CAE Listening Part 3 teachers notes

Description In this activity students learn how to deal with the wrong options in multiple-choice questions. Students are encouraged to give reasons why an option is wrong. This task is relevant to any multiple-choice question whether it is testing reading or listening. Students do a Part 3 task. Time required: Additional materials required: Aims: 30-40 minutes test 1 CD from CAE Handbook to help students to identify wrong options in multiple-choice questions and know why they are wrong to practise a Part 3 task.

Procedure 1. Elicit from students what they know about Part 3 tasks see Additional information below. Give any unknown information that you feel relevant. Mention that Part 1 also has multiple-choice questions: with three options rather than four. In Part 3 students have to deal with a longer text than in Part 1, and four options in each question. This activity follows on well from the activity for Part 1 where the focus is on getting the correct answer first. 2. Discuss with your students as a full class what they think the difficulties are in doing multiple-choice tasks. Two problems are likely to be raised: identifying the correct answer from three or four options, and discounting the wrong options: distractors. Explain that they are going to do an activity to help them with the latter, i.e. making sure that the other options are incorrect. 3. Give out the students worksheet. Point out the importance of reading the context sentence. Ask students to discuss exercise 1 in pairs. Discuss their suggestions as a whole class and accept any reasonable answers. 4. Look at exercise 2 (or make your own similar activity using a different multiple-choice task, i.e. a Part 1 or Part 3 task modified so that the correct options have already been highlighted in bold). Point out that distractors are usually wrong because the information in them is wrong, or the distractor doesnt answer the question, or not all the information in the distractor is specifically mentioned. 5. Go through the recording, playing the relevant sections for each question one at a time. The place to stop the recording is indicated on the tapescript. After each extract, students discuss in pairs or small groups why they think the wrong options
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are wrong. Play the extract as many times as your students want, so they can discuss any points they disagree on. 6. Go through their opinions about why wrong answers are wrong as a class, asking students to also confirm why the correct answer is correct. (Do this for as many of the questions as you feel is useful.)

Additional information Part 3 tests the candidates ability to listen to longer interviews and discussions and show understanding of the speakers attitudes and opinions. Part 3 features interviews and discussions involving two or more speakers. The text is approximately 34 minutes in length and typically takes the form of a broadcast interview or discussion aimed at a non-specialist audience. A series of six four-option multiple-choice questions focuses on the attitude and opinions of speakers, both explicitly stated and implied. The questions may also focus on either detailed or gist understanding. Questions follow the order of information presented in the text. Each correct answer in Part 3 receives 1 mark.

Suggested follow-up activity You might like to introduce tips for doing Part 3 tasks using the information on p.65 of the CAE handbook. You could ask students how many of these strategies theyve tried, and to try out a new one in the next Part 3 task they do. Tapescript

Int:

Today Im with the much-loved comedian and writer Jane Clarkson. Obviously Jane, this year has been quite a turning point for you ...

Jane: Well, Ill never stop doing comedy, but there were practical reasons for wanting to take some time off and write a book. I felt my daughter had been neglected. She was just about to make the tricky transition from primary to secondary school and I thought she needed her mum around. I seem to have spent most of her life in a van touring from venue to venue for my comedy act. And I did enjoy being at home for a bit, although I missed the applause and the laughter. When I finished writing in the evening, Id turn the computer off and thered be nothing, which was hard to get used to. Stop recording here to discuss question 1. Int: How was your novel received?

Jane: Well, a lot of male comedians had written books, so there was a bit of a bandwagon waiting to be jumped on, but with my impeccable timing I jumped slightly late, when
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everyone was starting to get heartily sick of comedians books. Also theres a kind of fury coming from some journalists about comics writing books. Theyre absolutely livid, as if they see your book in a bookshop and they jump up and down, shouting Its not fair! Why should she make money out of writing as well as performing? Stop recording here to discuss question 2. Int: Was it a difficult transition?

Jane: Well, if you think logically, writing is the obvious step. Ive spent years trying to make people listen to my anecdotes, so that must count for something! Also, if youve been an observational comedian, which I am, its not a great leap to use those skills youve developed, like observing odd mannerisms to use for jokes, and turn them into a book. At least thats what I felt, but you dont become a writer instantly. Ill have to wait and see whether it was just beginners luck. Stop recording here to discuss question 3.

Int:

I think why people give you a hard time about the novel is surely because were so trapped into thinking Jane Clarkson is a comedian. Its as though, you know, you cant do anything else, which is quite ridiculous because youve been writing radio comedy for years.

