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CELPIP Listening Part 6: Viewpoints
Tips & Strategies
How to Listen Effectively
Following the report
Listen in full-sentence mode, not vocabulary mode
- Listen for complete ideas instead of concentrating on individual words.
- This will help you understand the meaning of each viewpoint more clearly.
Avoid focusing too much on vocabulary
- Vocabulary can help, but matching words alone may cause you to misunderstand the speaker's meaning.
Listen and repeat ideas in your mind
- Briefly repeat important ideas mentally so you can remember which viewpoint they belong to.
You can take notes
- Use your notepad to record important ideas, viewpoints, examples, or contrasts.
- You can write notes in your own language; your notes are not graded.
- Keep notes short so writing does not interfere with listening.
Imagine the issue
- Imagine how the issue could affect you or other people.
- Consider how you might react or what your opinion might be. This can help you understand the different viewpoints.
What Information to Focus On
Topic and different viewpoints
Understand the Main Issue
This will help you understand the ideas related to the issue.
- Identify the main issue being discussed.
- Listen for the main factors affecting the issue.
- Identify important problems or concerns related to the issue.
Understand the Different Viewpoints
Different views, ideas, or opinions may be presented about the same issue.
- How are the viewpoints different?
- How are they similar?
- What effects or consequences does each viewpoint describe?
- What solutions or suggestions are presented?
Focus on Ideas More Than Vocabulary
This will help you understand the questions and answers more clearly.
- Connect each idea to the correct viewpoint.
- Do not choose an answer simply because you remember hearing similar words.
- Listen for synonyms, paraphrases, and different ways of expressing the same idea.
Reading the Questions
Identifying the target viewpoint
Repeat the question to better understand it
- Restate the question mentally before considering the answers.
Focus on which viewpoint the question is related to
- There may be two or more viewpoints expressed about the issue.
- Make sure you understand which viewpoint or part of the discussion the question refers to.
Focus on the key idea of the question
- Understand what information the question actually requires before comparing the answers.
- Connect the question to the meaning of the lecture, not simply to familiar words.
Questions are usually related to:
- The main issue and what the lecture is generally about.
- The different viewpoints and how they agree or differ.
- Reasons, effects, concerns, or examples connected to a viewpoint.
- Suggestions or possible solutions related to the issue.
- Conclusions that can be drawn from the information presented.
Responding to the Questions
Meaning before viewpoint
Avoid Selecting Answers Only Because of Words You Heard
Familiar vocabulary does not necessarily mean the answer is correct.
- An answer may repeat words from the lecture but connect them to the wrong viewpoint or idea.
- Check the complete meaning before choosing the answer.
Focus on the Idea of the Answer
Understand what each answer is actually suggesting.
- Compare the meaning of the answer with the viewpoint presented in the lecture.
- Some answers are indirect, so the correct meaning may be implied rather than directly stated.
Eliminate Wrong Answers
Finding why an answer is wrong can help you identify the correct one.
- Eliminate answers that do not connect logically to the question.
- For similar answers, identify exactly what is different between them.
Selecting the Answers
Comparing and constrasting viewpoints
Focus on the main issue
- Do not confuse an example or supporting detail with the main issue.
- Ask whether the answer describes the overall issue or only one small part of it.
Focus on idea association
- Keep each idea connected to the correct viewpoint.
- Pay attention to how the viewpoints agree, disagree, or partially overlap.
Focus on vocabulary association
- Similar words may appear in an incorrect answer even when the meaning does not match.
- The correct answer may use synonyms or paraphrases instead of the exact words you heard.
Focus on meaning
- Some answers require understanding the overall meaning of a viewpoint rather than one specific detail.
- Pay attention to what a speaker is implying, suggesting, supporting, or criticizing.
- Expressions, idioms, and figurative language may communicate meaning beyond the literal words.