LEARNING FOCUS «Format ofthe Listening Test * Understanding question format + Identifying question types + Previewing # Improvingyour listening ‘The Listening Test consists ofa varity of typical daily social and workplace situations, This includes conversations, news items, reports, and discussions in which people express diferent viewpoints. Refore listening o the audio Ineach part you will see a brief statement providing some context about ‘what you are about to hear. You will be required to listen for information, infer meaning, dentify main points and important details, and perform other listening tasks as you complete each part ofthe test In this unit, you wll become familiar with the overall format and the different types of questions you will find on the Listening Test, Knowing ‘what to expect on the Listening Test can make a big difference in your performance.Tsing Fo ering oa Dale Conveaon Ty 6) 0 Lette gato. Yoon ear Rene, Cesena Gi) ee Soo re A the prelisteningstatement help give context before the audio or video stars. @ ‘The tite reminds you where you are in the test. @ The audio or video plays on this page and the blue bar shows the progress ofthe audio clips. @ ‘The counsdown timer shows how much time you have left for this page. When the vimer reaches ero, the tes will move to the next part @ Use the NEXT button to move to the next part before the timer reaches zero. You cannot move back in Parts 1-3, You will only hear the questions—you © Te audio will play ONGE for each quest sill not see them, @ Glick on the circle to select the best answer. Change the answer as many times as you like, Jn Parts 1-3, each screen displays answer choices fora single question. © Allthe questions are displayed on the same page in each of Parts 4-6. © Glick on the box to see the answer choices i | ft g i tFormat of the Listening Test ‘There are six parts to the Listening Test, as well as an unscored practice task at the beginning, “There may be additional unscored items which are used for research and development purposes. You will have about 50 minutes to complete the Listening Test. The testis computer scored and it gets more difficult as you work through it. Cisteunc pan teen Foner See Listen to & dialogue between two people, divided into thre parts, and answer __| questions. _ Listen to a dialogue between two people and answer questions, Listen toa dialogue between two people and mswer questions, Listen toa news story and answer quest [istenng oa Dally Life Converation Listening for Information Listening to a News Item Listening to a Discussion ‘containing multiple _..___| Perspectives and answer questions, L About 50 minutes Understanding Question Format All questions that may apear on the Listening Test are multiple choice, and there are wo different styles, shown below. 2) Sentence-Completion Questions Shossansngisursars oleompletingn singles Ustening Fat & Usoring fo @ News tem Teeremnne ae EG | | ence te best ener ech guton onthe dns man) | tary Bee was aeces by | ammoamkiteyimes pac 2. The new workshop for sio |S narysstony rises awarenee © tence tom amet 5. Mary fel that the Canadian Lanne2 WH Questions ‘Answer cuestions that begin with words like “what,” when,” “where,” and “why” The cpsions Sr these answers may be presented as text or, In Listening Par 1, as images. The ‘themselves are given as audio only in Parts 1-3, and as text only in Parts, “enter tof | [ comer sae | = | |S smn BRNO Uslening Por 6: islening toa Dicusion oT = 1 choose the best answer to each question fom the ropcwn manu ‘wna dba ar anda eis ] | Onnbreentaent ine meas nn | © tatonee told oni at theo. | wnat oes aon nk abut oxasenaly cosings) Ose [arsccnnoresennee | Gemamonmneweet | +3. Why has business decreased? - 1 | pioneer st enn bh . | Gist anna Agisaats euiiaaatss Mateuel “These are questions that focus on understanding, "These are questions that focus on understanding These are questions that focus on drawing the overall idea ina specific details ina conclusions and making passage. passage. assumptions based on © Youmgybeaskedto | » You may be asked co information in a passage. Identify the topic, Identify key information, | You maybe asked theme, ormain ideaofa | supporting detalls, toidentify implicit Listening passage. opinions, or examples. Information, including @ speaker's purpose, tone, or attitude,Activity 1 Listen tothe audio taken from Listening Part 1, and then read the questions below. You do not need to actually answer the questions. Play Unit 1- ‘rack ‘Access the audio via the Focus L$ Resource Portals the link s found in the Introduction, 1, What is the problem? _2 Why wil the woman go tothe ea driver? —— | Identify the question type for each question above, @® reviewing ‘When each Listening part begins, star by previewing the screen to check for key information, + Determine how many speakers there are, + Identity the context. Check