TIPS FOR LISTENING

1. Read before you listen – predict the answer

The difficulty in any listening task is that the listeners are multi-tasking during the activity. They
are not just listening, but reading the question and writing the answer all at the same time. The tip
is to read the questions before you listen so that you know what you are listening for. It is a difficult
skill, but it can sometimes help to predict the type of answer you are looking for.
2. Read as you listen – focus on the whole question
A huge proportion of mistakes are made not because you haven’t listened well, but because you
you do not focus on the question. As you are listening, focus on the precise wording of the
question.
3. Look at 2 questions at once
One difficulty is that the answers to 2 questions often come quickly one after the other. Can you
get both answers? Maybe, maybe not: but the only way you can is if you must get ready for the
next question.
It is no problem getting one question wrong. The real problem is if you lose track of where you are
in the listening. The audio has moved onto question 15 but you are still at question 13.
4. Don’t leave the writing to the end
Sometimes candidates leave the writing part to the end, thinking that they will remember what
they heard. This does not work. There’s a lot of information so write down the answers.
5. Practice your shorthand
You do not have to write everything that you down: you have 10 minutes at the end to copy your
answers onto the answer sheet. So what you need to do is to learn how to write down enough for
you to recognise as you are listening so that you can write it out in full later.
6. Check your spelling
It is a requirement to spell words in listening. If you get any spelling wrong, you lose the mark.
Therefore, check your spelling before handing in your paper.
7. Don’t write the answer too quickly
Sometimes you hear what you think is the answer but the speaker goes on to correct themselves
or give slightly different information:
8. Don’t leave any blank answers
There are 2 reasons for this. Firstly, your guess may well be correct. Secondly, there is a danger if
you leave a blank that you write the answers in the wrong boxes.
9. Listen for repeated information
This doesn’t always work, but sometimes the words that are the answer are repeated: if you need
to make a guess choose the words you hear repeated, they could well be answer.

10. Look for clues in the question

A frequent method of finding answers is to find clues by looking at the other information in the
text given.