Do you want to know the secret to success
in listening A? Then watch this video to find out more.
Hello, I'm Jo from Specialist Language Courses,
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There are three parts to the listening paper and we are going to focus on listening A,
where you hear two patient-led dialogues and complete a gap fill task. In listening A,
each dialogue lasts about five minutes and before you listen there is 30 seconds reading time.
Each audio is a consultation between a healthcare professional and a patient or carer and it can be
any of the 12 professions, but don't worry you don't need any specialist knowledge. The context
of the consultation will always be provided, then you are provided with a set of case notes
which contain information typically recorded by a healthcare professional during a consultation,
for example symptoms or medical history and you need to listen and complete the notes.
Minor spelling and grammar errors are allowed. The audio follows the same order as the notes.
There are notes written under headings and some information already provided and the notes that
you complete are usually said by the patient or carer. The key to success in listening A is using
that 30 seconds pre-listening time effectively, but how can you do that? Let's take a look.
First of all, look at the context, you use this to prepare yourself for what you're about to hear,
then notice any subheadings and read through the notes quickly, this will help you know
the structure of the consultation and help you keep your place. You can underline keywords as
you go to help you focus and notice the gaps and think about the type of word that might
go there while you read, this all needs to be done in 30 seconds so practice doing this fast.
You have a go, you now have 10 seconds to read through the context and notes on the screen.
Okay, so we are going to listen to rheumatologists talking to a patient with gout and it's a
medication review. So first we are looking at medical history, suffers from gout,
first attack on holiday, pain in his something, probably body part with swelling, initially
thought it was something medical condition perhaps or related to medication for something control.
Describes pain as something, what's the pain like?
What about while you listen let's take a look at what you need to do. Now that you've looked at the
notes and have an idea of what the consultation is about, use your knowledge of this and the
structure of the conversation to keep your place. You need to stay focused and write as you listen.
Write exactly what is said in the audio in the gaps and don't panic if you lose your place,
listen for keywords and use what you have read before to find your place again,
and don't worry about spelling as you write, you can check briefly when the audio has finished.
It's important to be ready for quick consecutive answers, the audio will likely use different
words to the notes for example instead of saying initially the patient might say at first and it's
also important to know that the notes provided often have more formal professional language
than what you hear in the audio, for example the patient is unlikely to say I describe the pain as,
they might just say it was, and remember to write exactly what is said in the audio.
Let's have a go at this extract, listen to the audio and complete the answers.
And here are the answers. For number one, the patient says I woke up one morning with
a really bad pain in my left knee, for number two he says I decided that it must be an insect bite,
for number three we can see the audio says it might be something to do with
the pills I take for my cholesterol and for number four he says it was excruciating.
It's important to use the signposting cues in the audio which let you know that the answer
is coming, for example here it says my first serious attack was last year, my wife and I
were on holiday, matching the notes here, so we know the answer to number one is coming.
Also here it says the pain didn't get any better, in fact quite the opposite,
which links to here telling us that how he describes the pain is coming up now.
So how can you improve your skills for listening part A? Let's take a look at some of the things
that you can do in your self-study time. It's important to improve your speed reading
so practice reading listening A notes in 30 seconds, know how quickly you need to read.
Practice listening to consultations using other resources, GPS behind closed doors or
Matthew Smith YouTube channel are good places to look, and practice writing while listening
when listening to consultations, make a note of the main topics discussed, then listen again and
make more detailed notes about each topic. And use listening A transcripts, listen again and notice
how words are pronounced in fast speech and use them to develop your vocabulary also noting down
synonyms from the notes and transcript and develop your knowledge of patient-friendly language.
Okay so to recap my top tips for listening A, use the 30 seconds effectively and be ready
to start, write as you listen and check spelling after. Don't panic if you lose your place, use the
notes to help you, practice the skills and develop your vocabulary and succeed in the OET exam.
So I'd like to know which of the study tips are you going to try first? Let me
know in the comments below and if you like this video, please like and share with your friends
and colleagues so we can help more people pass the OET exam, see you in the next video, bye!