If you’re aiming for 80% in the listening section of the Common Test, you’re already on the right track by consistently scoring between 50% and 70%. In this article, we’ll discuss the next steps to take based on your current progress and how to boost your listening comprehension further.
Assessing Your Current Level
From what you’ve described, you’re able to understand the majority of simple conversations with ease, which is an excellent foundation. When you’re able to catch 90% of a conversation and rely on context for the remaining 10%, it indicates a solid grasp of the language. However, as you aim to improve your listening comprehension, it’s important to decide whether you should focus on practice through exercises or further develop your accuracy through dictation.
Should You Focus on Practice or Accuracy?
Given your current ability to understand the main points of conversations, moving forward with practice exercises is likely the most effective approach. Listening practice through diverse resources (such as podcasts, practice tests, and conversations at a faster pace) will help expose you to a broader variety of language. This variety will help sharpen your listening skills even further.
At the same time, incorporating dictation exercises can help you improve your accuracy. By dictating what you hear, you’ll train yourself to pay attention to specific words and sounds, leading to better precision in understanding and a higher overall score.
Why Both Practice and Dictation Matter
Practice exercises expose you to different listening contexts, while dictation fine-tunes your ability to catch every detail. A combination of both strategies will strengthen your listening skills, helping you to not only understand the conversation but also to react to it in real-time with confidence.
Additional Tips for Improving Listening Skills
Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:
- Listen to a variety of materials: Try to listen to different accents, tones, and levels of speed to ensure you’re not limited by one type of content.
- Use subtitles or transcripts: While practicing, use subtitles or transcripts to reinforce your understanding and catch things you might have missed.
- Repeat and shadow: Listening and repeating the content out loud can significantly improve your retention and fluency.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach to Listening Practice
To reach your goal of 80% in the Common Test’s listening section, a balanced approach combining both practice and accuracy is key. Start by increasing your practice time with varied materials and then incorporate dictation exercises to fine-tune your listening skills. With consistent effort, you’ll see improvement and reach your target score.
コメント