how many sections each audio passage has # Check how long each audio section is. @ ‘Activity 2 ‘Scan the following images and answer as many questions as you can below. Note that notall {questions may be answerable from the given information. Ustening Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving = LUsteing to Problem Solving «You haa contin 3 stn Yu wha nc ect ny one | cum eb avert ech etnCae “Usteing Part: Ustening 1 Problem Solving = | [ Ustening Pa 1: Ustening fo Problem Solving ca | (0 tisento the convertion. Yu wil her the convertion neo is abou to 1Sminues ong ~) _— apo 3), Whar will you hear? by How many speakers are there? ©) Where are the speakers? te = — | | | | &) How many sections wil the audio have? i F i i E ' i | © How long is the audio?Ustening Part 2 Ustening fe @ Daly Lite Conversation Listening to Daly Life Conversation + Ye withearconnaton tamed # eto + Unt a cn etn, Yuwie veto enone | tstening Part 2: stoning to @ Dally te Converstion =m (© Ustento te conversion. You wl hear he enverston ely ace Ii abut 15 to 2 mites lng | =) mmm ) What will you hear? b) How many speakers are there? se 4) How many sections will the audio have ©) How longis the audio:Utoning Parts tstenng te @ Discusion Listening toa Discusion Yu wl ath a onote ie. Ten esis we ae, + choc th bt nay ans ech gto [ ttering Pon 6 nino to coin | @nsructions: | Yew wach adieu ntven tes ervey. eo meee aac aa te Oo eee a) What will you watch? +b) How many speakers are there? (©) Where are the speakers? @) How many sections will the {© How longis the video? ening toa + aed expressions, seem. Most se your listening fr to watch movies or television, You coud ss variety of material will help you inevease your r “The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) we importantly listen to audio and watch videos chat ste: practice much mare enjoyable, and you mar lear reLEARNING FOCUS # Understanding Parts 1-3 # Identifying the relationship between the speakers Following a sequence of events Understanding conversational English # Note-taking Test practice The first three parts ofthe Listening Test share afew similarities: they include conversations between two people about atopic common to dally life, and you must answer multiple-choice questions. There are also some {important diferences berween these Listening parts. In order to best illustrate theve similarities and differences, Listening Parts, 3 and 3 are addressed together inthis unit,© +) Tieng Par tring orintermaton 0 ne tet ae 1) The prelistening statement in Part 1 includes text and an image. Parts 2 and 3 only include text. ing © the Part conversation audio has three setions; conversations in Parts 2 and 3 have one section cach. tn Parts -3, you will only hear the questions-—you will not see them. The number of questions iy a varies between parts. @ im Parts 1-3, you will have 30 seconds to listen to each question and select an answer,Understanding Parts 1-3 Pare Listening to Problem Solving is conversation between two strangers in which one has ‘problem, and the other is trying to help him or her solve the problem, This conversation is split into three sections, each followed by a few comprehension questions, To answer these ‘questions, you need to understand the basic facts, opinions, and details. Sometimes you will need to mske inferences. Jn Part 2: Listening toa Daily Life Conversation, you wil hear a conversation about a day-to day activity ot workplace situation. To answer the questions that follow the conversation, you need to understand the basic facts, identity paraphrases, and make note of changes in tope. ‘You may also need to make inferences, Pare 3 Listening for Information contains a conversstion where an exper is giving information ‘that is unfamiliar to the other speaker. To answer the questions following the conversation, yous need to listen for key information, understand inferences fron facts and evidence, and connect ‘When you listen to conversations on the street, at home, or in CELPIP Listening Parts, 2 and , i's helpful to identify whether the speakers know each ether and what role or position ‘hey have, Another skill you will ned is tobe able to fellow the course of the conversation and understand how ideas are connected to each other. Identifying the Relationship between the Speakers ‘When listening for the relationship between speakers in a conversation, there are two things to ‘be aware of. The first i their roles, and the second is how well hey know each other. Ustening Part 1: Ustening lo Problem Solving "Identifying Roles ‘There are two steps in identifying the role esch speaker plays. The first isto preview and Identify the roles as described inthe information sereen (sce previous image), Then, listen tothe audio, paying special attention ro information that will further develop your understanding ofthe speakers’ roles. Read the following excerpt