Friday, October 25, 2013
Are you having problems listening to English conversations? Have you experienced misunderstanding words that you end up confused?
There are some people who really find listening to English conversations a little difficult, most especially if the speakers are using Australian accent or British Accent. American accent is somehow far better to understand than the two accents mentioned earlier. In addition, there are times that individuals feel a little awkward and sometimes even feel nervous when asked to listen to English conversations. Furthermore, if you are an individual taking the International English Language Testing System examination or the IELTS exam, you had better develop and sharpen your listening skill for it is surely to be tested and evaluated in the examination. Having this said, what are some effective techniques for the listening section of the IELTS examination?
• Familiarity with words spoken in Australian or British accent.
In the listening section, you are sometimes asked to fill in the blanks regarding information found in the conversation or audio recording. Certain words are pronounced quiet differently in the accents mentioned compared to American English. Another thing that you have to be familiar with is the words and expressions that are used. For example, the word “apartment” is “flat” in Australian or British vocabulary. Expanding vocabulary in the accents used will bring advantage to you.
• Following instructions carefully.
Let’s say you are good at listening but you always overlook the instructions in each section. Still, you will get a low score on your listening. There are a lot of candidates who are very careless that they skip the instruction as they already feel accustomed to the test type. Always remember that if the instructions asked you to write no more than three words, then you have to write a maximum of three words. If you are asked to circle three answers, then follow it. Failure to do such will cause loss of points to your listening score.
• Stay focused on the audio recording.
Once you are going to answer another item. Skip over it and take note of the key words that you have to find in the audio recording. Once the audio is played, focus. Do not let your mind wander but stay on track with the audio recording. The more you are focused, the easier for you to get the details that you need for the questions.
There are still lots of techniques one can acquire for the listening exam of the IELTS. It is suggested for an individual to enrol in an IELTS review center to take advantage of these skills and be prepared for the real IELTS examination.
