Write Your Own IELTS Listening Part 1 Dialogue

(TESOL Worksheets--IELTS Listening Part 1)

Google: docs, pub

If I'm being perfectly honest, I have to admit that my primary purpose in doing this was to fill up time--I had some extra space in the schedule that needed to be filled.
And yet, I do think there's some value in this type of activity.  If the students can put themselves in the shoes of an IELTS test writer, and try themselves to write in the distractors, synonyms and paraphrases, then they'll be better able to imagine what types of tricks the IELTS test may throw at them.
And for whatever it's worth, my students really enjoyed this activity.  I encouraged them to have some fun and get a bit silly with it, and they did.
We ended up having to spread this activity out over two lessons, which was just as well, because it ended up giving me time to photocopy the students' questions between classes.  At the next class, I distributed out there questions to their classmates, they performed their dialogue in front of the class, and the classmates answered the questions.
In my own classroom, I used this to supplement the IELTS Express Upper Intermediate textbook Unit 2 Listening p.18-21.

Write your own Listening Part 1 dialogue:

Traditional Format

Description: Part 1 features 2 speakers talking.  The dialogue is usually transactional--some sort of information is being exchanged between the two speakers, usually for business purposes.

For Example:

A student enrolling in a course

A man buying a new cell-phone

A man booking airplane tickets on the phone

Have Fun

On the real IELTS test, they usually stick to boring conversations like this.  So don’t expect any unusual situations on the real test.

However, for the purposes of this class, feel free to have some fun with this.  You can think of crazy or unusual situations, like an alien trying to buy a bus ticket, or a woman hiring a hitman to kill her husband, or Tarzan trying to enroll in university. Or whatever.  Feel free to get creative.

The Questions

IELTS Listening Part 1 contains ten questions, so write down 10 questions for your classmates to answer on a separate sheet of paper.

Distractors

The IELTS test is fond of using distractors.  Distractors are places where the IELTS tries to trick you into writing down the wrong answer by including several possible answers, only one of which is really the right one.

For example:

A: What’s your name?

B: My name is John.  No, wait… let me think… it’s Mike.  No, I mean Kevin.  Sorry, did I say Kevin?  My name is Tom.  It’s definitely Tom.  I mean Scott.  Scott is my name.

When writing your own dialogue, make sure to include lots of distractors.

Synonyms and Paraphrases

The questions on the IELTS test will usually use different words than the actual recording.  For example:

On the test, the question might read. Question 1: What is his name?

But the recording will say: “My parents called me Tom when I was born.”

The thing your parents call you when you are born is the same as your name, so in this instance the answer to question 1 is “Tom”.

When writing your sample dialogue, make sure you use different words in the dialogue than in the textbook.

Write down ten questions for your dialogue.  You can use any format (short answer, note completion, True/False/Not Given, multiple choice, etc.)

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IELTS Express Upper Intermediate Second Edition Unit 2 Listening p.18-21

(Supplementary Materials for Specific Textbooks--IELTS Express Upper Intermediate)

Board Race: drive, docs, pub

PowerPoint for feedback on Board Race: drive, slides, pub

Transcripts: docs, pub

Board Race.  There are 10 questions.  All of the questions are from pages 18, 19, 20, and 21.  Work as a team to find the answer in your textbook.  Then write the answer on the board.  Only one team member may go up to the board at a time.  You may not bring this piece of paper or your textbook with you to the board.  The first team to get the correct answers to all 10 questions up on the board will get a prize.

1. One of the key strategies in the Listening module is to ________________ the situation and language you might hear.  In this way, you are better prepared for the listening tasks that follow.

2. The listening test has ________________ sections, with ________________ questions in each section.

3. In the IELTS test, you can lose marks if you don’t follow the instructions carefully.  What are 3 common errors that candidates often make regarding not following the directions?

4. Section 1 of the Listening module is a ________________ dialogue with a ________________ purpose.

5. Listen carefully for keywords and paraphrases.  Don’t choose the first option you hear mentioned, as it may be a ________________.

