Oral Assessment Announcement
During a listening test, you hear this announcement: 'The oral assessment will be held in Room 4 on Thursday 3 October, not Wednesday as previously announced. Candidates must arrive by 08:15; the first session begins at 08:30. Bring your candidate number and a pencil. Phones must be switched off and placed in the tray at the door. If you have a clash with another subject, report to the exam office by Tuesday 1 October, not on the day.' A classmate, Sofia, says she heard 'Room 14' and plans to arrive at 08:30. She also has a music practical on the same morning but says she will 'sort it out on Thursday'. The teacher asks you to explain the announcement to Sofia and to remind her of the deadline.
1. List the three details Sofia has misunderstood or ignored, and give the correct information from the announcement.
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Reasoning: compare Sofia's version with the announcement detail by detail; do not rely on what she thinks she heard.
- Room: Sofia heard 'Room 14'; the announcement says Room 4. 'Four' and 'fourteen' are easily confused in noise.
- Arrival time: she plans to arrive at 08:30; candidates must arrive by 08:15, because 08:30 is the first session, not the reporting time.
- Clash: she plans to 'sort it out on Thursday'; the announcement says a clash with another subject must be reported to the exam office by Tuesday 1 October, not on the day.
2. Write what you would say to Sofia in 50–70 words. Use a polite, helpful tone and include the corrections.
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Draft (56 words):
Sofia, I think you misheard the room: it's Room 4, not Room 14. We need to arrive by 08:15 because the first session starts at 08:30. Also, you shouldn't wait until Thursday to sort out your music practical-you must report the clash to the exam office by Tuesday 1 October. Shall we walk over together?
Reasoning: the reply is polite ('I think you misheard'), corrects all three details, gives the reason for the arrival time, and ends with a helpful offer rather than a criticism.
3. Why is it important to check 'Room 4' rather than simply repeat 'Room 14' louder? Explain one listening strategy.
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Reasoning: repeating 'Room 14' more loudly only reinforces the wrong decoding. Listening is not just volume; it is matching sound to context and checking details.
Answer: 'Four' and 'fourteen' are similar in rapid speech, so a wrong guess can sound confident. Repeating it louder does not test the guess. A useful strategy is to confirm key details against a written source-the notice board or exam slip-or to ask a checking question: 'Did you say Room 4 or Room 14?' Skilled listeners also note numbers and times immediately and compare them with the context (Room 4 is a normal room; Room 14 may not be an exam room).