Paper 2: Listening Overview

L Paper 2: Listening Overview How long is the paper? Where do candidates write their answers? How many parts are there? What will candidates listen to? How many times will candidates hear the recordings? Do candidates hear the instructions? About 30 minutes, which includes 8 minutes for candidates to transfer their answers to the answer sheet They shade lozenges (Parts 1 3) or write answers (Parts 4 5) on a separate answer sheet. Candidates write directly on to the question paper while they are listening to the recordings, and then use the 8 minutes at the end to transfer their answers to the answer sheet 5 parts with 25 questions Neutral or informal dialogues and monologues Each text is heard twice Yes Part 1 3-option multiple choice (short dialogues) 5 questions 3 visuals for each question Candidates identify the correct visual Part 2 Matching (longer informal dialogue) 5 items 8 options Candidates match the options Part 3 3-option multiple choice (longer informal or neutral dialogue) 5 questions 3 options for each Candidates identify factual information Part 4 Gap-fill (longer neutral or informal dialogue) 5 gaps to fill Candidates write one or more words or numbers in the gap Part 5 Gap-fill (longer neutral or informal monologue) 5 gaps to fill Candidates write one or more words or numbers in the gap 21

L Listening Part 1 FAQs Q What is the focus of Part 1? A In Part 1 candidates are tested on their ability to identify simple information that is factual from 5 separate short conversations. Q What kind of conversations do candidates hear? A They are between friends or relatives, or in a familiar situation such as a shop assistant talking to a customer. Q What kind of information do they have to identify? A Factual information such as prices, times, dates, directions, shapes, descriptions of people, etc. Q What form do the questions take? A On the Question paper there is a question and three multiple-choice options which are shown as pictures or drawings. Q Does the candidate have any time to read the questions before they listen to the recording? A Yes, there are pauses for candidates to look at the questions and write their answers. Task preparation It is important for students to develop key listening skills. What are these key skills? Note down your ideas, then compare them with the notes below. Key listening strategies Picking out key information (NOT listening to every word) Deducing meaning from context (NOT needing a dictionary for every word) Focusing on key words (NOT listening to every single word even if it is just structural) Ignoring unfamiliar or unnecessary words or structures In class, tell students about these different strategies and skills, and when you practise listening in class try to get students to focus on a particular skill at a time. In class you could practise by regularly telling the class a short story about yourself, e.g. your journey to school in the morning, and ask them to count the number of times you say the word school, or ask them to listen for what number bus you came to school on. 22

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools PAPER 2: LISTENING Part 1 (questions 1 5) Sample Test Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL 23

L Listening Part 2 FAQs Q What is the focus of Part 2? A In Part 2 candidates are tested on their ability to identify simple information that is factual from one longer conversation. Q What kind of conversation do candidates hear? A It is an informal conversation between two people who know each other. Q What is the conversation about? A It is usually on a subject of personal interest to the speakers that they would talk about in real life, such as what they do in their free time, travel and so on. Q What kind of information do candidates have to identify? A Candidates have to match different things, for example, people with the way they travel, or days of the week with free-time activities. Q What form do the questions take? A On the Question paper there are 2 lists set out in columns for the candidates to match. Q Does the candidate match all of the options? A No, there are 5 items but 8 options, so there are 3 options the candidate will not need. Task preparation Comment on this approach to the task. In the pause before the tape starts, I read all the people listed on the left and then all the options on the right. When I listen the first time I try to identify the key words for each option, and draw an arrow in pencil to the item. When I listen the second time I confirm my ideas. This is a good approach to take. In class, it is useful to build up vocabulary in topic areas such as the options so that students become familiar with listening for key words. Play games such as saying a word and asking students to call out as many words as they can think of connected with that word, e.g. book bookshop/ reading/pages/story. Students can also do this themselves in groups. 24

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools Sample Test PAPER 2: LISTENING Part 2 (questions 6 10) and Part 32 (questions 11 15) 6 10) Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL 25

