Listening is the key to effective communication. The PSLE Listening Comprehension examination has been designed to test the ability of the students to identify the key ideas of the passages that they listen to and draw accurate conclusions from them.
Developing Adequate Listening Skills For PSLE
Good listening skills are fundamental to acing your PSLE Listening Comprehension Examination
We learn by listening.
Schools don’t teach children their first words. They learn them from those who speak around them. Listening intently with focus and cognition is a skill that benefits students in the long run. It helps them to understand, interpret, and process information contained in an auditory message quickly.
It is a proficiency that parents can inculcate in their kids from a very young age.
But before you begin to do that, you need to take a look at your home environment. Which of the following two scenarios is more commonplace in your home?
Scenario 1: When you give instructions your kids understand and follow them or if there is a discussion, the children listen carefully, and take part in it intelligently and consciously.
Scenario 2: Everyone in the family talks at the same time, not bothering to pay heed to what the other person is saying. There is no room for healthy discussion and as a result, no one is able to convey an opinion or make a point.
It is very obvious that it is the former scenario that we need to cultivate at home. To achieve that we need to teach our kids to:
- Listen attentively
- Understand and infer
- Process information logically
- Draw rational conclusions
Building Up To PSLE
Make sure that your child is familiar with the flow of the exam. It will help him stay calm and focused.
To instil the habit of listening comprehension in children, encourage them to watch interesting English language programmes.
Expose them to a variety of auditory stimuli such as listening to the news, podcasts, and even speeches. You can even ask him questions about his daily routine, and what is happening and why.
Incorporate this behaviour into your daily routine. Listening attentively is thus a skill that can be developed informally and easily. Parents can model good aural skills by listening attentively to their children converse and responding correctly.
Format Of The Listening Comprehension Exam
According to the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) website, the 2015 English Listening Comprehension will have 20 Multiple Choice Questions which pupils have to tackle in 35 minutes.
The Ministry of Education is gradually moving towards increasing graphic representation to encourage students to put their cognitive skills to use. The graphic representation will be used for the first seven items.
The paper is worth 20 marks which is 10% of the total English Score. Since it is a component where students generally score well it is advisable to pay adequate attention to it.
During the exam, students listen to voice recordings. Every student in Singapore listens to the same voice and diction, making it fair for all pupils.
On The Day Of The Exam
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Reach the school on time to avoid last-minute panic. Encourage your child to stay calm and confident. Since a 2B pencil is required to shade the OAS sheet, make sure your child carries at least 2 pencils to school.
Remind your child of the process for the Listening Comprehension Exam.
The first reading
- All passages will be read out twice.
- The text could be in the form of a news item, announcement, speech, story, advertisement etc.
- Before the first reading of the script, you will be given time to go through the questions. Use this time well.
- Read the questions silently beforehand so you are prepared.
- Look out for information when the passage is being read.
- It is important to listen attentively and understand the gist of the passage.
- Create a mental picture of everything you read. This helps to recall faster.
- Contextualise a difficult word to understand its meaning.
- Look out for intonation and emphasis on keywords and phrases which may have clues to the answers.
- Avoid being in a hurry or being overly impulsive.
- To avoid confusion, circle the answer before you read the next question.
The Second Reading
- Don’t start daydreaming or be overconfident of your abilities once the second reading begins.
- Be focused and use this opportunity to listen again and process any information that may have been missed in the first reading.
- Think carefully and confirm that the circled answer is correct
- Shade it on the OAS sheet using the 2B pencil.
After the Exam
Take a deep breath. You child did it! That is one more exam ticked off his list. Don’t let your child dwell on it too much. It’s time to move on and focus on the other papers.
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