Listening Section 3
- is a dialogue
- has 2 or more people discussing an Academic subject
- is often a student talking to another student or tutor
- is sometimes an expert being interviewed on an academic subject
The normal rules apply to all parts of the Listening Test:
- Read the title, if there is one
- Read through the questions
- Anticipate answers
- Guess the gaps
- Check your spelling
- Avoid distractors
- Listen for synonyms
However, because it is usually a dialogue, with 2 people trying to agree on something like
- how to prepare their project or presentation,
- how to improve the resource centre,
- how to write their dissertation,
there are a very clear signals and signposts that you need to train yourself to become more aware of.
These will lead you to the answers.
Things to notice:
- Emphasis
- Ordering and numbering
- Fillers
- Questions
- ‘That’s good, but…’
- Negative tones
- End of sentences
- Suggestions
- New points
- Rhetorical questions
For more details on all of these points, please see my lesson:
‘How to recognise signals and signposts in Listening Part 3′.
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