from a conversation and note the key words and phrases that will help you infer the relationship between the speakers Man: Hey, Laura. Ifyou have a minute, "ve got something Vike to ask you about. ‘This comment about “our ‘Woman: Sure, What's on your mind? Do you have more bese and “the company” shows relationship questions? That’s what we usually talk about. ee are ‘The idea thatthe speakers are co-woreers is confirmed by the faccthat the woman identifies toth herself and Ue unr as being among the “employers™ chat “usually get together to buy a gif.” ‘Man: Not this time, This is a work thing. You know our boss has been working for the company for along time, right? Well, he's retiring next month, and since he's always been so good to me, 1" really like to get him @ retirement gift. ‘Woman: That's a great idea, Waic a minute; usualy all the employees gt other toby gf. Why are you buying im a gift on your own? Identifying Familiarity SEDATE EET TOP IEE TE TeTTOTM DET OST SPEMEETS TOGO TNS TETET OT familiarity. umilarty beoween speakers is showm through the way they talk n general, when people are familiar with each other, they tend to use less formal language; when two strangers lnceract, they are likely to use more formal expressions, Below are three excerpts from listening passages that demonstrate how the speakers’ words show what kind of relationship they have Excerpt One “Man: Okay, ma'am, your car's ready. Everything mechanical checked out fine, Rotieed har youve sil got winter tites on your car. Are you going to change By using the polite term. “ma‘am," the mans indicating that he does not know the woman, ‘Woman: Seriously? 1 just bought this cr, and it passed 2 safety inspection, What’s wrong with the tires?Excerpt'Two By using slang ike “how's it going” and informal contractionsfabbreviations like “gonna” and “uni” for “going to" and “university "it is clear that che man is friends with the woman. If they weren't friends, the use ofthe slang might be inappropriate ‘Man; Hey, how’s it going? Have you heard the news? Josh's ‘gonna get into uni after al, He actually passed that erany hard exam, Woman: Seriously? That's sweet! Good for him! Excerpt Three By calling the woman by her first name, the man is ‘demonstrating that there is some level of fmiliarity. Man: Hey, Laura. Ifyou have a minute, I've got something, A like to ask you about. ‘Woman: Sure. What’s on your mind? Do you have more relationship questions? That's what we usually talk about, ‘As discussed previously, these two speakers have been Identified as co-workers. Inaddition to this, the ‘woman's question shows ‘that the connection between the speakers is close, since ‘good friends alk about relationships. @ ccviys isten to the audio and answer the questions below, ‘Access audio via the Focus LS Resource Portal; the link is found in the Introduction. 1. How many speakers are in the passage? 2, What is the relationship between the __ 3, Are the speakers familiar with each other? speakers? ® Yes a) They are strangers b) No ) They are co-workers ©) They are classmates. 4) They are friends, Baay ELPIP Focus: Tip inELPI, bing ble to identify the relationship and level of fairy ofthe “eakers ean help you answer inference questions Q _ tvowinga sequence of vents seing blero follow the fow of eas in a conversation sa Key langue sll There ae are arofways to keep track ofthe connection between ideas, One way i to pay attention 0 ‘he provoans used nthe st speech bubble below the woman eps that “ke wash my SOP. ae prope hones” This requires you to understand that “t” refers the word “performance” oe man's question. Linking pronouns tothe correct nouns refered to earlier tee ron ia important part of understanding whats happenirginaistening activiy ‘Man: Hello there! How ‘Man: Oh, char’s too bad. ‘Man: Thanks. Just aminute ‘was the performance? ‘wel, Fl get your jacket for ‘Um «maar =. « Pm you. Could Thave your Sorry, what does your coat ‘Woman: It wasn’t my cup ‘number plesse? Took like again? of tea, to be honest. 1 guess 1 dont really like musicals. ‘Woman: Yes, it's just in my Woman: Why do you ask? Te pocket. here itis, it's #240. should be on the hanger with the matching number. {t's a black parka jacket with grey fake fur on the hood @ wiiwz aoarneracene inte seh bubbles hover answer the owing queso Wie you answers in the blanks provided, 1. tithe phrase “Oh, that’s too bad” what does “that” refer to? _ smth pltase "es, its jue in my porke.” what does “ie” refer 10? ———— 4, Inthe pase “Tt should ben the anger withthe sateFing mame what does refer to? —@ ccvsiyn Using what you have learned about following a sequence of events, listen to each track and decide which ofthe two excerpts (“A” or “B") come next in the conversetion. Write your choice Ineach box, Play Unit 2~"Traek 24, ‘A. Man: The other attendant went homie sick. I's just me. [ understand you're upser, and Pm very sorry, but if you could just come back in s minutes. If we cant find i, Pl call my supervisor. Play Unit 2 "Track 22. ‘A. Woman: Oh, thank goodness. Where was it? Play Unit2-Track 2. ‘A. Woman: I certainly hope these ‘ix ups don't happen too often. Perhaps I should complain o your Phy Unit -Track2.4. ‘A, Man: And we do hope you'l buy tickets for another shaw some time! 