Jane: Yes, people do become obsessed about what you are. The character I adopted for my comedy act became rather a burden after a while. When I started going on stage alone, I was very young and I wasnt entirely convincing as a comedian because nervous young women on stage actually frighten audiences. Theyre convinced youre going to fail and burst into tears, which will be very embarrassing. So theres a palpable tension in the room and some audiences actually boo the female comedians off the stage. Stop recording here to discuss question 4. Int: How did you deal with that?

Jane: Well, I had to counteract that stereotype so I started coming on shouting and being madder and crosser than any audience could ever be and that defused the tension. In fact, I rather overdid it and my character got cruder than I ever really intended. I got so good at it that people got confused between the everyday Jane and the stage Jane. Stop recording here to discuss question 5. Int: What attracted you in the first place to performing, and particularly to making people laugh?

Jane: Oh, from an early age, I knew I wanted to be an actress. I innocently thought I was going to be a glamorous film star. The reason I started to do comedy acts was that in the 1980s a lot of small provincial theatres closed down. In the past, girls wouldve come out of drama school and if they had a leaning towards comedy theyd join one
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of these small theatres and play a variety of comedy roles in all sorts of plays from Shakespeare to contemporary stuff. All of a sudden, with the demise of these theatres, rooms above pubs opened up and comedians started telling jokes and developing their acts there. It was cheap, one performer one microphone, and anyone could do it. In some ways, its a healthier performance art than acting, because with acting youre at the mercy of everybody else deciding whether you can work or not. With stand-up comedy, you might only get paid peanuts, but nobody can stop you from just driving to a venue, often hundreds of miles in terrible weather, and going on stage. Stop recording here to discuss question 6 Int: But what is it when youre actually on stage [fade]

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CAE Listening Part 3 answer keys

Key to Students worksheet Exercise 1 Accept any reasonable suggestions: e.g. the interviewee might talk about her childhood, how she got into comedy, what its like being a woman working in that profession.

Exercise 2 1 A B C D 2 A This is not true critics were sick of comedians. B No, they were jealous of her. C This does not answer the question. D This is correct. They thought she should stick to being a comedian. 3 A This is not true because it is suggested that she needs to be patient to see if her books will become successful. B This is not true its the audience who listened to her as a comedian. C This is correct her habit of watching people. D This is not true it was a logical step from being a comedian to becoming a writer. 4 A B C D 5 A B C D 6 A B C D This is correct. She can choose where she works. No, theatre gave girls more variety of roles. No, you get paid peanuts. No, you have to travel and youre at the mercy of audiences. No, it was women breaking down on stage that frightened audiences. No, she came onto stage pretending to be angry. This is correct. People thought it reflected her real personality. This is not true. It diffused the tension. This is not mentioned. This is correct. They are afraid women will break down. This is not true they found tension in the room. This is not true they found it embarrassing if a woman broke down. This does not answer the question its what she did as a comedian. This is correct. She did not get any instant reaction to her work. This does not answer the question its not what was difficult about writing the book. This is not true. It wasnt the process that was challenging, it was the lack of reaction.

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CAE Listening Part 3 Students Worksheet

Exercise 1 Look at the context sentence and instructions for the Part 3 task below. What would you expect to hear in an interview with a female comedian? You will hear part of a radio interview in which the comedian and writer Jane Clarkson is talking about her work. For questions 16, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. Exercise 2 Look at the multiple-choice questions below. The answer is in bold. Listen to the text to confirm the answers but more importantly to find reasons why the other options are incorrect. Your teacher will stop the recording after you hear the answer to each question. 1 What did Jane find difficult about writing a book? A B C D She couldnt travel around the country. She did not get any instant reaction to her work. She had to spend time looking after her daughter. She found the process itself very challenging.

2 According to Jane, why did some critics dislike her novel? A B C D They didnt think the book was funny. They were dismissive of her initial success. They thought her male colleagues were better writers. They thought she should stick to being a comedian.

3 Which aspect of Janes work as a comedian helped her to write? A B C D her patience her ability to listen her habit of watching people her rational way of thinking

4 According to Jane, how do many people react to female comedians? A B Theyre convinced women cant tell jokes. They are afraid women will break down.

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C D

They find womens humour too intense. They find womens jokes embarrassing.

5 What was the disadvantage of the stage image which Jane developed? A B C D It frightened the audience. It made the audience angry. People thought it reflected her real personality. People did not take her seriously any more.

6 Why does Jane prefer being a solo comedian to acting in a play? A B C D She can choose where she works. There is a greater range of roles. Its more rewarding financially. Its a more relaxing way of life.

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