Teacher Seminars

B1 Listening & Speaking Workshop

Level: Time:
Teachers mixed ability (CEFR B1+) 1 hr 45 mins

Aims:
ü To raise awareness of the revised ISE at B1
ü To develop specific sub-skills relevant to the listening paper of revised ISE at B1
ü To develop specific sub-skills relevant to the speaking paper of revised ISE at B1

Resources:
o Handouts as specified in activities below
o Flipchart + FC Paper + Paper + Coloured Pens or whiteboard and whiteboard
pens

Procedure:
Introduction
1. Warm-up: Quiz (10 mins)
Aim: to raise awareness of key features of the revised ISE1 exam
Sub-skill focus: n/a
Exam task focus: Overall task awareness

a. Handout quiz (10 questions - see attached resources and answers) detailing
structure of ISE1 (B1) speaking and listening papers. Participants complete by
themselves and then peer-check. Alternatively, project quiz questions for
participants to see.
b. Go through 10 questions picking out key changes in S&L exams as necessary.
In summary these changes are:
i. No prescribed list of grammatical items
ii. No portfolio
iii. Independent listening tasks

For each of the following activities, the format for each will be:
Introduce topic and aims
Do (an abridged version of) the activity
Discuss its merits and how it could be exploited in the classroom
Discuss possible variations/adaptations
Plenary feedback to promote idea-sharing

2. Topic Alphabet (15 mins)

Sub-skill focus: Selecting and Developing an Appropriate Topic
Exam task focus: Topic Task of Speaking Assessment

a. Ask Ss to pick a letter of the alphabet, eg. F. Elicit 10 words beginning

with this letter on to the board. (eg. Football, films, etc..)
b. Give each pair a different word from the list.
c. Tell Ss to choose 1 of the words and discuss it together for 5 minutes.

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d. Monitor and check how easy/difficult each of the topics is for Ss to

discuss.
e. Divide Ss into groups of 3 or 4 Ss.
f. Provide poster paper and coloured pens to each group.
g. Tell Ss to write the alphabet in two columns.
h. Give Ss a time limit to add 5 words beginning with each letter. Each
word should represent something they are interested in and feel they
could have a conversation about for 5 minutes.
i. Once all the groups have finished, ask Ss to look again at each of the
words for each letter and choose one that they could talk about
comfortably.
j. Let the Ss have a 5 minute conversation about their chosen word.
k. Monitor and listen for examples, opportunities for incorporating the LF
of the grade.
l. Draw Ss’ attention to the LF of the grade.
m. Let Ss have a further 5 minute conversation about the same topic, but
this time insisting on incorporation of the LF of the grade.
n. In feedback elicit how easy/difficult it was to discuss some topics, when
bearing in mind LF of the grade.
o. Highlight that although all topics are interesting, some are easier to
exploit LF of the grade and these are the ones they should choose from.
p. Ask participants what kind of methods they use/have used to encourage
Ss to choose appropriate topics, and how successful they were.
3. Heads or Tails (15 mins)
Sub-skill focus: Practising authentic exchange of information, ideas and opinions
Exam task focus: Conversation Task

a. List the Subject Areas for conversation on the board.

b. Ask Ss where the words have come from.
c. Elicit that they are the Subject Areas for conversation and remind Ss
that they will have a 2 minute conversation about 1 of these subjects,
chosen by the examiner.
d. Tell Ss that this is a conversation, not a “question and answer”
interview.
e. Divide Ss into groups of 3 or 4 and provide each group with poster
paper and pens.
f. Give each group one Subject Area for conversation.
g. Tell the Ss to brainstorm as many examples of questions and
comments, related to the LF of the grade, as possible and list them on
their paper. (Provide a few examples for one SA, if necessary.)
h. Put the posters up around the room and provide Ss with time and
opportunity to look at, and add to each other’s posters. Leave the
posters up.
i. Split the class into groups of 3 and nominate a monitor, an examiner
and a candidate in each group. Ask the monitor to listen to the others
having a 2 minute conversation about the SA using as much of the
language from the posters as possible.
j. Monitor and note down good examples of language and any problems.
k. Provide feedback and brainstorm, model and drill B1 language for giving
opinions, agreeing, disagreeing, interrupting.
l. Put Ss into groups of 4 and provide with a set of SA cards and a set of
LF for the grade cards.
m. NB - Pre-teach “heads or tails”
n. Each player takes one card from each pile. The first S tosses the coin.
If he gets heads, he asks another S a question about his SA using his LF

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 Teacher Seminars

card. He has to have a conversation with his peer for 2 minutes. If he

gets tails, he has to talk about it himself using his LF card for 1 minute.
o. Monitor and feedback after Ss have been playing for about half an hour.