L Listening Part 3 FAQS Q What is the focus of Part 3? A In Part 3, candidates have to identify simple information that is factual from one longer conversation. Q What kind of conversation do candidates hear? A It is an informal or a neutral conversation between two people who know each other. Q What is the conversation about? A It is usually on a subject of personal interest to the speakers that they would talk about in real life, such as daily life and routines. Task preparation Look at these students statements about Part 3 of the Listening paper. Are they true or false? What would you say to these students? 1 I don t need to listen to the instructions as I know what to do with multiplechoice questions. 2 If I read through the questions before I listen to the recording it will be easier to identify the answers. 3 If I miss the answer to one question I shouldn t worry about it I just wait for the next one. 4 There is only one answer, so if I think there are two I have made a mistake. 5 If I don t know the answer I can always guess. 6 If I don t know all the words I can t answer the question. 1 False. The instructions give the topic of the text, and also tell you which type of task you have to do. 2 True. There is time to read the questions, and doing this prepares candidates for what they are going to hear. 3 True. It is important not to panic just because one answer is missed. 4 True. If you think there is more than one answer the first time you listen, then concentrate on those possibilities the second time. There is only one answer. 5 True, but not until you have heard the recording twice and then only as a last resort. You should always be able to find the answer by using the correct listening skills. 6 False. Don t worry about words you don t know, because you may be able to guess the meaning of the word from the context. You don t need to understand every word to identify the answers to the questions, and you should not try to listen to every single word. 26

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools Sample Test PAPER 2: LISTENING Part 2 (questions 6 10) and Part 3 (questions 11 15) Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL 27

L Listening Parts 4 & 5 FAQS Q What is the focus of Parts 4 and 5? A In Parts 4 and 5 candidates are also tested on their ability to identify specific information that is factual from a conversation or a monologue, and write it down. Q What do candidates hear? A A conversation between two people or a monologue, both in a neutral, everyday context, for example in a shop, in a school, at a station and so on. The monologue may be a recorded message. Q What kind of information do candidates have to identify? A Candidates need to identify practical information, for example prices, shop opening times, train times and so on. Q How are Parts 4 and 5 different from Parts 1 3? A The listening skills are the same, but candidates have to write their answers instead of marking a lozenge. They may need to write a number, a price, a word which is spelled out on the recording, etc. Q How much do candidates have to write? A One or two words or numbers. Q Does spelling always have to be correct? A Only when a word or name has been spelled out in the recording, or when it is a simple, common word. Task preparation Which of the statements about listening do you agree with? Discuss your ideas. 1 Students should practise listening from the very first lesson. 2 The best way to prepare for the listening paper is to do exam tasks all the time. 3 Teachers should give instructions in class in English so that students get used to following instructions given in English and extracting important information. 4 Students should be encouraged to practise listening to every word so that they feel confident that they understand. 5 Students should practise listening in such a way as it is integrated with other skills. 28 1 The more students are familiar with listening, the easier they find it. Encourage students to use readers with cassettes so that they become familiar with pronunciation. 2 Of course it is important for students to be familiar with exam task types and appropriate exam strategies, but the exams test real-life listening skills and so it is more important to provide students with as much varied listening practice as possible. Coursebooks, podcasts, films and so on are very useful. 3 This is very important. Students should become familiar with everyday situations and with picking out key words. 4 No if students feel that they have to understand every word they will panic if they miss a word. It is better to develop listening skills and strategies so that they can cope even when they don t understand everything. 5 Yes. If students feel that listening is part of everything they do then they will not worry about it. Parts 4 and 5 integrate listening and writing.

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools PAPER 2: LISTENING Part 4 (questions 16 20) and Part 5 (questions 21 25) Sample Test Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL 29

