
PURPOSE TYPE OF TASK SAMPLES OF INSTRUCTIONS
Identifying Fill in the Listen to Andrea describing her family. Answer the questions
vocabulary and blanks/Cloze below, choose a, b, or c. You will listen to the recording 2 times.
meanings Each item value is _____.
Selecting/relating Listen to Andrea describing her family. Chose the family tree
relevant information that corresponds to the description of her family. You will listen
to the recording 2 times. Each item value is __.
Match
Understanding main Watch the video about health issues and match them with the
Picture or diagram
or stated information photograph of the people who made them. You will listen to the
description or
recording 2 times. Each item value is ____.
matching
Inferencing and Listen to the recording of two people talking about modern
making deductions housing. Match what the characters said, and the functions. You
will listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value is_
Classifying Chart/ Listen to a journalist talking about housing in Medellín. Then
information diagram completion complete the diagram below showing the different types of
housing. You will listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value
is ____.
Listening for detail Chronological Listen to an expert talking about economy. Complete the
sequence sentences with one of the following words/facts. You will listen
to the recording 2 times. Each item value is ____.
Ordering Listen to Pat`s describing her trip to South America, then look at
information/picture the photos Pat took on her trip. Put them in the order in which
cued they were taken. Write numbers from 1 to 6 next to each photo.
You will listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value is ____.
Selecting main ideas True and false -Listen to a conversation between Pat and Maria, they are talking
(who, what, where, about their trip to South America. Look at the phrases and choose
when, how, why) the idea that best summarizes the main idea. You will listen to
the recording 2 times. Each item value is ____.
Identifying author`s Open ended Listen to people talking about cities around the world. Choose
intentions/purposes questions, the option that best describes the author`s intention. You will
completing listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value is ____.
sentences, multiple
choice questions

NOTE: For open ended type of exercises, you must lower the level of subjectivity by asking
students to use or write only key information and you shall make sure that syntax, spelling or
grammar errors do not interfere when judging students’ performance.

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 SAMPLE OF A LISTENING TASK

ENGLISH 1- 20%
LISTENING TASK

NAME: _____________________________________________ ID ______________________

DATE____________________ COURSE CODE ____________ SCORE _________________
PURPOSE: Identifying words in context, summarizing information, and making inferences
A. Listen to the first part of the recording about Mike´s life and fill in the 10 blanks with the words that you
hear. You will listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value is _____.
Hi, I'm Mike and this is my daily ____________. I get up early every day, around 6:30 and I go to the
gym for a work-out before I ______ to work. I usually do aerobic exercise for a while and then do
some weight lifting for maybe half an hour at the gym, then I'll return ___________, and as I work
from my home, I turn on my ______________ and start working on what needs to be done. I usually
skip ______________ and I'll work until about 12:00 then I'll prepare lunch and have a fairly big
__________ because I don't eat breakfast. Then after lunch, I'll go back, continue working on
_____________ or whatever I have to do for work, until about 6:00 when I usually start getting phone calls from
______________ of mine who live abroad and then in the evenings if I'm not using my time doing things with the
Internet or surfing the web, then I'm speaking to ___________on the Internet or on my phone and that pretty much sums
up my usual ___________ routines.

B. Listen to the second part of the recording about Mike´s life and answer the questions using key words. You
will listen to the recording 2 times. Each item value is _____.

Write three characteristics of Mike´s mom (only the characteristic or adjectives): ___________
Write three characteristics of Mike´s sister (only the characteristic or adjectives): __________
Summarize what they do as a family on vacation (only key words): ___________

C. Listen to the recording where Jennifer and Michael are making a list of classmates’ phone numbers and
email addresses. Complete the chart with the information that you hear. You will listen to the recording 2
times. Each item value is _____.

Name Phone Number Email address

David Medina @cup.org

Sarah Conner

Steven Carson

Nicole Johnson @cambridge.org

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 D. Watch the video of people talking about their families. Read the statements below and decide if they are True
or False. Check the correct answer and correct the false ones. You will listen to the recording 2 times. Each
item value is _____.
Statements TRUE FALSE
1. Bill has an older sister and a younger sister.
2. Janice has three older brothers and no sisters
3. Henry has one older brother, three older sisters and one younger sister.
4. Gabriela has two younger sisters and no brothers.
5. Stan has four older brothers and two younger sisters.

E. Listen to a person describing physically to other six people. Match the names of the people with the
corresponding picture. Write the names in the boxes below each picture. You will listen to the recording 2
times. Each item value is _____.
Alice Bryan Gary Tinna Rosie Tim

Exercise A and B: track retrieved from: http://www.elllo.org/english/0351/388-Mike-Routine.htm, Exercise C: retrieved from

https://goo.gl/T3E6yR, Exercise D: retrieved from https://goo.gl/FFrJN9, Exercise E: https://goo.gl/V6zuTB
Designed by Pedro Pérez Pérez, January 2019