Test your listening skills. How can you best measure your level of English? at's
right, by taking a test. A language certificate can help you progress in your ...
LANGUAGE | Listening Comprehension
Test your listening skills In Zusammenarbeit mit telc language tests, dem Anbieter der Europäischen Sprachenzertifikate, bieten wir Ihnen diesen Monat die Gelegenheit, Ihr englisches Hörverständnis zu testen. STEPHANIE SHELLABEAR stellt Ausschnitte aus der Prüfung telc English A2 B1 vor und gibt Tipps, wie Sie sich am besten darauf vorbereiten.
H
ow can you best measure your level of English? at’s right, by taking a test. A language certificate can help you progress in your career, and it shows you the milestones you have reached in your learning. But what part does listening play in all of this? Listening is the first skill you learn; speaking, reading and writing all come later. Listening comprehension itself is a special element in language testing, because you have no control over what you hear and, most of the time, you cannot press “rewind”. Tests of listening skills pose a challenge and therefore require careful practice. We give you some advice on how to prepare yourself.
What is
14
is month, we have again collaborated with telc to bring you parts of one of their listening comprehension tests, this time based on a new, dual A2B1 examination. We introduce you to the four separate parts of the telc exam’s listening section on the following pages, giving you the chance to try each part of the test as you go along. We explain what these demand of you and give tips on improving specific skills. To begin, go to www.spotlight-online.de/audio ere, you will find the individual recordings numbered “Track 1”, “Track 2”, etc., as shown on the following pages. You will also need a pen or pencil to write the answers in the boxes provided. e answers and audio scripts can be found on page 19.
?
telc is The European Language Certificates .
telc offers more than 50 different examinations in nine European
telc GmbH belongs to the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V., or DVV). It is the government’s partner for the language test for immigrants (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer A2B1).
languages. You can take their tests in many Volkshochschulen and language schools in Germany, Austria and other countries. Go to www.telc.net for details of the examinations, extra practice material and the addresses of examination centres.
Spotlight 8|11
WHY A DUAL TEST A2B1? This test recognizes that students are naturally stronger in some skills than in others. If your listening or writing skills are only at A2 level, but you can speak confidently, then this examination gives you the chance to gain a B1 certificate. The factor that decides which certificate you receive is the speaking section. For example, if a telc examiner evaluates your speaking skills as B1, and you show B1-level skills in at least the listening + reading section and/or the writing section, then you will receive a B1 certificate. The telc speaking test will appear in a future issue of Spotlight.
Before you start Don’t rush into a listening test (or any test, for that matter) without knowing what you are expected to do. Read the instructions from top to bottom. If there are questions that you will need to answer, take your time and read them all the way through first. In the case of telc examinations, you will be allowed to listen to audio recordings once only — and because you do not know what is coming, you need to be prepared. Real life is like that, so it is a good idea to handle examinations the same way. Ready? en you can begin. Good luck!
Track 1
Part 1: Voicemail messages In this part of the test, you will hear messages that have been left on answering machines or voicemail boxes. At home, at work and when using a mobile phone, recorded messages play a big role in our day-to-day communication. ey test our ability to understand information, instructions and requests. In order to practise this type of exercise, you could ask friends to leave messages in English when they call you. Of course, our personal voicemail systems allow us to replay our messages until we have understood everything. But there are occasions when this is not possible, or when we have no time to listen to messages more than once. at is why, when you hear the four messages on track 1, you should listen carefully for certain details such as dates, times, places and tasks.
You will hear four voicemail messages. Which answers are correct: (a), (b) or (c)? Listen to the messages only once. Write your answers in the boxes.
1. Alan wants to meet... a) at Brian and Lisa’s house. b) at his own house. c) at the stadium.
2. What should you do? a) Call the pharmacy at 8 a.m. on Monday. b) Leave a message after the tone. c) Go to Glenwood Health Centre.
3. John asks you to... a) visit the factory next week. b) meet your colleagues at the hotel. c) pick up your colleagues from the airport.
4. Emily asks you to... a) call her at the Plaza Hotel. b) go to a conference in Houston. c) make reservations for dinner. 2. ➯
3. ➯
4. ➯
Fotos: iStockphoto
1. ➯
8|11 Spotlight
15