It’s a good idea to have a big clock visible during this activity.
Eg - http://www.online-stopwatch.com/
4. Get the Gist of It (15 mins)
Sub-skill focus: Listening for gist and global understanding
Exam task focus: Independent Listening Task 2

a. Highlight that the big picture can be just as important as the specific
details in a text. When Ss are encouraged to focus on gist, they can
come to realise that a general understanding is often enough. The skill
of listening for gist enables Ss to gather broader information than usual
and then use it to discuss, debate and support opinions in later tasks.
Whilst very useful for test preparation, developing their ability to listen
for gist is also a very important life skill.
b. Explain to Ss that they are going to listen for general comprehension.
They DO NOT write anything down or take notes.
c. Ss listen to a text (read by the teacher/ recorded/monologue/dialogue).
The speed of reading should be just slightly above the level of the class,
to facilitate improvement of listening ability conferred on the Ss.
d. Ss get into pairs. Each pair provides a one or two sentence summary of
what they heard.
e. Two pairs join together and share their summaries, to ensure everyone
more or less has the broadest comprehension. The summaries are
taken away by the teacher.
f. Ss continue in the same groups of 4 and create an oral recap of the
information they remember from their summaries, focusing on the big
picture, although some details may be added.
g. The teacher reads the piece aloud once more, and again Ss listen
without taking notes.
h. Ss get into their groups of 4 again and confirm, correct and add to the
information in their oral recap.
i. The teacher distributes the article/script to the Ss, who read it silently.
j. After reading the article, Ss can check, confirm, correct and add to the
information in their previously discussed recap.

5. Dictogloss (15 mins)

Sub-skill focus: Noticing key words and note-taking
Exam task focus: Independent Listening Tasks 1 & 2

a. Explain that although this is a listening activity to enable Ss to focus on key

words and note-taking, it also provides an opportunity for peer teaching and
collaborative language work.
b. Ask Ss what lexis/grammar is most likely to come up in a certain type of text.
(eg. Postcard – weather, present continuous, past simple, time references,
etc.) Elicit all possibilities at this stage without comment.
c. Tell Ss you are going to read that type of text at your normal speed of speech.
d. Tell Ss to listen ONLY. They must not take notes. (Maybe get Ss to sit on
their hands for the first listening.)
e. After the first listening, Ss write down as much as they can remember from
the text. They can use pictures, abbreviations, other words, blanks or
anything else that might help them if they cannot recall the specific details.

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 Teacher Seminars

f. The teacher re-reads the text, and this time the Ss can add to/amend their
notes.
g. Ss pair up to combine their versions to get their version as close to the
original as possible.
h. The teacher rereads the text a last time, again with Ss sitting on their hands.
i. Two pairs join their versions together on a big piece of poster paper.
Hypothesizing about appropriacy of word choice, correct grammar, etc. to
create the best final version they can.
j. The teacher monitors throughout the creation of the final version underlining
grammatical/lexical errors in one colour and content issues in another.
k. When groups are happy with their version, they can stick them up round the
room, so that groups can compare their versions and correct each other’s
errors.
l. The teacher eventually provides the original model text with the key
information in bold, for Ss to check whether they have noted and included the
key words/information.
m. The teacher can go on to discuss how the Ss knew they were the key words –
tone, emphasis, stress, pause, etc.

Remember it would be useful to use texts which recycle lexis and LF

from ISE 1 Specifications.

6. Timed Oral Instructions Test (15 mins)

Sub-skill focus: To remind Ss of the importance of listening to oral instructions
carefully.
Exam task focus: Independent Listening Tasks 1 & 2

a. Tell Ss they are going to be given a short test but don’t tell them what it is
about.
b. Explain that they are going to be timed and that they will only have 30
seconds to complete each question.
c. Tell the Ss to listen and answer each question immediately.
d. Read the instructions out at 30 second intervals. (A list of possible questions
is included in HO)
e. On completion – get the Ss to compare their answers before inviting them out
to demonstrate their answers on the board.
f. This activity highlights the importance of listening carefully to the key words in
oral instructions.
7. Limericks (15 mins)
Sub-skill focus: production of weak forms, linking and other features of connected
speech, in order to facilitate recognition
Exam task focus: Independent Listening Tasks 1 & 2

a. Select 2 or 3 limericks for intensive speech practice, using group and then
individual repetition of the model, building up from single lines to larger
chunks, until Ss can repeat an entire limerick reasonable accurately.
b. Divide class into groups of 3 students. Ask each student to select a limerick
and to practise saying it aloud, the others in the group monitor the correct use
of weak forms, stress, catenation, etc.
c. Check that each group can now identify the main features of connected speech
and, for fun, limericks, eg. rhythm and rhyme. Then provide first line (make
sure you choose something with a good variety of rhymes), for example,
There was a young ISE candidate.... and ask each group to make up their own
limerick.
(see limericks on handout for ideas)

