fce_hb_samp_p4.pdf

PAPER

LISTENING

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

STRUCTURE AND TASKS

Paper format

The paper contains four parts.

Each part contains a recorded

text or texts and

corresponding comprehension

tasks.

PART 1

Task type

Multiple-choice.

and focus

Gist, main points, detail, function, location, roles

and relationships, mood, attitude, intention,

feeling or opinion.

Timing

Approximately 40 minutes.

Format

A series of short unrelated extracts, of

approximately 30 seconds each, from monologues

or exchanges between interacting speakers. There

is one multiple-choice question per text, each with

three options.

No. of parts

No. of questions 30.

Task types

Multiple-choice, note taking,

blank filling sentence

completion, multiple

matching, selection from two

or three possible answers.

No. of Qs

PART 2

Task type

Note taking, blank filling or sentence completion.

Task focus

Understanding gist, main

points, detail or specific

information, or deducing

meaning.

and focus

Gist, main points, detail or specific information.

Format

A monologue or text involving interacting speakers

and lasting approximately 3 minutes.

Text types

Monologues: answerphone

messages, information lines,

commentaries, radio

documentaries and features,

instructions, lectures, news,

public announcements,

publicity and advertisements,

reports, speeches, stories and

anecdotes, talks.

Interacting speakers:

conversations, discussions,

interviews, quizzes, radio plays,

transactions.

No. of Qs

10.

PART 3

Task type

Multiple matching.

and focus

Gist, main points, detail, function, location, roles

and relationships, mood, attitude, intention,

feeling or opinion.

Format

Five short related monologues, of approximately

30 seconds each. The multiple matching questions

require selection of the correct option from a list of

six.

No. of Qs

Answer format

Candidates are advised to

write their answers in the

spaces provided on the

question paper. There will be

five minutes at the end of the

test to copy the answers onto

the separate answer sheet.

Candidates indicate their

answers by shading the correct

lozenges or writing the

required word or words in a

box on an answer sheet.

PART 4

Task type

Selection from 2 or 3 possible answers.

and focus

Gist, main points, detail or specific information.

Format

A monologue or text involving 2 or more speakers

and lasting approximately 3 minutes. The

questions require candidates to select between 2

or 3 possible answers, e.g. true/false; yes/no; three-

option multiple-choice; matching which speaker

said what, etc.

No. of Qs

Marks

Each correct answer receives

one mark.

fce examination | paper 4: listening

The four parts of the

Listening paper

PART 3 – MULTIPLE MATCHING

In Part 3, the focus is on the skill of listening for gist. Candidates

need to match an option to the correct speaker.

PART 1 – MULTIPLE-CHOICE

Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 42, 47 and 49.

This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for gist and detail in a

range of short texts with a variety of focuses.

Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 1 mark.

Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 41, 44 and 49.

Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark.

Candidates listen to five short pieces with different speakers,

which are related in some way. For example, they may all be

speaking about aspects of the same subject, such as travel, or

about similar experiences or objects, such as journeys or

vehicles. Alternatively, the link may be functional, such as a

series of different speakers asking for information, or

apologising.

The eight questions in this part of the paper are presented

both on the question paper and on the recording, so that

candidates are led carefully through them. The testing focus is

spelled out in each question, for example:

• What is her job?

PART 4 – SELECTION FROM 2 OR 3 POSSIBLE

ANSWERS

• Where is he going?

• Who are they talking about?

In Part 4, there are a number of possible task formats. This part tests

candidates’ ability to listen for the gist or detail of a longer text.

• What emotion/attitude/feeling/opinion is being

expressed?

PART 2 – NOTE TAKING, BLANK FILLING

OR SENTENCE COMPLETION

Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 43, 48 and 49,

and pages 50–51.

Each correct answer in Part 4 receives 1 mark.

This part tests candidates’ ability to listen for specific words or

phrases and produce written answers in response to the sentence or

note prompts.

The seven questions in this part of the paper may take several

forms; some tasks have two alternatives for each question and

others have three.

Sample task, tapescript and answer key: pages 42, 46 and 49.

Two alternatives:

Each correct answer in Part 2 receives 1 mark.

• Is the view expressed by any of the speakers? – Yes/No

The ten questions in this part of the paper may take the form

of notes with gaps in them, table completion or incomplete

sentences. The questions follow the order of the information

in the conversation. Candidates do not need to write a full

sentence as most answers will be one to three words in length.

The word, number or phrase heard on the recording will make

sense in the notes or sentences on the question paper. Minor

spelling errors are not penalised, but the candidate’s intention

must be clear. Candidates will not be asked to spell words

which are above FCE level. However, spelling must be correct

where a word has been spelled out letter by letter, for example

where the key is a proper name.

• Does the statement conform with what is in the text? –

True/False

Three alternatives:

• Three-option multiple-choice – A, B or C.

• Matching who said what. In this task, candidates must

select which of two speakers expresses an

opinion/feeling, etc., or whether both agree – X, Y or

Both.

• Matching which thing or person does or says something,

for example in a discussion comparing three schools,

‘which school offers what?’, or in a discussion about

three job applicants, ‘which person has which skills?’, –

A, B or C.

fce examination | paper 4: listening

Recording information

Students should be reminded that the information on the

question paper is there to help them follow as they listen.

The instructions for each task are given in the question paper,

and are also heard on the recording. These instructions

include the announcement of pauses of specified lengths,

during which candidates can familiarise themselves with the

task and, for some items, predict some of the things they are

likely to hear.