6. The listening test takes around ________________ minutes.  You are then given a further ________________ minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

7. For each gap, identify what information you need for the answer and, if possible, try to ________________ the answer.

8. Don’t always expect the keywords in the question to be the same as on the recording—listen out for ________________ and ________________.

9. Remember to check your ________________.

10. How many times will you hear the recording?

Answer Key

1. anticipate

2. 4, 10

3. using more than the specified number of words for an answer

not using the actual words from the recording

recording the answer in the wrong place

4. non-academic, transactional

5.distractor

6. 30, 10

7. predict

8. synonyms, paraphrases

9.spelling

10. once only.

Sec: Hello, come in.

St: Good morning.  Are you the enrolment secretary?

Sec: I am.

St: I’m not too late to enrol on a course, am I?

Sec: No. We’ll be enrolling new students till the end of the week.

St: Oh, thank goodness!

Sec: Have you done one of our courses before?

St: Oh no, this is my first time: the first step of my brilliant career.

Sec: Well, let’s hope so.  First though, we have to fill in a form.

St: Forms! They’re so boring!

Sec: But necessary, I’m afraid.  Now, what is your first name?

St: Sara, no “h”.

Sec: Sorry?

St: S-A-R-A, Sara.

Sec: OK.  Now your family name?

St: But I’m thinking about changing it to Simone, or maybe Sylvia.

Sec: Well, I think Sara’s fine.  So, what’s your family name?

St: My family name is Walker.

Sec: W-A-L-K-E-R?

St: Yes.

Sec: Ok.  Now, where do you live?

St: Oh, yes, it’s nineteen, one nine, Swan Street, London.

Sec: Swan?

St: Yes, like the bird.

Sec: OK, and your postcode?

St: N8 6BY.

Sec: N8 6BY...and how old are you?

St: 18, well ...19 next month.

Sec: So, 18.  And what course would you like to do, Sara?

St: Well, I woke up this morning and said to myself, “Now Sara, what are you going to do with your life?  What course are you going to do?”  My Dad thinks I should become a financial advisor and do people’s accounts, because I’m pretty good with figures.  Or perhaps I should be some kind of biologist, because that was my best subject at school.  Or should I pursue my real love, modern dance?

Sec: And you chose modern dance.

St: Yes, I did.  I want to make my living as a dancer.

Sec: Good for you.  Now the course starts in the first week in September, which is … let me see … the fifth.

St: Oh, great! I can’t wait.

Sec: Now, hold on!  You have to be accepted onto the course first.  You’ll need to come in for an audition and interview.

St: Oh no! I hate auditions.

Sec: I’m afraid if you want to be a dancer, they’re all part of the job!

St: Ah, well.  When can they see me?

R: Hello! Hello, can I help you?

N: Yeah, I just wanted to… is this where you apply for courses?

R: Well, it depends what course you want to take.

N: Um …, business administration.

R: Fine.  Take a seat and we’ll complete all the necessary forms.

N: Oh, … thanks!

R: Now, what’s your first name?

N: Nigel.

R: Nigel, OK.  And last name?

N: Tufnell.

R: Sorry?

N: Tufnell.  T-U-F-N-E-L-L

R: And when were you born?

N: When was I born? Er, 7th of July 1994.

R: OK and you’re male.  And you were born in the UK?

N: Yeah, British.

R: And your first language is English?

N: Er… Yeah.

R: Address?

N: 12 Castle Street, Oxford.

R: Postcode?

N: Oh, no! I knew you were going to ask me that.  I can never remember it!  It’s OX4 … OX4 … 2PG. No! OX4… 2JP.  That’s it!

R: Sure?

N: Positive.

R: Your phone number?

N: Oh, that’s easy! 01865 72388

R: Now, qualifications.  Any “A” levels?

N: Yeah. Three.

R: Subjects and grades, please.

N: Um … maths, B.  Economics the same and then er, history …

R: And what did you get for that?

N: E.

R: Oh, dear.  Well, at least you passed.

N: Yeah.

2.6

R: And it’s business administration you want to do, isn’t it?

N: Business administration.  That’s right, yes.

R: That’s code, code … let me just check … yes, BA010.  OK, the next course starts next semester.  That’s the fourth of October.

N: How long does it last?

R: A full academic year.