'B. Man: Yes, 1 will, But ifyou could just wait a few minutes. There are ‘many other peop.e waiting inline. Ymsure Pll be abe to find ic once | BB, Woman: But I already called a cab! It’s probably waicing outside for me! Gan someone elsecheck it for me? B. Man: P'l call you another one, and it will be pai for by the theatre company,[Now that you have worked on che conversation in Activity 3A, listen to theaudio and answer the questions below. Play Unit2- Tracks 31-31, 1 Play Track 3.2 8). He is simply trying to be polite 'b) Heis collecting data fora survey. ©) He was unable to watch it himself 4) He wasn actor in the performanee. Jo 2. Play Track33 |) 2) Someone has spilled tea on her coat. 'b) The attendant cannot find her coat. ©) There are wo identical winter coats 4) One ticket number goes with two coats. “Play Track 36 | 2) ‘The coat was very expensive. ©) She is very fond ofthe coat. 4) The coat is irreplaceable. 5. Play Track 37 2) He wants to call the other attendant for help. 'b) He wants to deal with the other customers. ) He wants to call his supervisor for instruction. 4) He wants to give her time to calm down, G Paytrackgs | a) toash he cab drvertowalcforber | 5 solani rer ming con ©) to retura home inthe xb right emny 2) toa inie the a for sinutes‘Play Track 310 | a) Another employee put the woman's coat on the wrong ticket. 'b) Another employee mistook the woman’s coat for her own. ©) The woman’s coat looked lke the one hanging beside it dd) The woman's coat was hidden from view by ozher coats 8, Play Track 311, 8) He gives the woman free tickets for a show. 1b) He offers to have the coat cleaned. ©) He says hel fle a complaint withthe supervisor. 4) He arranges for the theatre to pay for her cab Bookend Statements ‘Another way to connect ideas isto listen for “bookend” statements. These appear at the ‘pen and close of a conversation and serve many purposes, The first isto set the tone of the conversation. For example, ifa speaker begins 2 conversation with an angry tone and then slowly becomes more neutral, ou could infer thatthe other person is helping with the problem. The tone can also help you clarify whether the speakers know each other, since people use different tones for strangers or fiends. For example, strangers may speak to each cother with fairly neutral rone, while people who are more familiar with each other may speak with more emotion. Another purpose of a “bookend!” statement is to frame the context of the conversation. If you take the information in the opening and closing statements, you will protably be able to Understand the basic situation: what happenes and hovr it concluded. Opening statements usually involve a greeting and introduce the action, whereas closing statements usually in a farewell anda final reference to what was discussed, Play Unit 2 ~‘Track 4 and read along with the transcript below. MAN; Excuse me, could you please rll me what you're doing in my frent yard? WOMAN: I'm sorry, I didn’t think anyone was home. Ym the townhouse gardener. We're doing assessments of what trees need to be pruned or removed. (he butk of the conversation has been removed.) [MAN That's great! Did you speak with the neighbours as well? WOMAN: did. And they agreed that, for the shade, it’s worth keepingthe tree.WOMAN: No problem. Have a nice day! In this example, only a few sentences are given, However, the main idea ofthe conversation is, clear. Initially, the man seems bothered by the woman in his yard, a expressed by his frustrated ‘tone, The woman isa gardener and she is checking the trees, Between these “bookends,” there was a problem, but fiom the closing statement, its evident that the problem was solved, This {is indicated by the speakers ending the conversation witha positive tone Activity 3¢ Practice identifying “bookend” statements by reading the Following and labelling each sec as either “opening” or “closing” Jssnm ig [Yin on ib So are eee + | dark green either. be iton one shoulder now, ‘Woman: True. Anyways, it works, that's all that matters, | Thanks for your help! | "Now that you are familiar with how to identify opening and closing “bookends,” these next swe activities will expand this idea further. —@ 09°30 $$$ jten to the audiv and weite the track numbers for each opening and closing patron line below. Play Unit 2 Tracks 5.