SPECIFIC SKILLS FOR MUET LISTENING
No. Specific Listening Skills
1 Identifying and using ways to
prepare for Listening to Oral
Information
1.1 Physical Preparation
-Real-life listening &
Recorded Texts
1.2 Cognitive Preparation
-Recalling terms, words and
given titles to activate
prior knowledge.
-Asking questions to clarify
doubts
2 Using strategies to Recognise
key words
2.1 Identifying key words that
occur in a spoken text.
-details, types of
information needed and words
that provide information.
2.2 Recognising the order in
which words occur in an
utterance
3 Identifying key transitions
in a discourse.
3.1 Identifying sequence markers
in a discourse.
3.2 Identifying sequence of
events.
The Students should be able to:
1. Know the exam format and procedures.
2. Switch off any distractions.
3. Focus on the recordings
1. Listen to understand information.
2. Listen to participate in social
interactions.
3. Listen to decipher information.
1. Read and understand the questions.
2. Predict topics, terms and words based on
the clues given in the questions.
3. Recall and associate relevant background
knowledge.
1. Take note of key words indicated by
stress, intonation, repetition and
etc.
1. Recognize the class of words and their
functions.
2. Recognize the time and number references
(tenses /plural and singular)
3. Recognize the content words
1. Recognize the subjects, pronoun
references, verbs, adjectives and
adverbs.
1. Pay attention to the transition
markers used.
2. Follow the development of idea,
discussion or information in the
recording.
3. Identify segments/parts where ideas
are still similar, elaborated further,
exemplified or illustrated, identify
different purpose for different parts
of the recording i.e defining,
introducing, rousing interest,
explaining, giving reasons, giving
examples, compare and contrast, cause
and effects and etc.
1. Identify various ways ideas or
information are sequenced :
2. Identify the different ways the
sequence markers are used in a
recorded text.
i.e First, Firstly, First and
Foremost/Then, secondly, after than,
next/ Later, prior to that,
1. Recall the order of events mentioned
in the recording.
3.3 Recognising the time
reference of an utterance.
3.4 Arranging Information to
Follow Development of a Point
or an Argument.
3 Recognising Grammatical
Relationships Between Key
Elements in Sentences.
3.1 Identifying the referents of
pronouns in an Utterance.
3.2 Identifying Modal verbs which
occur in a spoken text.
3.3 Recognizing sounds or lexical
items according to their
linguistic functions.
4 Recognising stress and
intonation to identify word
and sentence functions.
- 2. Identify the emphasis
4.1 Recognising word stress on
first or second syllable.
4.2 Recognising syllable stress
in word families.
4.3 Differentiating between key
content words (stressed) and
function words (unstressed).
5 Distinguishing Phonological
Cues to Differentiate
Sentences and Questions.
5.1 Recognising prefixes.
5.2 Recognising word boundaries.
5.3 Distinguishing between
positive and negative
statements.
1. Understand whether the action/events
mentioned is in the past , present or
yet to happen/to be done.
1. Identify the structure of the charts
in Section 1.
2. Decide how the information from the
recording will be arranged .
-
Pronouns/Possessive Pronouns/Reflexive
Pronouns
He/She/It /Him/Her/It
/His/Her/It’s/Himself/Herself/Itself
1. Identify the purpose
Shall, Should, Must, Need, Ought to…
-
1. Learn to understand the non-linguistic
message sent
1. Recall the correct words.
2. Spell the words correctly.
Content words = groups of words where the
important points/details are found
Function words = surrounding words that
complete the content words grammatically and
semantically.
Positive statements = Sentences that say
positive things about something.
Negative statements = Sentences that denote
something negative/things that can’t be done
by something.