Support → Vocational school → Daedalus’s Wings → Listening comprehension

Daedalus’s Wings · English · CAP and bac pro

Listening comprehension

No marks, no timer. Choose a card, do it, check it, think about your method, then record your result.

My pace → You can stop whenever you want: your answers are saved on this device.

Quick file

One precise point to review. For you if one situation needed more work.

Card 1

Times and prices

Audio podcast (British English)Travel info → Airport bus

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Announcer : The bus to the airport leaves at quarter past six and arrives at twenty to eight. A single ticket costs eight pounds fifty.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

Card 2

Spelling a name and an address

Audio podcast (American English)Phone call → Taking details

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Receptionist : Can I have your email address, please?

Caller : Sure. It’s j dot morgan, M, O, R, G, A, N, at example dot com.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

Card 3

Days and dates

Audio podcast (British English)Voicemail → Appointment reminder

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Assistant : This is a reminder that your appointment is on Wednesday the twenty-third of March, at half past two in the afternoon, in room fourteen.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

In-depth file

A step-by-step method. For you if the difficulty came back in two situations.

Card 1

The three-listening strategy

Audio podcast (British English)Student union → Charity run

Speed Listens: 0

Listen three times, like in the exam. Write your answers between two listenings.

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Josh : Hi everyone, it’s Josh from the student union. Next Friday we’re organising a charity run around the park to raise money for the local food bank. You can walk or run, it’s five kilometres, and it costs three pounds to take part. Sign up at reception before Wednesday.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

The first time you listen, you look for…

every word. the spelling of names. the situation: who is speaking, to whom, about what.

What is it about?

A charity run for a food bank. A football match. A birthday party.

What is the deadline to sign up?

The same day. Before Friday. Before Wednesday.

Help card → the method, not the answer

Three-listening method → 1st listening: the general situation (who? where? what about?). 2nd listening: the main information (what? when? why?). 3rd listening: the details and checking. Between two listenings, take short notes with abbreviations.

Card 2

Understanding the purpose of a document

Audio podcast (American English)Radio advert → QuickFix

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Voice : Tired of waiting? With QuickFix, your phone screen is repaired in thirty minutes, or it’s free! Visit us downtown, open seven days a week.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

Help card → the method, not the answer

Method → Find the type of document (advert, news report, interview, message) and its purpose: to report, to inform, to persuade, to criticise, to denounce, to entertain. Clues: the music, the tone, questions to the listener, imperatives (Visit us!).

Card 3

Finding opinions

Audio podcast (British English)Class debate → A four-day school week?

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Amira : I think a four-day week would be brilliant: more time for sport and part-time jobs.

Ben : I’m not so sure. The days would be much longer, and I’d be exhausted by Thursday.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

Full task file

A full task, like in the exam, cut into steps. For you if all three situations needed more work.

Card 1

Reporting on an audio document (in the exam, your report is in French)

Source → BBC Learning English, official channel. Open on YouTube

Video task → Watch the first two minutes. Take notes (in French, as in the exam): the type of document, the topic, and two English words about trust.

When you report on an audio document, you first give…

your own opinion. its type, its topic and the situation (who, where, when). a word-for-word translation.

In the bac pro exam, the audio document lasts at most…

1 min 30. 10 minutes. 30 seconds.

A news report that warns about false information mainly aims…

only to entertain. to sell a product. to inform and to make people think.

Help card → the method, not the answer

Report method → 1. Type and topic (This is a… about…). 2. The facts and the people. 3. The points of view. 4. The hidden meaning and the purpose (to inform, to persuade, to denounce…). In the exam, you write your report in French, in your own words, without trying to translate everything.

Card 2

A full news bulletin

Audio podcast (British English)Morning news → Apprenticeships on the rise

Speed Listens: 0

Read the script (after listening, to check)

Newsreader : Good morning. A new report shows that more young people are choosing apprenticeships after school. Many say they want to earn money while they learn and avoid student debt. However, some employers say they struggle to find time to train apprentices properly. The authors of the report call for more support for small businesses.

Fictional script written for this exercise, recorded as an audio podcast.

What is the topic?

Only student debt. More and more young people choose apprenticeships. Companies closing down.

Which points of view are given?

Young people want to earn money while they train; some employers don’t have time to train them. Everybody is against it. Only parents give their opinion.

What do the authors of the report ask for?

The end of apprenticeships. Longer studies. More support for small companies.

Help card → the method, not the answer

Method → Before you listen, divide your page into four boxes: topic, facts, points of view, conclusion. Fill in one box each time you listen. The word “however” almost always introduces another point of view.

Card 3

Listening, comparing, writing

Source → BBC Learning English, official channel. Open on YouTube

Video task → Watch the first two minutes, first without subtitles, then with subtitles. Write down the question asked at the start and the names of the two presenters.

Which report sentence is the best?

I understood nothing but it was good. This is a BBC podcast in which two presenters discuss how to spot a lie. It is a video in English.

In the exam, the report is written…

in French, translating word for word. in English, copying the script. in French, in your own words.

You don’t understand a part. You…

invent something. give up. use what you understood and the clues (tone, words you recognise).

Help card → the method, not the answer

Method → Start with what you are sure you understood, then add more. Words you recognise (information, problem, normal) and the tone of the voices help you guess the rest. An honest, partial report is better than an invented one.

Cards written for this website, in the spirit of the GEREX files. Fictional documents; videos from official public sources.