Listening and Speaking
Listening and Speaking assesses aural comprehension and oral interaction. Listening tasks may involve announcements, conversations, or short talks followed by multiple-choice, true/false, or note-completion items. Speaking tasks may involve picture description, role play, or an interview. Both sections reward accurate comprehension and clear, sustained expression.
Listening: what is scored
- Gist: the speaker's overall purpose.
- Specific detail: times, prices, names, places, and instructions.
- Numbers and spelling: figures, dates, and proper nouns written accurately.
- Speaker attitude: agreement, doubt, or dissatisfaction signalled by tone words.
- Note completion: a word or short phrase that fits the gap grammatically.
Listening tactics
Use the pause before each recording to read the questions and predict the answer type: a time, a place, or a reason. Write as you listen, using abbreviations, then transfer answers and check spelling. Expect distractors in which a first statement is corrected later.
Worked example
Recording: "Passengers for the 8:15 train to Rohtak should note that it will now depart at 8:35 from platform 4." Question: Complete the note: Departure: ___ Platform: ___ Answer: 8:35; 4. The original 8:15 is cancelled information, replaced by "will now depart at 8:35". Writing 8:15 is the classic trap, as is writing platform 8 because the number appears near the time.
Speaking: what is scored
Fluency, pronunciation, range of vocabulary, grammatical control, and interaction. Extend every answer with a reason or example rather than replying in one word, and ask for clarification when needed.
Traps that cost marks
- Answering before hearing the correction signal "but" or "instead".
- Confusing similar sounds such as /v/ and /w/, or /θ/ and /t/.
- Delivering a memorised speech that ignores the actual prompt.
- Flat intonation that makes statements sound uninterested or unclear.