I
think English is very important why? Because, with the English language we will
get a lot of convenience. Especially in this era of globalization can be
expected to master the English language. With the English language we can also
make money, started to become translator, tour guide, or any other profession
that requires us to speak english. So the English language is very important to
do well.
With
the English language it will certainly increase human resources in Indonesia.
In addition, there are also several books that use the English language, this
is when we are to continue to enhance our ability in the field of English
language, English is not only important but a necessity that we have as one of
our soft skills. And do not miss a word to learn English from now on.
Almost
all the technology tools to use English in addition to that if we want to work
in the company of multinational or foreign companies, we must prepare our
English language. As the next generation of our nation should be able to use
the technology that most of the English language and English is not a taboo
anymore. In fact we should be able to master a language other than English.
Strategi for TOEFL iBT Listening
Section
TOEFL iBT
Listening section is delivered immediately after the Reading section. The Listening section
of TOEFL iBT measures your ability to understand spoken English in academic
settings. In
TOEFL iBT the listening is done for 3 major purposes:
1. Listening
for basic comprehension.
2. Listening for pragmatic understanding.
3. To connect and combine ideas presented in multiple information sources.
2. Listening for pragmatic understanding.
3. To connect and combine ideas presented in multiple information sources.
Each part of
the Listening section (2 or 3 parts) consists of 1 long conversation and two
lectures. The
test takers hear each lecture or conversation only once. Lectures and
conversations are 3-5 minutes long. During
the listening the time is not running. The
allotted time of 10 minutes for each part is only for answering the questions.
Preparation Strategies
Listen to
spoken English from multiple sources as
much as possible. Listen
to English spoken movies and English spoken TV channels, listen to the radio
and as many other listening sources as you may find. It would be better if
your passages are academic or close to what is in TOEFL iBT. The more you practice
listening, the better listener you will become.
Listen for
the main idea . It is usually found
at the beginning of the listening passages, while the details are dispersed
throughout the lecture. The
main idea will give you understanding of what the conversation/lecture is
about. Then
you may listen for details.
Learn to find how the ideas
are presented in
the listening passage. Some
of the main relations between ideas include cause/effect, compare/contrast, and
steps in a process.
Learn to listen for signal
words that
indicate different part of the passage - introduction, major steps, examples,
conclusions, etc.
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.
Listen to
conversations or lectures with variety
of accents . In TOEFL iBT
Listening section there is a variety of accents and pronunciations. For this reason, you
should practice listening to a people with different accents and pronunciation
patterns.
Practice
note-taking . Note-taking is
allowed during all sections of TOEFL iBT. Effective
note-taking may highly improve your performance. It is almost
impossible to memorize all clues and details provided in the Listening section. Moreover, you can
hear the passages ONLY ONCE. Therefore,
to answer the questions you have to rely on what you remember from the passage
and your notes. See
also our Effective Note-Taking Strategies.
Summarize in
writing what you have heard ,
using your notes. Thus,
you will learn to find the purpose and main idea of the listening, and also the
most important details. You
will also learn to take and use notes. It
also helps in improving your writing skills.
Familiarize
yourself with the type of questions in
TOEFL iBT. Make
sure that during the preparation you learn what answers are required by the
different types of question. Some
questions may ask you to provide two answers, others to click in a chart box. If you are familiar
with the question types, you may save important time.
At the exam strategies
Forget about
the Reading section . Now it is time to
fully concentrate on the Listening section.
The clock is
ticking only when you are answering the questions and not when you are
listening to the passages. So,
when you listen, forget
about the clock .
Prepare for
note-taking . Before the section
starts, write down the words 'main idea', 'major points', and 'important
details'. Under
which word you will place your notes from the listening passage.
Do not be
distracted by the speaker's accent, speaking style and delivery. Focus on the content and flow of
information the speaker(s) deliver.
Listen to
find clues that
will help you understand what the speaker's purpose, attitude and degree of
certainty is. Listen
for words that show relationship between ideas.
Pay attention
to the visual
materials . Some of the visual
materials in the Listening section bring important information. Blackboards show
important words or phrases that are discussed during the lecture. Illustrations and
graphics support the information presented in the lecture. They are available
only when the lecturer refers to them.
Answering is
different . In the Listening
section you may not return to the previous questions to correct your answers. Nevertheless, you
have to confirm twice that you want to move to the next question. First, when you
provide your answer you have to press the NEXT button. After pressing the NEXT
button you may alter you answer. To
move to the next question you have to press OK button.Sometimes test takers
forget this and lose important time. Please,
set your mind that you have to press two buttons.
Take a guess . There is no penalty
for an incorrect answer in TOEFL iBT. It
doesn't bring any points. If
you see you are running out of time, just take a guess and mark answers for all
remaining questions. There
is 25 % chance to guess the right answer.
What
Problems are Found in the TOEFL Listening
1.
Forget
the time in answering
2.
Not
focus on the question
3.
Hear
the same vocabulary words for example house-horse