-5.4. Tracksa_| Tracksa | Tracks.s : oe G [eas ]Activity 3€ Listen tothe audio and write the track numbers fo each opening and closing paironaline [rostes [rases | tastos [mes | Play Unit 2 Tracks 63-6.6. SCCsis thas | toes ‘As demonstrated in these activities, clues tothe main ideas ofa passage can often be determined from the opening and closing statements. Being able to follow along with the ideas in a conversation like this is important on the CELPIP Test. Sometimes you might be asked a {question that requires you to understand hw the conversation developed and ifa topic was the main ideaora small deta, Understanding Conversational English One of the greatest challenges in listening ro English is clearly identifying what is being said ‘when the speckers use contractions and interjections, Contractions are made by joining words to make language more efficient. These are some of the most common contractions, Ics important ro understand the context of how the contraction is being used, especially ‘because some contractions can have multiple meanings, Interjectionsare commonly used in two ways. Sometimes interjections are used to express «emotions (“wow,” oh my,” and “thanks”. Interjections are also used when people do not know what co say next (“um,” “ub,” and “ab”, ~”@ reivitys Listen to the audio and then complete the table by writing each contraction you hear in the cnder that you hear it onthe lft side. After listening, write the full words on the right (You've > You have). Some contractions will appear more than once Play Unit 2 ~"Track 7. 2Activity 5 Listen tothe audio and practice taking notes Then compare your notes withthe sample notes inthe Answer Key. Play Unit 2~ Track mead uen Seca Wher Test Pra Using everything you have learned, play the following tracks and choose the best answer for each question Play Unit 2 ~ Tracks 9-1 Tip tn Listening Parts 1-3 n the oficial test, you will only beable to hear the passage tnd questions once, In preparation far this, ey to Hsten to each track only once 38 you answer these questions.1 Play Track 9.2 2.Play Track 93 3 Play Track 9.5, 4 Play Track 9.6 5. Play Track 9.7 L Ustening Fart 1: Uslening fo Fob a) They need to reduce expenses. 'b) They need more time to finish ©) The script needs to be changed. @) The deadline has been moved up. 4) Pleasing her client is important to her. She doesn’ like Jast minute changes ©) Spending too much on actors worries her 4) She hasan upright attitude 8) reducing the actors’ salaries ») hiring new scripe writers ©) making shorter commercial 4) improving the animation quality 4) He is working with this agency forthe first time. by He preterred the writers a the previous ad agency. ©) He is head ofthe toothpaste company. 4) Heis unconcerned about the‘tennant 4) disappointed ) angry ©) excited ) Ieis on schedule (©) Itis pending approval 4) Teneeds a new product. 8.Play Track 9.1 | a) Hea provided useful advice, ) She has enjoyed working with him, ©) He has another project for her company. 4), She has received payment forthe ad tening Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation Uslering Per 2: Ustening fo @ Daly Ule Conversation a © reactions: shee acoverstn betwen aman andra, Tey ae dicen een ies ae Phy Track io | 2) The woman offers assistance’ ') ‘The man requests information ©) The woman ask for directions. )_ The man introduces himself. ‘2 He will make i from blueberries. ») He will need alot ofberres. (©) He will add alot of sugar to it. <&) He will make it witha little honey. 3Pliy Track 10.4 | a) tocheck ifthe berries they found are safe co eat ») to read some information about bees dying ©) to see what a black raspberry looks like @) 10 finda lst of foods that need bees to grow 4-Play Track 10 | a) Theyare both allergic to bees. ») They are both grateful for bees, ) They are both afraid of bees, 1) They are both optimistic about bees,5 Play Tracki06 |») thi dappernce ) thee ability to sting ‘hei habitat their daily routine Listening Part 3: Listening for Information Ustening Par 3: Listening for information a © tacts: 2 Play Track .2 | a) The man is asking ebout current train specials. ) The man needs to book an urgent trip to Boston. ©) ‘The man wants information about train travel. 4) ‘The man is planning a family trip to Montreal 2.PiayTrackang | a) ‘The cabin would be too crowded forthe caren 1b) His children would dislike che meals offered. ©) His children would be bored on the trip. 4) _Thetickets would be too costy with the children 3 Play Track n.4 | a) Hels surprised by what the fae excludes. b) _Heis wondering if there is a deal, ©) _Heis planning to purchase a ticket. 4) _Heis curious about longer train trips 5-PlayTrack 1.6 | 2) She makes no comment about the compatison bb) Sheargues that tran service is mote enjoyable. ©) She deseribes the scenic delights of train travel. )_ She recommends the shorter trip to Montreal send a complaint about high ticket prices 1) check the website for special rates to Montreal ©) fly to Vancouver instead of taking the train ) purchase himself a round-trip ticket to Montreal