L Listening Audio Scripts PAPER 2: LISTENING Tapescript for Sample Paper This is the Cambridge Key English Test for Schools Listening Sample Paper. There are five parts to the test. Parts One, Two, Three, Four and Five. 2 Which campsite did Josh stay at last year? Woman: Where did you go on holiday last year Josh? Did you go to that campsite by the sea again? Josh: We couldn t because it was full. But we found an even nicer one, in a forest. Woman: Are you going there again this year? Josh: My dad wants to try one in the mountains this year. We will now stop for a moment before we start the test. Please ask any questions now because you must NOT speak during the test. Boy: Now look at the instructions for Part One. You will hear five short conversations. You will hear each conversation twice. There is one question for each conversation. For each question, choose the right answer, A, B or C. Here is an example: Which is the girl s horse? Is that your horse over there, with the white face? 3 How much is the skirt? Sophie: Mum, will you buy me this skirt? Mother: How much is it, Sophie? I don t want to spend more than twenty pounds. Sophie: Well, this ticket says twenty-five pounds but I think everything in this part of the shop is in the sale. Mother: Oh yes, look, it s fifteen pounds. OK then, but that s the last thing I m buying today. Boy: No. Mine is the one with two white legs. Isn t she pretty? Oh yes, standing next to the black one. That s right. Would you like to ride her? The answer is A. Now we are ready to start. *** 4 What s the weather like now? Look at question 1. Boy: Pete, it s stopped raining. Shall we go out for a bike ride? 1 How many children went on the school trip? Man: Did you enjoy your school trip, James? Did everyone in your class go? Pete: Boy: I m watching TV now. Anyway, it s still cloudy. I think it s going to rain again. Oh all right. Shall we go tomorrow if it s sunny? James: Man: James: No, twelve people stayed behind, so there were eighteen of us. We had a great time. Where did you all sleep? We had small rooms with six beds in each one. It was lots of fun. Pete: Yes, OK. 5 What will the girl cook? Mum, can I do some cooking? Mother: I suppose so. What do you want to make, a cake? No one liked the one I made last week. Can I make some soup this time? 30 The audio for this text can be downloaded from www.cambridgeesol.org/resources/teacher/ket.html

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools Mother: OK. We can have it for lunch. I m cooking roast chicken for dinner tonight. This is the end of Part Two. Now look at Part Three. *** This is the end of Part One. *** Now look at Part Two. Listen to Nick talking to a friend about his birthday presents. What present did each person give him? For questions 6 10, write a letter A H next to each person. You will hear the conversation twice. Susie: Matt: Listen to Susie talking to her friend Matt about going to the cinema. For each question, choose the right answer, A, B or C. You will hear the conversation twice. Look at questions 11 15 now. You have twenty seconds. Now listen to the conversation. Hi Matt. Would you like to come to the cinema with me and Jane on Saturday? We asked Sam and Pete too but they re both busy. What are you going to see Susie? Susie: Field of Green. It s got Johnny Delaicey in it. Nick: Hi Nick. What s that you re reading? It s a book my cousin got me for my birthday. It s really interesting. Oh yes, I forgot it was your birthday. What did you get from your mum? Matt: Susie: Matt: Oh, yes, I know. He was in Sunny Day and Heart of Gold. Is it on at the cinema in the shopping centre? That one s closed. We re going to the one opposite the park. It s not on at the one by the market. And how are you getting there? Nick: Well, I asked for a new bike, but she bought me this phone instead. I can listen to music on it and take pictures! Susie: Matt: My mum can t drive us, so we re going to walk from my house. We can get the bus back afterwards. OK. What time shall I be at your house then? Nick: Oh! And what did your brother get you? A computer game? He bought me this jacket. Do you like it? It s great. Did your aunt buy you anything? Susie: Matt: Well, the film starts at four-fifteen, so come at a quarter to four. It takes about twenty minutes to get there. Fine. And how much money should I bring? Tickets are five pounds fifty aren t they? Nick: Well, she usually gives me money. But this year she got me two tickets to see a film. And what about your uncle? He knows a lot about music doesn t he? Susie: Matt: These are more. They re six pounds twenty for this film. I m taking eight pounds so I can get a drink as well. Good idea. See you later! Nick: Yes, he usually buys me a CD. But this time he gave me twenty pounds and told me to choose something myself. Nick: And did your grandmother give you anything? Well, I often get clothes from her, but this year she gave me a computer game. My brother helped her choose it! This is the end of Part Three. *** The audio for this text can be downloaded from www.cambridgeesol.org/resources/teacher/ket.html 31