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 Teacher Seminars

Other ideas include jigsaw listening, self-recording to produce own listening

for peers, SLANT, 5Ws, identifying synonyms, distractors, comparing
written and spoken text, prediction activities, among others
8. Review and close (10 mins)
a. Ask following questions to summarise topic of session (or project them if you think
participants would benefit from seeing questions).

1. What are the key features of the revised ISE at B1?

2. What are the four categories for assessment?
3. What subskills should be developed for the speaking component?
4. What subskills should be developed for the listening component?
5. How easy will it be to adapt your course materials to develop these skills?

b. Get participants to tell their neighbour which their favourite activity was and why.
Plenary feedback. Alternatively, ask participants to tell their neighbour which task
they will use first and why. Again, get plenary feedback.
c. Ensure all Ts have HO copies and are aware of additional online materials at:
http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3194.

Close

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 Teacher Support Workshops
B1 S&L

Activity: Get the Gist of it (CEFR B1)

Level: Time: Resources:

CEFR B1 15 minutes ü Sample text at B1

Aims:
ü A cooperative activity to practise speaking and listening
ü To practise interactive communication at CEFR B1
ü To develop listening strategies for overall comprehension

Sub-skill focus: Listening for gist and global understanding

Exam task focus: Independent Listening Task 2

Procedure:
What happened?
4. Get the Gist of It (15 mins)
a) Highlight that the ‘big picture’ can be just as important as the specific details in a
text. When Ss are encouraged to focus on gist, they can come to realise that a
general understanding is often enough. The skill of listening for gist enables Ss to
gather broader information than usual and then use it to discuss, debate and
support opinions in later tasks. Whilst very useful for test preparation, developing
their ability to listen for gist is also a very important life skill.
b) Explain to Ss that they are going to listen for general comprehension. They DO
NOT write anything down or take notes.
c) Ss listen to a text (read by the teacher/ recorded/monologue/dialogue). The speed
of reading should be just slightly above the level of the class, to facilitate
improvement of listening ability conferred on the Ss.
d) Ss get into pairs. Each pair provides a one or two sentence summary of what they
heard.
e) Two pairs join together and share their summaries, to ensure everyone more or
less has the broadest comprehension. The summaries are taken away by the
teacher.
f) Ss continue in the same groups of 4 and create an oral recap of the information
they remember from their summaries, focusing on the big picture, although some
details may be added.
g) The teacher reads the piece aloud once more, and again Ss listen without taking
notes.
h) Ss get into their groups of 4 again and confirm, correct and add to the information
in their oral recap.
i) The teacher distributes the article/script to the Ss, who read it silently.
j) After reading the article, Ss can check, confirm, correct and add to the information
in their previously discussed recap.
 Teacher Support Workshops
B2 S&L

B1 Listening & Speaking Workshop

Activity: Get the Gist of It - Sample text

Students go back to school in August. They get new clothes and uniforms. They buy
school supplies, such as pencils, erasers, and notebooks. They feel excited about
teachers and classmates and the new year ahead. However, there is also a serious
problem. Many students forget a lot of science, maths, and other subjects during the
long holidays.

In the USA, Europe, and many other countries, summer holidays last two months or
more. When children go back to school, the teacher has to review information from
the previous year. In fact, students forget about two months of reading skills and
more than two months of maths skills.

Unfortunately, no one has fixed this serious problem yet.

