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Exam advice: listening and responding
About the exam
Preparing for the exam
In the exam
What the markers are looking for
About the exam
The listening and responding section of the exam is worth 25 marks.
The listening exam is presented on cassette. It is the first part of the written exam and is designed to assess your knowledge and skill in analysing information from spoken texts.
You will be expected to demonstrate understanding of general and specific information from spoken texts and respond in English or Chinese, as specified, to questions on this information. The questions may require you to identify information related to the context, purpose and audience of the text.
You will hear between seven to ten texts in Chinese covering a number of text types. The texts will be related to the themes and topics prescribed in the syllabus.
Some texts will be short, approximately 35-45 seconds in length, and some may be longer, up to 60 seconds in length. Each text will be read twice. There will be a pause between the first and second readings during which you can make notes. You will have sufficient time after the second reading to complete your responses.
You will be expected to respond to a range of question types such as completing a table, chart, list or form, or responding to multiple-choice items, that will require a response in Chinese or English as specified, or responding to open-ended questions which will require a response in English.
The questions will be in English and you will answer in English or Chinese as specified.
Preparing for the exam
The best way to prepare for the exam is to practise. Take every opportunity to listen to Chinese in a variety of contexts.
You can listen to tapes, which accompany course books, videos, past exam cassettes, Chinese radio (97.7FM or 1107AM, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10 am, and Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 pm) and SBS Chinese news (Mondays to Saturdays at 6.25 am).
Do not be afraid to replay a section if you do not understand it. Remember that in the exam you will hear each item twice. Note down new words that are repeated - if you do not know the meaning, look them up in the dictionary.
Listen actively. Get into the habit of listening for gist and specific information. Practise making notes while listening.
Revise your lists of key words and phrases for each topic. Don't forget to revise the things you have learnt in earlier years.
Make sure you know and can write all the characters in the active prescribed character list.
Learn to recognise the context in which language is used. Try to understand the main idea before becoming lost in details.
Students who score the highest marks in this section are those who are well prepared in terms of vocabulary recognition and exam technique.
In the exam
Read the question for each item before the text is spoken on the tape. You can underline key words.
During the first reading, try to understand the overall message.
Take notes in either Chinese or English. Use the space on the exam paper for notes.
During the second reading, process all the information and write your answer clearly. Include all relevant details required to answer the question asked. Check that your answer makes sense and avoid ambiguity in your answers.
Be guided by the number of lines provided in the answer spaces. This will give you an idea of the amount of information to be included in each answer.
If you have any spare time between questions go back and review an earlier item but do not dwell on it. Prepare for the coming item before using time to review earlier items.
At the end of the exam, you can fill in any missing details and make any changes. Do not leave anything out - you cannot be given any marks for blank spaces.
Make sure you write legibly. If you need to make changes, cross things out as liquid paper takes too long to dry.
Write your answers in blue or black pen. Do not use a pencil.
What the markers are looking for
Markers will use the listening and responding exam to assess how well you analyse, process and respond to spoken Chinese.
You will be expected to demonstrate:
- your capacity to understand general and specific aspects of texts by identifying and analysing information
- your capacity to convey the information accurately and appropriately.
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