STUDY SUPPORT

Listening

Listening Skills

The main skills that you will have to show in the assessment are:

1. That you can listen carefully to a text and pick out the main argument and any potentially important pieces of information.

2. That you identify and understand key terms like purpose, audience and genre, and comment on how they are used.

3. That you can identify different features of language and comment on how they are used in the text for different purposes.

4. That you can give your personal opinion on a text and justify your opinion by referring to the text.

Listening

Before you complete your listening assessment, you should ensure that you are well prepared.

You should take notes as you learn about the six key skills you will need to pass a Listening Assessment.

1. Understanding Purpose

You will be asked to identify the main purpose of a text, then give a reason for your answer.

Programme makers create programmes for a variety of reasons.

It could be:

Purpose

To make the audience laugh

To entertain the audience

To give the audience information

To sell something/advertise to the audience

To persuade the audience of their point of viewTo warn the audience about something

To shock or frighten the audience

1. Understanding Purpose

To identify purpose, think about why the programme maker made the programme.

What did they want viewers to think or feel?Then, describe one thing from the text that

shows your answer is right.

IMPORTANT!Remember that you only pass this type of question if you identify the purpose and refer to the text as evidence.

A Good Answer

Look at the difference between answers that pass and those that would fail. What do you notice?Fail Pass

The purpose is to inform the public about dangerous dogs.

The purpose is to make the audience laugh.

The purpose is to inform the public about dangerous dogs by giving them real life examples of dog attacks.

The purpose is to make the audience laugh by showing the main character being childish and silly.

2. Understanding Audience

You will be asked to identify the main audience of a text, then give a reason for your answer.

Programme makers create programmes for a variety of different people.

The word ‘audience’ simply means who the programme makers have created the programme for.

It could be:

Audience Audience

A certain age groupA certain nationalityA certain religionPeople who do a certain job

People with a certain amount of moneyMen or women

2. Understanding Audience

To identify audience, think about who the programme maker made the programme for.

What type of viewers did they want to interest?Then, describe one thing from the text that

shows your answer is right.

IMPORTANT!Remember that you only pass this type of question if you identify the audience and refer to the text as evidence.

A Good Answer

Fail Pass

I think the target audience is mothers.

I think the target audience is mothers because the programme focuses on the dangers of children’s playgrounds and this would worry mothers in case their children were hurt.

I think the audience they are aiming at is teenagers.

I think the target audience is teenagers because the programme features people of their age with similar issues to them.

3. Identifying genre or style

Genre means what style or type of text it is.A film might be horror; adventure; romantic; historical;

science fiction; comedy; western; mystery or crime. Many TV programmes will follow the same pattern.

On TV, we might also think about a news documentary; an entertainment show; a magazine show; a soap opera; a quiz; an interview show or a live sports broadcast.

IMPORTANT!Remember that you only pass this type of question if you identify the genre and refer to the text as evidence.

A Good Answer

Fail Pass

I think this is a news programme.

I think this is a comedy show.

I think this is a news programme because it is dealing with issues that affect us today.

I think this is a comedy show because it makes the audience laugh and it is not about anything serious.

4. Picking out main facts or arguments

To do this, you need to write down the main points or ideas the programme is making. Try to put some of the information into your own words.

You need to answer in detail and make the right points.

4. Picking out main facts or arguments

Here is a transcript from a typical news programme giving information on the problems you may come across travelling in areas of South Africa.

Summarise the main points into 4 bullet points.

Extract

“When travelling around, it is important to remember to carry official documentation, such as passport and visas with you at all times. If travelling by car, from time to time there are road blocks, manned by the army, where you will have to pay to pass through. If you are flying, it is important to choose carefully which airline you use. Some have a very poor safety record. Recently, it has become easier to move around the country, but it is important to be aware of the places that are off limits.”

4. Picking out the main facts or arguments

The main points or facts from the text are:

You need to remember to carry your passports and visas.

There may be road blocks.Some airlines have bad safety records so

choose your airline carefully.Some areas are still off limits.

5. Identify and comment on simple features of language

This is similar to a word choice question in Close Reading.

This requires you to recognise certain features of language and comment on them.