 Teacher Support Workshops
B1 S&L

Activity: Dictogloss (CEFR B1)

Level: Time: Resources:

CEFR B1 15 minutes ü Sample text at B1

Aims:
ü A cooperative activity to practise speaking and listening
ü To develop listening strategies – from extensive to intensive
ü To practice variety of study skills

Sub-skill focus: Noticing key words and note-taking

Exam task focus: Independent Listening Tasks 1 & 2

Procedure: Dictogloss (15 mins+)

a. Explain that although this is a listening activity to enable Ss to focus on key words and
note-taking, it also provides an opportunity for peer teaching and collaborative language
work.
b. Ask Ss what lexis/grammar is most likely to come up in a certain type of text. (eg.
Postcard – weather, present continuous, past simple, time references, etc.) Elicit all
possibilities at this stage without comment.
c. Tell Ss you are going to read that type of text at your normal speed of speech.
d. Tell Ss to listen ONLY. They must not take notes. (Maybe get Ss to sit on their hands for
the first listening.)
e. After the first listening, Ss write down as much as they can remember from the text.
They can use pictures, abbreviations, other words, blanks or anything else that might
help them if they cannot recall the specific details.
f. The teacher re-reads the text, and this time the Ss can add to/amend their notes.
g. Ss pair up to combine their versions to get their version as close to the original as
possible.
h. The teacher rereads the text a last time, again with Ss sitting on their hands.
i. Two pairs join their versions together on a big piece of poster paper. Hypothesizing about
appropriacy of word choice, correct grammar, etc. to create the best final version they
can.
j. The teacher monitors throughout the creation of the final version underlining
grammatical/lexical errors in one colour and content issues in another.
k. When groups are happy with their version, they can stick them up round the room, so
that groups can compare their versions and correct each other’s errors.
l. The teacher eventually provides the original model text with the key information in bold,
for Ss to check whether they have noted and included the key words/information.
m. The teacher can go on to discuss how the Ss knew they were the key words – tone,
emphasis, stress, pause, etc.

Remember it would be useful to use texts which recycle lexis and LF from ISE 1
Specifications.
 Teacher Support Workshops
B2 S&L

Activity: Dictogloss – Sample text

Some people prefer home. They rarely leave the city or state where they were born and
grew up. They aren't very interested in exotic places or different cultures, so they travel
abroad only once or twice in their lives. In fact, most US citizens don't even have a passport.

But other people are the opposite. They love to travel abroad. They realize that travel to
foreign countries has many benefits. So if you haven't thought about it before, here are
some reasons to get on a plane sooner rather than later.

If you're young and have just finished university, travel provides the chance to learn about
the world. Of course you may face challenges at college or university, such as getting a

student loan or renting an apartment. But college isn't the real world. If there's a problem,
for example, you can usually and easily get help from your parents. A mistake may have
serious consequences, but it's easier to bounce back. You don't have children, a mortgage,
and other responsibilities yet.

Overseas travel looks good on your CV too. There are many new challenges abroad. The
society may have different rules and expectations. The society may also have a language
barrier. You'll need to solve problems with initiative and resourcefulness. You may even have
the chance to use your foreign language skills.

If you're in your thirties, forties, or even fifties, the challenges of travel overseas stimulate
the brain. New problems require new skills. After many new experiences abroad, you'll feel
refreshed and ready to face the pressures of work. On the other hand, if you spend two

weeks at home without any challenges, you actually won't feel as recharged when you
return to work.

If you're retired, you should still travel because you don't have a job to worry about. You
also don't have children to take care of. This means you can take longer holidays. Instead of
two weeks, you can stay two months or longer. You can take language lessons and try new

hobbies unique to that country. The new experiences will keep your mind and body young.
You'll also realize that there's still a lot to discover in the world.

So what are you waiting for? Make your reservations and get on a plane today!
 Teacher Seminars

B1 Listening & Speaking Workshop

Activity. Timed Oral Instructions Test

Health and Fitness Questions - Sample

1: In ‘Box A’ overleaf, write two or three words for each of the questions below in any
shape you want.

• What activities do you do to be fit and healthy?

• How certain are you that your diet is good for your health?
• In your opinion is it possible to be fat, but fit?
• How was diet healthier in the past?
• What do you have to do if you want to lose weight?
• What changes will smartphones have on how people exercise?

Do not let your partner see where you have put the information.

2: Now tell your partner what you have written in your shapes: your partner writes what
you tell them in ‘Box B’.
e.g. Write ‘swimming and running’ in the square on the right at the top.

Other words to use:

at the top in the middle at the bottom below

on the left on the right above underneath

Make sure your partner doesn’t see your diagram.

3: Take turns. Now write the information your partner tells you in your ‘Box B’. Ask your
partner to repeat any instructions you don’t understand. Use these sentences to ask for
repetition:

Could you say that again, please? Could you repeat that, please?
Sorry I didn’t hear that, can you say it again?

4: When you have both finished show each other your diagrams. Are they the same?

5: Discuss similarities and differences in your answers to the questions.

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 Teacher Seminars

Box A

Box B

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