CHAPTER 4: ASSESSING LISTENING SKILLS

Exercise 1:

Match the six types of listenning (1-6) to the examples (a-f)

1. Reactive listening, focussing just on a) A classroom drill in which the

the sounds heard students try to copy words and phrases
that they hear
2. Intensive listening, focusing on the
b) Discussing with classmates about
form of the language what kind of present to buy for your
3. Responsive listening, showing English teacher
c) Following simple instructions: stand
understanding
up, open the door, pick up your bag,
4. Selective listening, picking out draw a box
important information such as dates, d) Listening and identifying how many
words you hear or deciding which
times, locations.
sounds are questions and which are
5. Extensive listening, understanding statements
longer texts and connecting the ideas. e) Listening to a five-minute lecture on
6. Interactive listening combining the internet and taking notes
f) Listening to announcements in a train
listening with speaking – and sometimes station to find the time and platform of
other skills as well. your train
Key: 1-a 2- d 3-c 4-f 5-e 6-b

Exercise 2:
Choose the appropriate CEFR level for thess descriptions.
Remember that A1 is the lowest and C2 the highest level.
1. Can understand the main points of radio news bulletins and simpler recorded material
about familiar subjects delivered relatively slowly and clearly.
A. A2

B. B1

C. B2
2. Can keep up with an animated conversation between native speakers.
A. A2
B. B1
C. B2
3. Has no difficulty understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or
broadcast, delivered at fast native speed.
A. B2
B. C1
C. C2
4. Can understand simple directions relating to how to get from X to Y, on foot or with
public transport.
A. A1
B. A2
C. B1
5. Can easily follow complex interactions between third parties in group discussion and
debate, even on abstract, complex unfamiliar topics.
A. B2
B. C1
C. C2
6. Can follow speech that is very slow and carefully articulated, with long pauses for
him/her to assimilate meaning.
A. A1
B. A2
C. B1
Key:
1. B 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. A
Exercise 3:
Decide whether you agree or disagree with a number of statements about
recordings used in assessing listening skills.

1. The recording must include key vocabulary and

I don’t have
grammar points I have taught. I agree I disagree
an opinion
2. Only native speakers of English should be on the
recording.

3. The people should speak slowly and clearly so that

students can understand.

4. The language used has to be completely accurate,

with no grammar mistakes.

5. The recording must be authentic: if it is a news

broadcast, it ought to come from the BBC or CNN,
not from an EFL text book.

6. There shouldn’t be any words or expressions that

the students are not expected to know.

7. The topic should be something that the students

have studied.

8. The recording should be a kind of listening text that

the learners have experienced in class before.

9. It’s a good idea to use written stories from

newspapers or magazines and read them aloud.

Key:
1. The recording must include key vocabulary and grammar points I have taught.
 Although it is often best to use recordings that mostly include language that students
know, listening is not only a matter of grammar and vocabulary, and assessment should
focus on listening abilities – recognizing and understanding sounds and understanding
listening texts, not grammar.
2. Only native speakers of English should be on the recording.
 Listening in the classroom should reflect what learners will need to do outside the
classroom. All users of English will need to listen to, and understand, non-native
speakers as well as native speakers.
3. The people should speak slowly and clearly so that students can understand.
 It is reasonable to use slow, simplified language with learners in the early stages of
studying English. But it’s also important to help learners become familiar with natural-
sounding speech as soon as possible so that they become attuned to it.
4. The language used has to be completely accurate, with no grammar mistakes.
 It is sometimes argued that learners should only be presented with perfectly accurate
speech so that they do not learn bad habits, but natural, fluent speech is characterized by
inaccuracy. If learners only hear accurate recordings, they will be unprepared for
listening in the real world.
5. The recording must be authentic: if it is a news broadcast, it ought to come from the
BBC or CNN, not from an EFL text book.
 Hearing the language as it used outside the classroom is useful, but it can also be
overwhelming for learners. Simplified recordings may also be useful. It should be
remembered that news broadcasts are only one kind of listening text. They are partly
scripted and do not involve much spontaneous conversation.
6. There shouldn’t be any words or expressions that the students are not expected to
know.
 Students may benefit from some practice in listening to texts that include a lot of
language that they don’t know.
7. The topic should be something that the students have studied.
 At lower levels learners find it difficult to follow unfamiliar topics. Using new topics
in an assessment may prevent learners from showing their listening ability. At higher
levels, it may sometimes be important to assess whether listeners are able to listen to
learn about new subjects.
8. The recording should be a kind of listening text that the learners have experienced
in class before.
 Assessments should not generally involve kinds of text that learners have never
experienced before.
9. It’s a good idea to use written stories from newspapers or magazines and read them
aloud.
 Recordings should reflect spoken language. Spontaneous speech is very different to
writing. Reading from a book or newspaper – or from a play or scripted dialogue – is not
generally a good way to prepare a listening task. It is usually better to improvise based on
an outline or list of topics.