N: A year?

R: An academic year.  That’s around nine months.

N: Oh, OK. Good.  Good.

R: Now all I need from you is a cheque covering the cost of the course, which is 3,500 pounds.

N: I didn’t realise you’d need it today.

R: Well, you don’t have to pay it all right now, but obviously you need to pay before you start the course and there are only a limited number of places, so …

N: Can I give you a deposit?

R: A 10% deposit would secure your place, yes.

N: Is there a bank round here?

R: There’s a cashpoint.  Go out of this building.  Turn left.  Go past the library and the cashpoint is just by the main lecture theatre opposite the canteen.

N: OK.  I’ll …. I’ll go and get the money.

R: You’d better hurry: the office is closing in five minutes.

N: OK, won’t be long.

Find Your Partner: Review IELTS Listening Section 1 Information and Strategies

(TESOL Worksheets--IELTS Listening Part 1)
Google (drive, docs, pub)
[This is a find your partner game that I used to review the information and strategies from IELTS listening section 1.  It was designed as a supplement for IELTS Express Intermediate Textbook, and all of the information comes from this textbook (some of it verbatim).  However, I think it can also stand on its own as an independent worksheet, so I'm posting it here.  In my class I did this game twice--first as a standard whole class find your partner game, and second having the students match up the cards in small groups.]

Before the listening starts you should imagine the situation…	…and the language.  This will make the listening easier to understand.
If you don’t understand something in the listening you can…	…use your experience of the real world, your imagination, and common sense to fill in any answers you may have missed.
Questions to think about before the listening begins:	Where do you think the conversation is taking place?  Who are the people talking?  What questions do you think you will hear?  What vocabulary related to the situation do you think you may hear?
Notes and form completion tasks…	…don’t include actual questions.
Before you answer a note and form completion task you need …	…to think about what type of information is required in the blank.
Correct spelling is…	…very important in the IELTS listening test.
Before listening, you should change the form completion tasks into questions.  You don’t need to write the questions down…	…just think about it.
Section 1 is a non-academic dialogue.  Two speakers have a discussion in social situations, such as…	…arranging an appointment, buying goods or services, et cetera.
You should always read the directions carefully to…	...see how many words you are allowed to use.  Remember that if you write down too many words, your answer will be marked as incorrect.
In form completion tasks, you need to write down exactly the same words you hear on the recording….	…If you write down different words from the ones that you hear, your answer will be marked as incorrect.

IELTS Listening 1 Quiz

(TESOL Worksheets--IELTS Listening Part 1)

Google: drive, docs, pub

[This is a short little worksheet I gave to my IELTS students to review the rules for listening section 1, as a way of getting them to write down the information instead of just me giving the information.  It is based on the information in IELTS Express (A).  I noticed that information about the timing for section one seems to vary from textbook to textbook.  Other IELTS textbooks give it as 3-4 minutes.]

1. How long is the whole listening module?__________

2. How many sections are there?___________

3. Is section 1 academic or non-academic?___________

4. How many speakers are in section 1?____________

5. Section 1 is a social situation.  What is a social situation?  Can you give some examples?___________

6. How long will listening section 1 be?__________

7. How many times will you hear section 1? _________________

   

1. How long is the whole listening module? About 30 minutes

2. How many sections are there? 4 sections

3. Is section 1 academic or non-academic? Non-academic

4. How many speakers are in section 1?2

5. Section 1 is a social situation.  What is a social situation?  Can you give some examples? e.g. arranging  an appointment, buying goods or services

6. How long will listening section 1 be? about two minutes long

7. How many times will you hear section 1? only once

IELTS Listening Part 1

(TESOL Ideas and Worksheets Subdivisions)

* IELTS Listening Part 1 Quiz
* Find Your Partner: Review IELTS Listening Section 1 Information and Strategies
* Write Your Own IELTS Listening Part 1 Dialogue

General IELTS Listening
* IELTS Listening: Synonyms, Hyponyms, and Paraphrasing PowerPoint
* LINK: Re-arrange the cards in order: Game to practice IELTS listening strategies
* Using The Great Dictator Speech to Listen for Stress, Varying Speed, and Pauses