Speaking, Listening, and Viewing
This domain covers three connected skills: listening carefully to instructions and ideas, speaking clearly in groups and presentations, and viewing media critically. Questions may ask what a speaker's main point was, what a listener should do next, how a poster or advertisement is trying to affect its audience, or which response shows respectful discussion.
Listening for detail and order
- Multi-step instructions depend on order and on sequence words: before, after, once, then, unless. Note what must happen first.
- A good listener asks a clarifying question when a step is unclear (Do you mean before or after we label the map?) and restates key ideas in their own words.
- Summarizing a speaker means naming the main point plus one or two supports - not repeating every word.
Speaking in groups and presenting
- Organize a short talk: introduce the topic, give two or three points with examples, then close.
- Adjust volume, pace, and word choice to the audience; clarity matters more than loudness.
- Take turns, build on others' ideas (Adding to what Devon said…), and disagree with the idea, not the person.
- Eye contact and a visual aid should support your words, not replace them.
Viewing media critically
Every image is a choice. Look at camera angle, colour, music, and the people shown, then ask: Who made this? Who is it for? What do they want me to feel or do? A close-up of a smiling face, a bright logo, and the word only are persuasive techniques, not facts.
Worked example
A poster shows a smiling runner holding a water bottle, a sunrise behind her, and the line The only bottle you'll ever need. Question: What is the poster mainly trying to do? A. Explain how bottles are manufactured B. Persuade viewers to buy the bottle C. Tell a story about a race D. Give directions to a track Reasoning: Manufacturing details are absent, so A is out. There is no plot or sequence of events, so C is out; directions are absent, so D is out. The smiling athlete, sunrise colours, and the absolute word only are emotional and persuasive signals aimed at buyers. Identify the technique first, then name the purpose.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating a claim in an advertisement as a proven fact.
- Describing an image (there is a girl) instead of analysing its effect.
- Answering the speaker's tone when the question asked for the main idea.
- Jumping in with an opinion instead of building on the previous speaker.