Module 2. LISTENING. Tips & Practice

Here are specific tips for your students to tackle this Listening Exam on Health, Sports, & Diet. Since the content is heavy on science and biology, these strategies focus on both exam technique and the specific vocabulary they will encounter.

🧠 Pre-Listening Context (The Science)

This exam focuses heavily on neuroscience (how exercise/food affects the brain). Before they start, make sure they understand the two brain areas mentioned repeatedly in the exam, as this context is crucial for Part 2 and Part 3.

Shutterstock

• Hippocampus: Responsible for memory (mentioned in the Sleep and Exercise videos).

• Prefrontal Cortex: Responsible for focus and decision making (mentioned in the Wendy Suzuki interview).

  
  

📌 Part 1: Multiple Choice (Short Extracts)

Topics: Sugar, Sitting & Sleep

• Tip 1: Listen for "Signposting" words. In the extract about Sitting, the speaker will list physiological effects. Students should listen for transition words like "Moreover," "Consequently," or "What happens is..." to identify the specific effect on the blood (lipoprotein lipase) versus the long-term effect on the brain.

• Tip 2: Distinguish "Analogy" from "Fact". In the Sleep extract, Matt Walker uses metaphors (USB stick, inbox). Warn students not to choose the literal answer. If the text mentions a "USB stick," the answer is likely about "storage capacity," not actual technology.

• Tip 3: Watch out for "Partial Agreements". In the Sugar video, they might hear about it being "tasty" or "natural," but the question asks why it is compared to drugs. They must wait for the specific comparison (dopamine/reward system).

  
  

✍️ Part 2: Sentence Completion (Gap Fill)

Topic: How food affects the brain (Mia Nacamulli)

• Tip 1: Grammatical "fit" is king. Remind them that the word they hear must fit the sentence on the screen grammatically.

  • Example: "Fats are crucial for the creation of ______."

  • If they hear "creating cell membranes," they must write "cell membranes" (noun phrase), not "creating" (gerund), or it won't fit the gap.

• Tip 2: Spelling counts. Scientific words appear here. Review these spellings beforehand if you want to be kind, or warn them to be careful:

  • Membranes

  • Antioxidants

  • Glucose

  • Varied

• Tip 3: Prediction. Before playing the video, have them guess the word type.

  • Q7: "consumes about ______ percent..." -> They are looking for a number.

  • Q12: "followed by a ______." -> They are looking for a singular noun (likely negative, given the context of sugar).

    
    

🗣️ Part 3: Long Interview (Multiple Choice)

Topic: Wendy Suzuki (Exercise)

• Tip 1: Follow the order. The questions (15-18) follow the chronology of the video perfectly. If they hear the answer to Q16 (the "401K" analogy) but haven't answered Q15 yet, tell them to guess Q15 immediately and move on. If they linger, they will miss the next two answers.

• Tip 2: Paraphrasing vs. Exact words. In C1, the correct answer is almost never the exact words spoken.

  • Video says: "It generates new brain cells."

  • Option says: "Neurogenesis" or "Birth of neurons."

  • Trap: They will hear the exact words of the distractors (wrong answers). Tell them: If you hear the exact phrase from option A, option A is probably wrong.

    
    

🧩 Part 4: Multiple Matching (Myths)

Topic: Fitness Myths

• Tip 1: The "Myth" vs. The "Reality". This is the trickiest part. The video will state the Myth first (e.g., "Sweat means you are burning fat"). The student might hear "burning fat" and want to match it.

  • Strategy: They must listen for the word "Actually," "However," or "In reality." The answer is what comes after that turn.

• Tip 2: Global Understanding. For the "Crunches" myth, the speaker might not say "It hurts your back." They might explain the anatomy of the spine. Students need to synthesize the explanation to match it to "It strengthens cartilage/joints" or whatever the specific scientific reality is.

  
  

📚 Essential Vocabulary Checklist

Since this is a specialized topic, ensure they are familiar with these terms before the exam to give them a fair chance:

1. Neurotransmitter: Chemical messenger (Dopamine, Serotonin).

2. Sedentary: Sitting down/inactive (used in the "Sitting" extract).

3. Cognitive decline: The brain getting worse with age.

4. Aerobic exercise: Exercise that raises heart rate (Cardio).

5. Inflammation: Swelling/reaction of the body to injury or bad diet.

6. To debunk: To prove a myth is false (Part 4).

   
   

🖥️ Google Forms Specific Advice

Since they are doing this digitally:

• The "Seek" Bar Temptation: In a real exam, they can't rewind. In Google Forms, they can. You should set a clear rule: "You are on your honor to play the video only twice."

• Note-taking: Tell them to have a physical piece of paper for Part 2. It is much harder to type while listening. They should scribble the words on paper first, then type them into the form at the end.