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools Now look at Part Four. Now look at Part Five. You will hear a girl, Milly, asking a friend about guitar lessons. Listen and complete each question. You will hear the conversation twice. You will hear a man on the radio talking about a new TV quiz show. Listen and complete each question. You will hear the information twice. Milly: Dan: Milly: Hello Dan, it s Milly here. Hi. I m phoning to ask about your guitar lessons. My parents are thinking about buying me an electric guitar. Man: Now, listen carefully! I want to tell you about a new TV quiz show for children. It s called Answer That, and it will be on channel five at four o clock every Thursday. It will be just like the popular adult quiz show on the same channel on Monday afternoons. I m sure you ve all seen that! Dan: Oh, great. Well, the teacher I go to gives lessons every Saturday morning. Milly: What s the teacher s name? Dan: She s called Alison Gayle. She s very good. Milly: How do you spell her surname? Dan: It s G A Y L E. Milly: And how much is a lesson? My parents don t want to pay more than thirty pounds. Dan: It s twenty-six pounds fifty for an hour. But you can have a shorter lesson if you like. I pay seventeen pounds fifty for forty minutes. Milly: That sounds good. And where do you have the lessons? At her house? Dan: That s right. She lives at 34 Purley Lane. It s close to the city centre. You ll find it easily. Milly: Have you got her phone number? Dan: Yes, it s 01253 664 783. Milly: Thanks Dan. I ll call her tonight. Dan: OK. Make sure you call between six o clock and nine o clock. She doesn t like it if people call later than that. Milly: All right. Thanks for your help Dan. Every week there will be forty-eight children on the programme. They will be in eight teams, and each team will have six children. The questions will be easy at the beginning of the quiz and then they will get more difficult. They will all be about films, music and TV. At the end there will be only one team left the winners. There will be some great prizes. This week the winners will all get a new camera. Everyone loves taking photos. Next week the first prize is a laptop. If you would like to be on Answer That, then call 05735 789 655. Just give your name, age and school address, and maybe you will be on TV soon! This is the end of Part Five. *** You now have eight minutes to write your answers on the answer sheet. You have one more minute. This is the end of the test. This is the end of Part Four. *** 32 The audio for this text can be downloaded from www.cambridgeesol.org/resources/teacher/ket.html

L Listening Answer Key PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE PART FOUR PART FIVE 1 C 6 F 11 B 16 (Alison) GAYLE 21 Thursday (s) 2 B 7 D 12 C 17 ( ) 26.50 (per hour) Thurs 3 A 8 C 13 B 18 city centre 22 8 4 C 9 G 14 A city center eight 5 A 10 E 15 B 19 01253 664 783 23 (Films, TV and) music 20 (before) 9 (.00) (o clock) (p.m.) 24 (a new) camera (before) NINE (o clock) (p.m.) 25 05735 789 655 Brackets ( ) indicate optional words. Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL 33

Activate! Teaching KET for Schools Answer Sheet: Listening Answer sheet Candidate Name If not already printed, write name in CAPITALS and complete the Candidate No. grid (in pencil). Candidate Signature Examination Title Centre Supervisor: If the candidate is ABSENT or has WITHDRAWN shade here Instructions Use a PENCIL (B or HB). Centre No. Candidate No. Examination Details KET Paper 2 Listening Candidate Answer Sheet Rub out any answer you want to change with an eraser. For Parts 1, 2 and 3: Mark ONE letter for each question. For example, if you think C is the right answer to the question, mark your answer sheet like this: 0 A B C 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 Part 1 1 A B C 2 A B C 3 A B C 4 A B C 5 A B C Part 2 6 A B C 7 A B C 8 A B C 9 A B C 10 A B C D E F G H D E F G H D E F G H D E F G H D E F G H Part 3 11 A B C 12 A B C 13 A B C 14 A B C 15 A B C For Parts 4 and 5: Write your answers in the spaces next to the numbers (16 to 25) like this: 0 Part 4 17 1 18 0 18 19 Do not write here 1 16 16 0 1 20 0 20 1 1 17 19 0 0 Do not write here Part 5 21 1 21 0 22 1 22 0 23 1 23 0 24 1 24 0 1 25 0 25 KET L DP314/088 34 Reproduced from the KET for Schools Handbook for Teachers with the permission of Cambridge ESOL