Prediction in Listening
Using prediction is important in the listening exam as it can help you to identify the relevant information more easily.
Parts 1 and 2 are likely to be easier to predict than parts 3 and 4 as the questions are usually about details such as times, numbers, dates and places.
Parts 3 and 4 may be harder to predict, but you can still use your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to help you predict the answers.
Here are some examples of how predicting can help you.
- The context: How many speakers are there? Who is/are the speaker(s)? What is the situation (e.g. lecture; conversation; speech)
- Tone - formal or informal - this will help you to know what type of vocabulary to expect.
- The general topic: What type of vocabulary do you think you will hear? For example, if labelling a map, is it indoors or outdoors? What type of vocabulary would you expect if it’s a road map (names of buildings, landmarks) or a university (names of rooms and university buildings: library; lecture hall)
- Words on the answer sheet can help you predict what type of information is needed: ‘_______ pm’ = time (4 pm); ‘in _______’ = place or year (in London; in Ireland; in 1984); ‘$_______’ = number ($45)
- ‘Popular with _______’ = a type of person (men; women; children; Americans; doctors; homeowners)
- Synonyms and paraphrasing for other words: ‘Popular with _______’ = well-liked; preferred
- Parts of speech: What type of word do you need to fill in the gaps in the sentence? For example, ‘a _______’ = noun; ‘a _______ house’ = adjective.
- Collocations: ‘_______ advantage’ = major advantage; distinct advantage; minor advantage
- Grammar: ‘It was _______’ = past participle/passive (It was built.); adjective (It was popular.)
You may need to use a combination of these types of techniques to help you predict the answer.