Remind students that they should write their answers for

Part 2 clearly when they copy them onto the answer sheet,

using capital letters if they are not sure about their

handwriting.

Students should get used to answering all the questions,

even if they are not sure – they’ve probably understood more

than they think.

Each text is heard twice. Recordings may contain a variety of

accents corresponding to standard variants of English native

speaker accent, and to English non-native speaker accents

that approximate to the norms of native speaker accents.

Students shouldn’t be distracted by individual words and

phrases in Parts 1, 3 and 4. They should listen to the whole

message.

Preparation

Students should know when to stop concentrating on a

question which they are finding difficult, so that they don’t

miss the next question.

General

By part

Students’ ability to understand what they hear can improve

dramatically if they are regularly exposed to audio materials:

the more English they hear, the more readily they will pick out

individual words, then phrases and sentences. A daily learning

programme which includes a ‘hearing English’ component

from audio or video recordings will help prepare students for

the Listening test. This should include a range of voices,

accents and styles of delivery.

PART 1

Candidates can be distracted by hearing words or phrases

in the text which appear in one of the incorrect options. They

need to practise spotting such mismatches, and

understanding why they are wrong.

Try using a variety of short practice texts. The questions

should range from people to places, from opinions to events,

from relationships to reasons. Provide the text and options,

but get the students to write the questions themselves.

Classroom discussion activities provide an invaluable

source of listening practice.

Encourage students to identify the stressed syllables and

words in a listening text (the ones which carry the message)

rather than trying to listen for every single syllable.

For example:

You overhear a man talking about a film he watched last

night.

In order to build up confidence, get students to read a

summary of what they are going to hear before they listen to

the full text.

(Students suggest a question)

OPTIONS

A : a car

B : a family

C : a robbery

Make students aware of how much they themselves bring

to a listening task. For example, discuss with them what they

can expect to hear, e.g. names and places when they turn on

the news, or numbers and times if they listen to railway

announcements.

TEXT

MAN : It’s so difficult to get everyone to agree about what we’re

going to watch on TV. Is it the same in your house? Last

night, for example, there were three films on. There was

that one with the four sisters and their mother, during

the American civil war. Do you know the one I mean? I’d

been looking forward to seeing it for ages. But the others

had different ideas. Jessie was eager to see some cartoon

thing about a car, but Lizzie wanted a thriller about two

bank robbers. And rather than give in to each other, they

both went with my choice – actually, we all enjoyed it!

Try changing the focus of the tasks they do in class –

sometimes ask students to listen for specifics, sometimes for

overall summaries.

Students should practise listening to and reading the

rubric, so that they are sure they understand what they are

listening for, and what they have to do.

Remind students that they should use the time allowed

before each recording to read through all the questions

carefully, so they are prepared for what they hear.

fce examination | paper 4: listening

PART 2

PART 4

Preparation for this part should include lots of exposure to

simple gap-fill listening exercises, and dictation of numbers

and dates.

In preparing for multiple-choice questions, it can be useful

for students to answer questions in their own words before

they look at the options; they can then decide which option

seems to correspond most closely to their own answer.

Students need to get into the habit of reading not only the

text in front of the gap, but also the text which follows the

gap, which may affect their answer. You can reassure them

that the tested items come in the same order as they are

heard on the recording.

With true/false alternatives, rephrasing the statement as a

question can be helpful.

Draw your students’ attention to the fact that sometimes a

key word in the text will make an otherwise attractive-looking

option wrong, for example extreme words such as ‘everybody’,

‘never’, or ‘completely’, and words with a negative meaning,

such as ‘deny’ or ‘fail’.

Candidates sometimes write too much, either by including

unnecessary detail, or by trying to rephrase what they hear on

the tape, and this can spoil what would have been a correct

answer. Remind your students that three words is normally all

that is required.

PART 3

It is really important for candidates to use the time they are

given to read through the questions, since they need to have a

clear idea of what they are listening for. Students could

practise doing the exercise with the tapescript, so that they

can see the kind of matching required. Other relevant

exercises would be any which practise ‘saying the same thing

in a different way’.

If students are at all unsure about an answer, they should

wait for the second listening before making their final

decision. Making too quick a decision may mean that a

candidate ‘uses up’ an answer that belongs to another

speaker, so one error automatically becomes two.

fce examination | paper 4: listening

Part 1

You hear a scientist talking about a slimming diet which is used by people who

want to lose weight.

You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions

1-8

, choose the best answer

(

What does she say about the diet?

It can have useful results.

You hear an announcement on the radio.

It may have harmful effects.

What kind of programme is being advertised?

It might get scientific approval.

a quiz show

You overhear a woman talking on the phone.

a documentary

Who is she speaking to?

a drama series

a builder

You hear part of a talk on the radio.

a hotel manager

What is the woman talking about?

a shop assistant

a local celebration

You hear someone talking about the work he does supplying fruit and vegetables.

a history expert

When does he receive most of the orders?

a guided walk

in the morning

You hear a man talking about a restaurant he runs on a Caribbean island.

in the afternoon

What is he doing when he speaks?

in the evening

asking for help with a continuing problem

You overhear a woman talking to a friend.

explaining how a problem occurred

What is she doing?

advising on how to avoid a problem

offering him something

You overhear a woman talking to her colleague.

complaining about something

Where does the woman work?

suggesting something

in a publisher’s office

in a school

in a bookshop

0102/4/2 Mar03

[Turn over

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: