Catatan Hidup Seseorang: Information and Little tips for TOEFL Listening Section

Bahasa Inggris Bisnis 2#

Dosen : Tiarma Ika Yuliana

Kelompok :

Dwi Chandra Kurniawan (13114282)

4KA21

Fakultas Ilmu Komputer dan Teknologi Informasi

Sistem Informasi

2018

TOEFL Listening Section Overview

Listening is the second of four sections on the TOEFL. The entire section lasts 60 to 90 minutes and includes four to six lectures and two to three conversations. Each lecture lasts about three to five minutes and is followed by six questions, and each conversation lasts about three minutes and is followed by five questions.

First things first, are you allowed to take notes on the TOEFL? The answer is yes — you may take notes on every section of the TOEFL. According to ETS(the creators of the TOEFL)

“You can take notes throughout the entire test, using the paper provided by the test administrator. At the end of testing, all paper is collected and destroyed at the test center to ensure test security. Do not tear or remove part of any piece of scratch paper.”

Your test center will give you scratch (blank) paper to use during the test. If you run out of paper at any time, you may ask a staff member to give you more. At the end of the test, your notes will be collected and destroyed for security purposes. In other words, you may not remove your TOEFL notes from the test center, even once you’ve completed the test.

TOEFL Listening Purposes

To obtain basic comprehension, such as understanding the main idea, key points, structure, purpose, conclusion, important facts and relevant details
To learn from listening, such as understanding various relationships between ideas (e.g., compare-and-contrast, cause-and-effect, agree-disagree, or steps in a process) and tracing the development of ideas or events throughout the recordings. Note any digression during the talk and any side comments.
To make inferences about author’s opinion and what is implied in a recording

TOEFL Listening Section Format

The listening section requires the test taker to answer questions based on two different types of listening activities: lectures and conversations. There are 4-6 lectures that are between 3 and 5 minutes long each (about 500-800 words). You will have to answer 6 questions per lecture, for a total of 24-36 questions in total. The conversations last about 3 minutes, or 12-25 dialogue exchanges. There are 2-3 conversations in the listening section with 5 questions per conversation, totaling 10-15 questions. This section takes about 60 minutes to complete.

TOEFL Listening Section Format


	Length of Lecture:	3–5 minutes long each - about 500–800 words
	Number of Lectures:	4-6 lectures
	Lecture Questions:	6 questions per lecture; 24-36 questions in total
	Length of Conversation:	about 3 minutes long - about 12–25 exchanges each
	Number of Conversations:	2-3 conversations
	Conversation Questions:	5 questions per conversation; 10-15 questions in total
	Total Time:	60-90 minutes
	Avg. Time per Question:	About 1 min
	When Questions will appear:	After listening material is finished playing
	Screen/Test Details:	(a) Pictures on the screen can help test takers image the setting and the role of the speakers; (b) Test takers will see and hear each question before seeing the answers; (c) Note taking is allowed. After testing, notes are collected and shredded before the test taker leaves the test center; (d) In some questions a portion of the lecture or conversation is replayed so the test taker does not need to rely on memory of what was said

TOEFL Listening Screen Details

Pictures on the screen can help test takers imagine the setting and the role of the speakers
Test takers will see and hear each question before seeing the answers
Note taking is allowed. After testing, notes are collected and shredded before the test taker leaves the test center.
In some questions a portion of the lecture or conversation is replayed so the test taker does not need to rely on memory of what was said.

TOEFL Listening Recording Types

Lectures – Note that one lecture per test is spoken with a British or Australian accent.
A monologue by a professor
An interactive lecture with one or two students asking
Conversations in an academic setting. Examples include:
During an office hour between a student and a professor or teaching assistant
Between a student and a registrar, housing director, residence assistant, librarian, bookstore employee, departmental secretary, etc.)

TOEFL Listening Question Types by Format

Questions with four choices and a single answer in traditional multiple-choice format
Questions with four or more choices and one or more answers
“Listening to learn” chart questions
Require test takers to order events or steps in a process
Require test takers to match objects or text to categories in a chart

TOEFL Listening Question Types by Content

Attitude/Purpose: These questions types are not always easy to answer, as they are not details found specifically in the lecture or conversation. The purpose of a lecture or conversation is its primary function, whereas the attitude of a speaker is his/her feelings, thoughts and emotions. Remember – tone of voice is key to finding the attitude of a speaker.

Inferences: Similar to the reading section, the listening has quite a few inference questions, which require you to come to a conclusion about a statement not directly stated. Inference questions require a sharp eye for interpretation, often involving the words “infer” or “imply.”

Predictions: Prediction questions aren’t quite as common as inference questions, but they require you to determine what will more than likely happen in the future, based on what a speaker says or doesn’t say.

Categorizing: Also like the reading, the listening has several categorizing question, which often come at the end of a series of questions. These types of questions often take longer to determine and requires a test-taker to filter through his/her notes. Pay close attention to any categories, types or divisions when taking notes on the TOEFL listening section.

Summarizing: When you encounter a summarizing question, you are asked to put a series of actions in order. This occurs through the “drag and drop” process on the computer, so it enables you to see the sentences in order right in front of your very eyes.

Main Idea questions: When identifying the topic or main idea of a lecture of conversation, questions along the lines of: What is the subject of the conversation/lecture? What is the topic of the discussion/academic talk? Keep in mind these are general questions needing general answers.

