REVIEW NOTES

PROGRESS TEST I

In order to help you prepare for the upcoming Progress Test, I have some useful notes and
review strategies for you.
I. General Information
1. Structure
- The Progress Test has 2 parts:
 In-class session: a 30-minute test in class
 Post-class task: a speaking task after class
2. Main content
- The in-class test has 5 sections: Listening, Pronunciation, Vocabulary,
Grammar for Speaking & Speaking Skill
- The post-class speaking task is a 3-5-minute presentation (the topic for the
presentation will be given in the Video Recording section on Google Classroom
after the class ends)
3. Marking
- Total points: 100 points
 In-class test: 60 points
 Post-class speaking task: 40 points
II. Review Notes & Strategies
1. Listening & Pronunciation

- Important notes before listening: In the online test, you are given 30 seconds
at the beginning of each section to go over the instructions and the questions
and/or statements before the audio starts. Each section is played only ONCE,
so USE YOUR 30 SECONDS WISELY.
Remember to:

• One, read before you listen – read the instructions carefully, look
for clues in the questions and/or statements, and underline/highlight
the keywords if necessary.

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 • Two, take notes as you listen – focus on the information relevant to
the questions and/or statements only (i.e. the content words or
keywords and their synonyms and/or antonyms).
• Three, answer as you listen – write down the answer as soon as
you hear/know it.
• Four, double-check after you listen – do not leave any blank
answers. You are also given 30 seconds at the end of each section to
check your answers, so again, USE YOUR 30 SECONDS WISELY.
• Five – focus, focus, and focus.

- Predicting: Speakers giving talks usually begin by introducing themselves

or/and the topic. Listen carefully to the introduction of the topic so that you can
predict the talk will be about. Some strategies:
• Think about what you already know about the topic.

• Ask yourself questions that you think the speaker might answer.

• Listen for specific phrases that indicate an introduction (e.g., My

topic is…, Today we’re going to talk about…).
- Understanding Meaning from Context: When you’re not familiar with a
word that a speaker says, you can sometimes guess the meaning of the word
or fill in the gaps using the context or situation itself. Some strategies:
• Don’t panic. You don’t always understand every word of what
a speaker says in Vietnamese, either.
• Use context clues to fill in the blanks. What did you understand just before
or just after the missing part? What did the speaker probably say.
• Listen for words and phrases that signal a definition or
explanation (e.g., What that means is…).
- Listening Skill: Review the content in the box ‘Making Inferences’ on
page 127.
2. Pronunciation

- Review the content in the box ‘Contractions with Will’ on page 128

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3. Vocabulary

- Review all the items of vocabulary in the Vocabulary Notes of T4L6, T4L7
and T4L8
- Learn the words and their contextual meanings by heart.

- Test your understanding of the words by filling in the ‘Contextual Meaning’

and the ‘Example’ columns of the T4L9_Vocabulary Review
4. Grammar for Speaking

- Review the content in the box ‘Will and Be Going To’ on page 128.
5. Speaking Skill

- Review the content in the box ‘Asking Follow-Up Questions’ on page 130.
6. Speaking Task
- Review the content in the box ‘Using Signal Words’ on page 131.
- An organized speaker uses expressions to alert the audience to important
information that will follow. Recognizing signal words and phrases will help
you understand how a presentation is organized and the relationship between
ideas.
• Introduction: a good introduction identifies the topic and gives an
idea of how the lecture or presentation will be organized. Here are
some expressions to introduce a topic:
I’ll be talking about…
There are basically two groups…
My topic is…
There are three reasons…
• Body: In the body of a presentation, speakers usually expand upon
the topic. They often use phrases that signal the order of events or
subtopics and their relationship to each other. Here are some
expressions to help listeners follow the body of a presentation:
The first/next/final thing/point/reason I want to talk about/discuss
is…
Another reason is…
First/Next/Finally, let’s look at…
However,...

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• Conclusion: In the conclusion of a presentation, speakers often
summarize what they have said. They may also male predictions or
suggestions. Sometimes they ask a question in the conclusion to get
the audience to think more about the topic. Here are some expressions
to give a conclusion:
In conclusion,...
As you can see…
In summary,...
To review, + (restatement of main points)