IMPORTANT!Remember that you only pass this type of question if you identify the techniques and make a comment on how they are used.

Dramatic or Emotive Word Choice

A speaker will sometimes choose to use powerful, dramatic or moving words to engage the audience in their argument and make their points seem serious and important.

Example

‘This is a massive problem for the people of this area. We will lose hundreds and hundreds or job if this factory closes. The local people will be devastated. This is a nightmare.’

Which words have been chosen for their emotive effect (their ability to create emotion)?

Dramatic or Emotive Word Choice

To answer these types of questions, quote the word choice and comment on it, showing how it adds to the speaker’s argument. Fail Pass

The word “massive” is good word choice.

The speaker lets us know “80% more children will live”.

The word “massive” shows us how huge the problem is and so makes us realise what a serious issue this is.

The speaker lets us know “80% more children will live” which makes us realise what a massive improvement it is.

Tone

You may be asked to identify the tone a speaker is using and give evidence to justify your answer.

The tone may be: Tone

angryupsetshockedhumorousrelaxed

criticalnervousseriousexcitedcalm

Tone

To answer these types of questions, identify the tone and justify your answer with evidence from the text.

Fail Pass

The man speaks in an angry tone.

The presenter is upset.

The man speaks in an angry tone using dramatic words like “furious” and “rage” to show how strongly he feels.

The presenter is clearly upset as he is stuttering and crying when he speaks.

Repetition

A speaker will sometimes choose to use certain sentence structures in their speech. Some of these include:

Repetition

This is where a speaker repeats the same word or phrase several times. This is usually to emphasise their point and make sure their audience remember it.

“Teenagers are eating far too many fatty snacks. Teenagers are drinking far too many sugary drinks. Teenagers are having far too little exercise. No wonder the younger children are always ill”

Rhetorical Questions

Sometimes speakers use a question to make the audience think more about what they are saying. They can start their speech with a rhetorical question to get the audience interested. They may also finish their speech with a question to leave the audience thinking about their topic.Rhetorical Question

What would you do if your home was robbed? Do you have the right to defend yourself?

Lists

Speakers can often use lists to emphasise to the audience how much or how many things they are talking about.

Lists

The cost of petrol has increased; heating bills have gone through the roof; clothes cost more than ever; filling the tank in the car can be a strain and now even basic food prices have rocketed.

Contrast

Speakers often use contrast to emphasise their point to an audience. This is when you describe one thing and then the opposite to emphasise the difference to the audience.

Contrast

While half of the people in this country live in desperate poverty, there are a few super rich individuals whose wealth is unbelievable.

A Good Answer

Fail Pass

The man lists all the things that still need repaired in his house after the storm.

The speaker contrasts the cold weather in Scotland in the winter with the warmer weather in Spain.

The presenter uses a rhetorical question to ask if we think mobile phones should be banned in schools.

The man lists all the things that still need repaired in his house after the storm to emphasise how much damage was done.

The speaker contrasts the cold weather in Scotland in the winter with the warmer weather in Spain to show how much nicer it is to live there.

The presenter uses a rhetorical question to ask if we think mobile phones should be banned in schools to make us think about the topic and what our opinion on the topic would be.

6. Giving your personal opinion

To answer this type of question, you must give an opinion on the text you have listened to and state a clear reason for that opinion. Fail Pass

I want to watch more of this programme because it is interesting.

I enjoyed this programme because it was funny.

I want to watch more of this programme as I want to find out what happens to the characters and how their argument is resolved.

I thought this programme was funny as the characters made jokes and spoke in an exaggerated way which was humorous.

Practise Questions

1) What do you think the purpose of this programme is? Explain your reasons for thinking this.

2) Who would be likely to watch this extract? Explain how you reached this conclusion and give evidence to support your answer.

3) What are the main ideas of this extract? Give a detailed answer and include supporting details to prove your claims.

4) Show how the language used by the speaker made a strong impression on you. Explain how the dialogue he used created this impression. Consider not only what was said, but how it was said.

 5) Does the dialogue used in this extract/ trailer make you wish to watch or listen to other extracts featuring this speaker? Give reasons for your answer.