Practical Steps to Understanding the TOEFL Listening Exercise.
- Warm-Up: Before listening, candidates are expected to prepare mentally for the topic and situation after listening to the title topic or title of the passage they are about to listen to.
Example: “A Change to the University Library Schedule”. With such a topic, the candidate can then brainstorm on the following:
- What kind of change might be made to a university library schedule?
- Why might the university make such a change?
- Who is likely to be affected by the change?
– What important information might a speaker give about the change?
- Prediction: Thinking about the topic before listening will help candidates prepare for the information that may follow. For instance, the candidate can predict that an announcement about a library schedule may include a reason for the change, the new opening hours and information about students who need library services. This is a useful listening habit because predicting the content will help the candidate follow the recording more efficiently.
- Finding the Main Idea: The main idea is the most important idea in a conversation, announcement or academic talk. It tells the listener what the speaker mainly wants the listener to understand. The main idea is usually broader than a supporting detail.
For instance, if a short academic talk discusses how bees communicate, explains the movement of bees, gives an example of a food source and describes how other bees respond, what could be the main idea?
Some candidates may be tempted to take “Bees use movement to indicate the location of food” as the main idea. This may be a detail rather than the main idea. A more appropriate main idea will be that “Bees use specific forms of communication to help other bees locate food.” This is a better main idea because it covers the central point of the talk.
In determining the main idea therefore, candidates should ask themselves “what is the speaker mainly talking about and what does the speaker want the listener to understand?” A quick tip for every TOEFL candidate will be to avoid choosing an answer that describes only one example or one small part of the recording. Candidates should go for the idea that runs through the entire listening passage.
- Identifying Supporting Details: Supporting details are pieces of information that explain, develop or support the main idea. They can include facts, examples, explanations, reasons, descriptions and research findings. They are often introduced by expressions like: for example, for instance, such as, because, one reason is, another point is, according to, as a result, and in addition.
- Listening for Signal Words: Signal words help candidates understand how a lecture or conversation is organized. Expressions such as first, next, then, however, for example, because, therefore, as a result, finally and in conclusion can indicate important relationships between ideas. Candidates are expected to pay special attention when such expressions occur because they often introduce information that may be tested.
For example, “There are two main reasons for this change. First, … Second, …” signals that the speaker is organizing important points. Similarly, “However” may introduce a contrast, while “As a result” may introduce a consequence.
- Taking Effective Notes: Candidates are allowed to take notes during the listening material. However, writing every word is not an effective strategy. Candidates are expected to record keywords, names, numbers, causes, effects, examples and changes in ideas.
A useful note-taking pattern can be:
Main topic —Main point —Detail/example —Result or conclusion
For example:
Urban farming → benefits → fresh food + lower transport distance → supports sustainable cities. The purpose of note-taking is to help the candidate remember the organization and important information, not to reproduce the whole recording