Hi, I'm Jo from Specialist Language Courses, we are OET Premium Preparation Providers which means
we are experienced and skilled in what we do, helping people achieve success in the OET exam.
So, in today's video we're going to look at strategies for Listening A. All the materials
used in today's video are available on our online course Reach OET B, link's below.
In today's video we will look at a brief overview of the listening paper, specifically part A,
how to approach part A and some study tips. There are three parts to the listening test,
in this video we're going to take a closer look at part A, in this part you will hear two
patient-led dialogues and will need to complete a gap-fill task and it lasts for about 15 minutes.
So what happens in part A? In listening part A There will be two patient-led dialogues,
the patient will do most of the talking and it will last about 15 minutes. There are 24
questions in total, 12 for each audio and you will need to complete a gap fill task with a word or a
short phrase. The context of the conversation will always be provided, you can see an example here.
How should you approach part A? First, read the context given, this will help you predict the
content of the conversation. So, in this example, you will hear a pharmacist talking to a patient,
you can predict that the conversation may contain information about medications, a medical
condition or perhaps advice. Take advantage of the time given before the audio starts,
use the headings and information provided to help you decide what to listen for,
it will also help you keep up with the conversation,
be aware of paraphrasing in the notes as the audio may be different from the written notes.
Look at the gaps and predict what information you are listening for,
let's take a closer look at the first part. The first heading is reason for conversation and if
we look closer at the gap in question 13, we can predict that you were listening for a noun
and that it will probably be a healthcare professional.
Under the next heading, reason for taking blood pressure medication, we can see the gap for
question 14. From the information provided, we can predict that we need to complete a noun phrase.
Listen to this section of the audio now and complete what you hear using
exactly the words used in the audio. I was wondering if you could give me some advice
about these tablets that the GP gave me last week, I'm not sure that I should be taking them.
Right, what tablets are you taking? Um, I've got the box here, they're called Ramipril,
is that how you say it? That's right, do you know why the GP put you on Ramapril?
Yes, my blood pressure has been climbing steadily, the GP tried to talk to me about
some lifestyle changes, you know, getting my weight down and becoming a bit more active,
I have to be honest and say that I didn't make any effort at all, now I'm paying the price.
Let's take a look at the answers. The answer for number 13 is GP.
We had predicted that the answer would be a noun and a healthcare professional and from the
audio script, we can see the information and cues from the written notes helps confirm the answer.
For question 14, the answer is blood pressure.
The cues in the written paper have been slightly paraphrased, the audio says climbing steadily,
instead of rising steadily. You will always need to write exactly what the patient says.
Let's take a look at some more examples from a later section in the conversation.
We can predict that for number 18, the answer needs to be an adjective, describing a symptom.
For number 19, we can predict that the answer will be a noun phrase.
Let's listen and complete the answers. Can you tell me a bit about what's happening, how do
the tablets make you feel? After I started taking them a few days ago, when I was started on them,
I started feeling dizzy, that's very unusual for me. Aha, any other symptoms? I'm not sure
if it's anything to do with the tablets, but I've had a headache on and off for the past two days.
So, if we look at the answers we can see that number 18 is dizzy, the headings there help
guide us towards the answer. For question 19, we are guided again, the pharmacist
indicates that the answer is about to be said by asking if there are any other symptoms.
So, how can you prepare for listening part A? It's really important that you develop your listening
skills for the OET exam and not only just do exam practice papers, let's look at some ways you can
do this. One resource you can use is Matthew Smith's YouTube channel, this contains role
plays used to help GPs prepare for the Clinical Skills Assessment exam in the UK. Or you can
watch extracts from television programs, such as 24 hours in A&E or GP Behind Closed Doors.
You can use these resources by listening and making headings for the topics discussed, such as
overview of symptoms, past medical history, then listen again and make notes, so specific details
under each heading. You can also work on patient speak, so patient-friendly language, for example
phrasal verbs and more idiomatic language that a patient would be more likely to use, for example
cut down, instead of reduce or keeping me up at night versus problem sleeping.
Top tips for listening A: use the information provided and the headings to help you decide
what to listen for, predict what kind of information you need to complete each gap
and use role play consultations to practice for part A. So thanks for watching,
if you would like more strategies and tips on how to prepare for the OET exam check out our
website, you'll also find handouts that you can download with everything we talked about today,
the link's below. Please like and share so we can help more people achieve success in the OET exam,
don't forget to subscribe for more videos like this, bye!