Listening Comprehension Tips

Pre-Writing: Planning

1. Read the questions carefully to understand what you are being asked to do.
2. Listen actively. Keep your purpose for listening in mind by referring to questions.
3. During the first reading jot down notes on significant devices of the passage based on the questions.
4. During the second reading, check to see if your jottings from the first reading are supported by the entire passage.
5. Give the answer the question asks for.
6. Write your answers in complete sentences
7. Use your summary writing skills. A long answer is not necessarily a better answer.

Writing

1. A main idea should not be a purpose. It should read:

"The main idea of the passage is that..." NOT "The main idea of the passage is to tell..."

2. When commenting on the effectiveness of a device used by the writer, you are to tell how the use of the device helps the writer to achieve his purpose for writing. 

Weak Answer: "The writer uses a metaphor to describe the beauty of the sunset and how night fell." or "The writer uses a metaphor to bring his point across."

Better Answer: "The writer uses a metaphor to convey his admiration for the magnificent sunset and to show how suddenly night fell upon the landscape."

Post-Writing

1. Check your responses against the questions on the exam to ensure that you have answered all the parts of each question with exactly what has been asked.
2. Edit your work to get rid of grammatical errors, expression errors and unclear sentences.

Good Luck!

Study Skills - SQ4R Method

S-Survey
Surveying the material involves looking at topics, sub-topics,charts, graphs, maps and summaries before any in depth reading is done. It is what is also known as skimming.

Q-Question
This involves coming up with questions that you would like an answer for. As you read you should be coming up with answers for your formulated questions.

R-Reading
This involves reading each subsection in an effort to answer your formulated questions.

R-Recite
At this stage you should attempt to orally recall all the points you have read.

R-Relate
Write down what you have learnt in your own words making note of any personal associations.

R-Review
At this stage you will go over what was learnt in a particular chapter. This may be done with the aid of review questions.