Key facts questions: These questions are asking for particular pieces of information, as stated by the speakers. Note-taking is essential for these types of questions, as well as a good memory!

Paraphrase questions: Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in similar words. On the TOEFL, paraphrase questions will ask you to choose a sentence that is most like a specific highlighted sentence within the passage.

Variations: Definition questions, which ask you to recall the sound bites which define a word or phrase

Chart questions: order events or steps in a process or match objects or text to categories in a chart.

TOEFL Listening Tips For Studying

Listen to Spoken English Regularly

The number one TOEFL Listening tip is, unsurprisingly, to listen to English regularly. The more you hear English, the better your listening skills will become and the easier you’ll find the Listening section. You want to listen to spoken English, so music sung in English won’t be as useful since English sounds different when it’s sung compared to when it’s spoken.

Talk radio, news stations, movies, tv shows, and podcasts are all great options (as long as they’re in English, obviously). Try to listen to some English with background noise, such as an interview conducted outside or in front of a large crowd. TOEFL Listening recordings purposely include background noises, so you’ll want to be used to that.

Listen to Different English Accents

It will also help you down the line if you practice listening to different accents while you’re studying. The TOEFL Listening test will include at least one native-speaker English accent outside of North American accents. This is done to help prepare you for the variety of English accents you’ll likely come across in the real world. These accents will come from the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand.

Even native English speakers can struggle to understand different English accents, so be sure to get some exposure to different accents before exam day. Try listening to news clips or radio stations from these countries if you’re wondering how you can hear more accents.

Build your vocabulary

While listening, try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from context. It is very important since there is a big chance to come across words you don't know at the real test. Then, you should guess their meaning. Write down every word you don't know and include it in your wordlist. Try to memorize it and use it in your speaking and writing. Flashcards could be a great way to improve your vocabulary.

Get in the Habit of Taking Notes

Even if you have great English skills and usually remember the things you hear in English, you should still takes notes during the Listening section. Each of the recordings is several minutes long and contains a lot of information. If you don’t take notes, it can be easy to forget some of points made and therefore miss questions on the test. Read the next section for tips on how to take great notes.

Make the Most Of Your Scratch Paper

On the TOEFL, it’s important to use the space on your scratch paper wisely. One reason is so you don’t have to constantly flip to a new page or turn a page over to continue your notes. You also don’t want to have to ask a staff member for additional scratch paper, as this can waste valuable test time.

So as you take the TOEFL, try to save as much space as you possibly can on your scratch paper — but in such a way that you’re still able to read what you’ve written and can easily make sense of where each note begins and ends. I suggest beginning your TOEFL notes in the top-left corner of each page and working your way down as you fill up space. Taking notes in this manner ensures that you won’t have tons of extra blank space in the margins and that you aren’t overlooking any valuable space you can use.

On a related note, remember to use both sides of your paper, too!

Write While Listening

Some TOEFL test-takers try to listen intently while the audio recording is playing and only begin writing notes once it’s finished. This is a bad idea for two reasons. First, the audio recordings are each several minutes long, so you’ll likely forget some key points when you’re trying to write all your notes at once. Second, not writing your notes until after the recording has ended means you’ll be writing them during your time to answer questions, which can make you more rushed during the answer portion of the section.

Instead, write notes throughout the recording. Keep them short (see below), and try to work out a pattern where you listen for a brief period of time, write down some short notes, then go back to listening. Practicing will help you get better at this.

Focus on Main Ideas

Don’t try to write down everything you hear. You won’t be able to, and you’ll likely miss some important points because you’re trying to copy every word. Instead, focus on the main ideas in the recording.

If you’re listening to a lecture, think about (and take notes on) what the professor is trying to accomplish. Is he/she trying to explain a new topic? Make something clearer? Explain two different opinions? If another person, such as a student speaks, what are they trying to learn or show? You may want to make a column in your notes for each speaker and write the main points of what they say under the appropriate column to make it easier to remember who said what.

It can be easy to get bogged down in all the details of a recording and miss out on what’s really being discussed. The majority of TOEFL Listening questions will focus on major points as opposed to minor details, so focus your notes on the former.

Avoid Full Sentences — Use Symbols and Abbreviations

You should also aim to take notes concisely and quickly. In short, always avoid writing full sentences — doing this will only slow you down in the end and result in your having a lot of extra information you don’t actually need for answering the questions. So instead of writing down every detail and word, employ an easy-to-understand system of symbols and abbreviations.

Don’t be afraid to come up with your own symbols, either. Just make sure the symbols and abbreviations you use are easy to write, short, and clear in meaning to you. (In other words, their meanings don’t need to be obvious to other people — just you!)

Pinpoint the Main Idea Right Away

As soon as the audio clip begins playing, try to recognize what the overarching topic of the conversation or lecture is. Doing this will help you predict what the rest of the audio clip is likely to focus on and what types of details you may hear. With most audio clips, you should be able to catch the main idea of the conversation or lecture within the first few sentences.

Notes :

Above all – the most important skill you can do on the TOEFL listening section is to take notes. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with these listening questions so you can answer them with ease on test day. As with the reading section, when you are able to identify a listening question type, it very well might help you move through the section faster.

Source :